Megan's+Interview


 * As this interview was done over email, I sent Mr. Gillis some questions, and he answered them in a different format, first I will post the questions, and below that is the answers he gave.

** Could you tell me a bit about yourself?

What events lead to you being stationed in Korea?

How long did you stay in Korea, and would you have liked to change that amount of time?

If you can talk about it, what was your job, and where did you stay in Korea?

What are some of the things you remember the most about Korea?

What is one memory that stayed with you the most during those times?

Why?

Do you remember any one person or group of people that affected you?

What did you think would be the ought come of the war, and were you surprised by an decisions?

Have you noticed any amazing changes that have occurred from when you were in Korea during the war and now?

Is their anything else you would like to add?

 **You asked for some information about me: I am an 80-year-old retired business executive. I have worked for large corporations and also started two family businesses.**


 * The Korean War broke out in June 1950. I was going into my senior year in college at Utah State University. I was majoring in business and economics.**


 * The draft board contacted me, I was given a physical examination, and found fit to serve. I got a student deferment so that I could stay in school and get my degree. I wanted to go in the service as an officer, so I applied to the Reserve Officer Training Corp. The only branch with openings was the Army Quartermaster Corp. After graduation, I was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia for company officers’ training. I was given a temporary assignment to New York City, and then to Korea.**


 * I was 22-year-old Second Lieutenant when I arrived in Korea, Our troop ship dropped anchor at Inchon harbor. (I believe it is now spelled Incheon.) We were there all night, with over three thousand men on board, with all our lights on, even though the front lines were only about 30 miles away. There was an unwritten agreement that if we, the USA, did not bomb the Chinese beyond the Yalu river, they would not attack our shipping. There was still fighting going on near the 38th parallel but the war was winding down and seemed headed for a stalemate. Both sides were looking for a face- saving way to end the conflict.**


 * My orders called for me to be assigned to the 32nd Quartermaster Group in Pusan, (now spelled Busan.) I got there by train. All the tunnels we went through before arriving at our destination amazed me. The train stations had a very European look. I was told they were designed and built by Germans.**


 * I was at the headquarters facility of the 32nd Quartermaster Group. Our mission was to receive, store and ship all the materials needed by the Army such as food, amunition, and equipment.**


 * I did not have very much contact with the Korean people with the exception of the women who were hired to take care of our living quarters. They also did our laundry. They washed the clothes in a river. They put the clothes over a rock and beat them with sticks. Most of our clothing was wool, and in the USA would have been dry cleaned, not washed in water. I was amazed that the wool did not shrink, and with what a good job they did. The clothes were very clean and beautifully pressed. I also had contact with the employees of our mess hall, (dining room.) Koreans worked in the kitchen and the bar and served the food. They were very friendly and had learned to speak conversational English very well.**


 * I had one contact with a Korean man who was in hiding. The president, Syngman Rhee was trying to find and arrest him, because he was a political opponent. Later, this man was a significant figure in the South Korean government, or so I was told. I don’t think it is prudent for me to disclose either his name or who was providing a sanctuary for him. For me, this was just a chance encounter. I bring this up because it speaks to the political environment of that time.**


 * I spent some time in the City of Pusan. The streets were mostly unpaved. Imposing walls prevented seeing the buildings behind them. I did go into one and when the large gate was opened there was a beautiful garden, fountain and reflecting pool. This was a sharp contrast to the street outside.**


 * Before the Americans came to Korea, people drove on the left side of the road, just as they do in Japan and in the United Kingdom. We changed that because Americans drove most of the vehicles on roads. Unfortunately, many Koreans would look for oncoming traffic the wrong way and some were hit by cars.**


 * The Korean War was not popular in the United States or among our troops. Most of our personnel wondered why we were there. Because morale was so low, I was selected to travel by jeep and give talks to every army command from Pusan to Seoul. My topic was “Why We Are In Korea? I was assigned a driver, and both of us were armed. Our biggest threat was bandits. Those were difficult times for all Koreans and some to them turned to crime in order to survive. This trip provided me with a good look the Korean countryside. There were terraced rice paddies everywhere. The beauty of the hills and the patterns formed by the paddies are my most lasting memory**


 * Since the Chinese entered the war, I knew that we would not be able to unite the two Koreas. The Chinese and the Soviet Union had a vested interest in keeping North Korea a communist government. The best we could hope for was a truce.**


 * I was only in Korea for about 9 months. It was a wonderful experience for me, but I wish I had been given the opportunity to meet more Korean people. In the spring of 1953, since the war was nearly over, we were all anxious to get home and resume the lives we left behind.**


 * I have seen recent pictures of some of the Korean cities, and I am amazed at the beautiful buildings. I have also marveled at the brilliance of their many companies that have become world-class competitors and are known for quality and reliability.**


 * Gillis**

Truthfully, I was extremely surprised by the many places that Mr. Gillis has been, and how I also have stood in maybe the same spot. Just the notion that some one who is near me has been here before me, and has done things that I could never have thought of, brings me great awe. I picture Korea as the way I first saw it, humungous buildings, horrid traffic, and beautiful gardens and mountains. It is interesting to see that the only real changes in the country have been the build up of houses, where as in Seoul, many things have changed, but many are still similar to what he saw. The thing I was most shocked about, however, is the need for him to go about and boost troops morale. This kind of thing was of course needed when fighting away from your home, but I have never really thought about how people go about doing it. It also is interesting that he noted many small bits of culture that are still present today, things that have not faded away, but have just solidified. It is also interesting how even though he already pretty much guessed the outcome of the war, he was able to boost troops confidence to keep them going. However, the small part about the political issues in South Korea leaves a lot of lee- way in the way that people might suspect South Korea was handling itself. I haven't a clue who this person is who they were hiding, but if they were to be assassinated just because they were against the normal government, I am not sure if that was right. However, since I do not know the person, I can not really state any opinions about it.