Suwan Chinda
Bio
Suwan Chinda was born in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1929 and grew up with four brothers. He shares that his father served in the military and his mother was a farmer. He enlisted in the Thailand Army in 1948 and served in Korea from 1952 to 1953. He recalls his experience at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill where he was assigned to communications and was sent to repair lines when needed. He remembers receiving orders to repair a line that had been damaged by bombs near the front lines on one particular occasion and recalls members of his team arguing with the officer who assigned them to the job as they were fearful of becoming injured. He shares his thoughts on war and offers an account of his return visit to modern day Korea. He is proud of his service and of the model country South Korea has become and hopes that North and South Korea will one day be unified.
Video Clips
Pork Chop Hill
Suwan Chinda recalls his experience at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. He shares that he was assigned to communications and was sent to repair lines when needed. He remembers receiving orders to repair a line that had been damaged by bombs near the front lines on one particular occasion and recalls members of his team arguing with the officer who assigned them to the job as they were fearful of becoming injured. He shares that he was not scared and was willing to fight. He adds that he sustained no wounds at the battle.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVaK05qxMxE&start=1098&end=1606
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/suwan-chinda#clip-1
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No More Fighting
Suwan Chinda shares his thoughts on war. He speaks of war negatively and adds that he does not want to see people fighting. He comments on Vietnam being one country and states that he would like to see Korea as one country as well.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVaK05qxMxE&start=1696&end=1904
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/suwan-chinda#clip-2
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Return to Korea
Suwan Chinda recalls his return visit to Korea. He describes his experience and the changes he witnessed, stating that the transformation was unbelievable compared to Thailand which is still a developing country. He shares that he never dreamed Korea would be what it has become and adds that he felt welcomed there.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVaK05qxMxE&start=2056&end=2400
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/suwan-chinda#clip-3
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Message to Koreans
Suwan Chinda describes the people of South Korea as hardworking and attributes the country's development to the work ethic of the people. He expresses that South Korea is a model country. He shares that he is happy for the Korean people and feels appreciated for his service.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVaK05qxMxE&start=2813&end=2987
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/suwan-chinda#clip-4
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