Ralph Blum
Bio
Ralph Blum grew up on a large dairy farm six miles outside Monroe, Wisconsin. He shares that the Great Depression was hard, but they always had food because they lived on a farm and had a big garden. He attended a one-room country school until he was in the sixth grade and graduated from Monroe High School in 1948. He was in Korea for eleven months and served on the front line. He recalls firing a howitzer almost every day and estimates he fired eight to ten thousand rounds during that time. He shares that the maximum pay for him was one hundred and thirty dollars a month, which included forty-five dollars for combat pay. He remembers saving his money and purchasing a car when he made it home to Monroe. He states that he would do it all over again because most of his memories are good ones. He revisited Korea in 2012 with his son and was impressed with the progress Korea had made. He recalls being thanked by Koreans everywhere he went. In retrospect, he says the United States has treated veterans a lot better in the last twenty years than when he got back from Korea.
Video Clips
Not a Forgotten War in Korea
Ralph Blum revisited Korea in 2012 with his son. He shares how his view of Korea changed because of the advances he saw. He recounts wearing his Korean War cap and jacket while visiting the DMZ and Seoul. He shares how everyone thanked him for his service, including cab drivers and school children. He explains that his revisit answered his question about why he served in Korea.
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ralph-blum#clip-1
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A Tale of Two Seouls
Ralph Blum contrasts Seoul in March 1952 and May 2012 upon his revisit. He shares that Seoul was a mess and totally demolished in 1952. He recalls there were only a few bridges at the time, and he recounts crossing the Imjin River on a pontoon bridge. He explains that Seoul was completely different in 2012 with modern buildings and lots of traffic.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QgYgDa2e0&start=828&end=990
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ralph-blum#clip-2
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Dangers
Ralph Blum recalls he was usually a half mile to three miles behind the front lines. He shares that the North Koreans were good at mortars and recalls how difficult it was to ear them coming. He remembers being shelled about every third day. He recounts watching the sky because the North Koreans would zero in with sky bursts, and then they would know there would be incoming mortars. He explains they would hide under the 105 Howitzer when they moved behind the infantry to avoid being shelled until foxholes could be dug.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QgYgDa2e0&start=1270&end=1460
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ralph-blum#clip-3
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Makeshift Stove for Warmth
Ralph Blum recalls building a bunker with a couple other Marines. He describes how their bunker had three feet of dirt on top. He shares how they made a stove out of a fuse box by putting sand in it, using fuses from shells, and sorting beer cans to make a chimney. He recounts how they used a five-galloon can with diesel fuel which kept them reasonably warm when they were in their bunker at night.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QgYgDa2e0&start=1975&end=2105
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ralph-blum#clip-4
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