Jack Pettipas
Bio
Jack Pettipas enlisted in the United States Air Force following his high school graduation in 1952. Having struggled early in life after the tragic deaths of his parents, he saw the Air Force as an opportunity to obtain an education while serving his country. He arrived at his assignment in Korea in 1954 and was stationed at Taegu. While serving in Korea, he served in Testing and Classification which required him to test Air Force personnel across the region for upgrades in ranks and jobs and assign them to different posts across the country and world. During his off-duty time, Pettipas taught Korean students conversational English at the English Language Institute in Taegu. He has worked very hard to ensure the service of all Korean War Veterans is not forgotten by raising funds for a memorial off Route 6 in Massachusetts and seeking government approval for the renaming of a portion of that same highway to honor the veterans of the Korean War.
Video Clips
We Really Did Not Understand the Repercussions
Jack Pettipas recalls learning very little while in high school about Korea or the Korean War. He notes that he did know there was a draft. He remarks that, in terms of the youth in both the United States and Korea, this really was a matter of "you didn't know us and we didn't know you." He shares that most of the young soldiers knew the effects of World War II but had little idea of the repercussions of the experiences in Korea that lay ahead of them.
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Serving as a Testing and Classification Specialist in Taegu
Jack Pettipas offers a detailed account of his duties as a Testing and Classification Specialist stationed in Taegu. He shares his duties included testing Air Force personnel all across the region for upgrades in their ranks as well as jobs and notes he would assign them to posts across the globe. He explains that although he spent much of his time in Taegu, he also flew to remote locations throughout Korea to test Air Force personnel stationed there.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hB8wB8ekUg&start=420&end=556
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/john-pettipas#clip-2
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Teaching English at the English Language Institute at Taegu
Jack Pettipas remembers being solicited by Colonel Orlando Stevenson, who established the English Language Institute at Taegu, to spend some of his off-duty time teaching conversational English to mostly Korean youth. He notes that some of these students would spend half of their day just getting to the site to learn English. He explains the importance of breaking the "ugly American" stereotype that was dominant at the time through working with the young people.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hB8wB8ekUg&start=765&end=1079
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/john-pettipas#clip-3
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Making Sure Korean War Veterans are Never Forgotten
Jack Pettipas believes the four years he spent in the U.S. Air Force were the most important of his life. He recalls the experience offering him a foundation which helped him find his direction. He shares how, since returning from Korea, he has worked very hard to make sure Korean War Veterans are not forgotten through the raising funds for memorials and working with the government of Massachusetts to have a portion of Route 6 on Cape Cod named in their honor.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hB8wB8ekUg&start=1446&end=1668
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/john-pettipas#clip-4
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Photos
Korean War Chapter Prayer
Presbyterian Junior College Letter to John Pettipas
A letter from the Presbyterian Junior College sent in reply to John Pettipas's first letter of asking to give Hwang Chang Hae the opportunity to travel from Korea to the US and study at their college.
Presbyterian Junior College Letter to John Pettipas 2
A letter from the Presbyterian Junior College sent in reply to John Pettipas's second letter.
Presbyterian Junior College Letter to John Pettipas 3
A letter from the Presbyterian Junior College sent in reply to John Pettipas's third letter.
