John F. Kortekaas

I was drafted in November of 1950 and sent to Fort Riley,  Kansas for basic training. I remember sleeping in a pup tent in a foot of snow. In January of 1951 I was sent by train to Fort Eustis, VA for more training.  We were finally  sent across the United States to ship out for Japan , after waiting two week we boarded a Japanese ship for Korea.

After landing in Korea we were loaded on to trucks and drove north. A few other soldiers and I were taken to the 765th T.R.S.B. where we took over for a few E.R s .(enlisted reserves )

I met a man named Swanson, who told me I was to take over his job of operating the sawmill- so,  I became the honcho there for 3 months. I was then told to take charge of the rail yard of Choyang. I was in charge of 400 Koreans and 7 GIs.

Finally my time to go home came so I arrived back in the states in November of 1952 and was discharged at Fort Carson Colorado.

I returned home and to working on the Duluth Misabe & Iron Range Railway for the Iron Mines of northern Minnesota.

My life has been fairly good ,not in riches but in health, I will be 76 in August and besides one bad ankle I am in good health. I am 6ft 3 in. tall and 200 pounds ,I love to fish and work out side. I love working with wood and have built many wishing wells which range in size from 5 inches high to four foot. They are very fun to make and I now I have wishing wells scattered through out the United States-from North Carolina to Oregon .

Soon after I was discharged,  I met a young lady and fell in love we were married in November of 1953. Our first child John was born in December of 1955, then in 1957 along came our daughter Debbie and finally in 1961 ,we received the joy of our lives, another girl, we named Pam. We now have 7 grand children and three great grand children and we love them all !