Windows on a War

The Korean War as Seen by Peter Koerner, USAF, 1950-1953

Peter Koerner, Mark Koerner

• Publisher: Mark Koerner
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9780578857954
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military Biographies
• Index: History

Windows on a Waris the true story of a young man's experiences in the Air Force during the Korean War (1950-1953). In letters to his parents, Peter Koerner chronicles his journey from Portland, Oregon to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan, where he worked in the Office of Special Investigations for over 16 months. This book describes his life as a detective and intelligence officer and includes acute observations about Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Hong Kong, South Korea, American politics, and the Cold War.

CHAPTER ONE

From Oregon to Texas

Arrival Notice to Lackland Air Force Base

September 2, 1950

I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base this date. Please write to me at my new address:

Private Peter M. Koerner

Squadron 3703 Flight 5571

Lackland Air Force Base

Commanding Officer, his address is

Commanding Officer

3703 Basic Training Squadron

Lackland Air Force Base

San Antonio, Texas

The first letter: he finds a typewriter

Sunday, September 17, 1950

Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas

Dear Ma and Pa,

Well, we got off restriction last night and I found a typewriter, so things are looking up a little bit.

While I may not be able to write any more letters, at least those you get will be legible. This last week has been a busy one.

On Wednesday, the group drew KP and I managed to get to go to the WAF mess across the field. It was really a pretty good deal. There was no one around telling you to hurry, the food was very good, everyone treated you nicely, and, above all, they said “please,” which made you feel like a human being again. The work was easy; all we had to do was any heavy lifting with no drying or washing of dishes.

It seems that this last week has been full of inspections. We have had to scrub the barracks about five different evenings, but it only takes an hour or so, which isn’t too bad. As we did well on the inspections, the corporal let us do what we pleased today as long as we are in by seven this evening.

On Tuesday, we had our aptitude test, which took all day. They told us that we would be told the results in a couple of weeks. The days in between have been mostly classes of various sorts: math, drilling, military conduct, and general propaganda.

Yesterday, we had a typhoid shot—the second one—but my arm didn’t bother me very much and feels about normal today. Some of those who had the smallpox vaccination a week ago are quite miserable. I was lucky and can’t even see where they scratched the skin.

Last night, the flight had their picture taken and if it is any good I will have one made up for you but the way the bird took the pictures, any similarity will prove quite unusual [i.e., coincidental].

We had no sooner gotten back when we had a rainstorm complete with thunder and lightning. It was quite a severe one but didn’t last too long. It calmed down and we went out for a while and then after we got back, it started to rain again and lasted a good part of the night. While it is cloudy today, it is warm and sticky, which is not especially unusual.

I have been swimming in sweat ever since I got here. I have a notion to put in for service in Alaska where it is cool, and you can get a cool glass of good water. I had my first Coke last night and while it was warm, it still tasted good.

One of these days our stuff is going to be sent home, but I have no idea just when. It has been sitting around all packed up ready to go for a week now.

Your dinner party sounds like a nice one, but I hope that you didn’t go to too much trouble and get all tired out over it.

I am also writing McChord Field to have my application sent down here.¹ I am also going to find out when I can take a test for OCS. I should be able to find out about that this week sometime.

Well, I really can’t think of too much more to report this time. What I think I’ll do is take some type of notes and then type them up for you when I can get over here. I also need some airmail stamps, if you would send them, as the others all stuck together when I put them in my wallet.

Love,

Peter

Basic training: it’s a boring life

Sunday, September 24, 1950

Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas

Dear Ma and Pa,

Well, it is raining today which is quite nice for a change. It started this morning and is now a steady drizzle.

This last week has been just about the same with a few changes. For the most part, we have had classes in math, warfare, citizenship, and career guidance.

Most of them are pretty boring, especially the math, as it is very elementary. This next week we have classes in gas warfare and have to go through a tear gas chamber, which should be a little different.

This last week in inspection, our flight took first place in the squadron which means we don’t have to fall out quite so early in the morning, which is a break.

Friday, we drew the garbage detail for the day, which wasn’t quite as bad as it sounds. We got out of classes for the day and were finished by noon, so we had the rest of the day to clean up and do odd chores of various types.

Last night, we all went to what was supposed to be a rodeo in town, but which turned out to be some type of Mexican goodwill program about 10 miles on the other (east) side of town. It was pretty miserable but at least it was something a little different. We got back about 12:30 a.m. and then didn’t get up until about 10 this morning.

I went over about OCS this last week and I have to go over again Tuesday to take the test. We have the gas training that day, so I don’t know just what is going to come of it, but I will probably take it some other time. I shall have to go over there and get another time or see if I can’t get out of classes that day.

As far as sending me anything, there really isn’t any point in doing so. I haven’t any room to put anything more for a while, but I’ll write and let you know of anything that I need. I will be needing that combination lock on my typewriter in the basement fairly soon. When I left, it was set so all you had to do was to give it a push to take it off. If it won’t come off, try our phone number on it. Beyond that, don’t monkey with it or you will lose the combination and the lock will be ruined.

As far as the government insurance is concerned, I took out a five-year term policy until I was more settled down and could convert it. I imagine I should get the 30-year life, but I wasn’t too sure at the time and this five-year term was the cheapest also. It costs $6.60 a month now which I believe will be deducted from our next paycheck. We get paid just as soon as we finish our basic. Right now, they are finishing up and shipping out during the 6th week of basic. I guess that they are really crowded here.

Well, that is about all for this time.

Love,

Peter

Counting softballs and taking tests

Sunday, October 1, 1950

Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas

Dear Ma and Pa,

Well, this has been a pretty busy week. We started out Monday by drawing “detail” which turned out to be a laugh. My job was to help out at the supply building for the OCS area. All I did for eight hours was to fill a water cooler with ice and to help count a couple of hundred softballs for their inventory. It was a pretty good deal as I was inside all the time. It rained all day long.

Tuesday morning, I managed to talk the corporal into letting me off for the morning and going over to take the OCS test. It wasn’t a test of knowledge at all but rather a test of preferences, scoring of personal likes, habits, etc. The said that they would get in touch with me later about it.

That morning there were about eight taking the test, all with degrees from various types of colleges. They said that in the last class of about 180 members, all but thirty of them had been accepted from civilian applicants and that the percentage would probably be higher in the January class, which doesn’t sound too hopeful.

In any event, it won’t be until the latter part of December before I am notified, either one way or another.

I also heard from McChord Field that they had already sent my application down here.

Tuesday afternoon we went through what is called Job Classification to figure out what you are best qualified for, what you would like to do most of all, and, most important, what they feel like assigning you to. It was all based, supposedly, on these tests we took a couple of weeks ago.

There were nine major groupings or classifications listed there. A perfect score on any one of them was a nine but all one needed to qualify was a five.

I got a perfect score on six of them and a seven on the group that dealt with the management of heavy machinery. So at least I am qualified to do about anything, but I’ll probably be assigned a large bulldozer.

The job groupings, in the main, deal with radio, radar, engine mechanics and repair, and closely related jobs. There really weren’t many that seemed very interesting. When it came down to asking about my preference, excluding the possibility of a discharge, I put down a couple of jobs in the medics and then some type of administration. I was a little bit leery about putting down administration as my first preference for fear of getting a job as a clerk typist or something equally dull and unimaginative.

While my typing certainly leaves much to be desired, it is much better than that of some of the typists they’ve had around here. As far as the medics is concerned, that sounds very silly for me to be trying to get into, but from what I have heard, they have comparatively little supervision and more responsibility than most jobs and the hours seem to be better and one always eats better around a hospital.

The food here isn’t worth a damn for the most part but I imagine that as soon as I get settled anywhere it will improve.

However, as I mentioned before, it will not be until around the first of the year before I hear about the OCS test and in the meantime, having taken it, I will be classified as a ‘casual’ which means waiting around for bigger and better things while riding on top of several tons of garbage.

But I may be able to talk myself into being some kind of temporary assistant to the supply division of the squadron. They seem to need someone quite often to type and count for them. It wouldn’t be too bad for a while. But this, as you know as with everything else, is only how things stand today, so don’t give it more than a passing thought.

Wednesday, we had what are called Pre-Mark instructions. They were mostly lectures on how the M-1 rifle functions and how to load it. We also had a couple of hours of instructions on the various firing positions.

In all, we had about six hours of lectures and two hours of practice. The actual sighting and firing were to come later on in the week but didn’t. We...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Editor’s Note
• Abbreviations
• Prologue: Notices and Postcards, Summer 1950
• 1. From Oregon to Texas
• 2. California
• 3. Washington, DC
• 4. Back to California
• 5. Tokyo
• 6. Okinawa
• 7. Hong Kong
• 8. Back to Okinawa
• 9. South Korea and Japan
• 10. Coming Home