Mishmash My After-Mash Experiences
A Pictorial Memoir
Richard (Dick) Kahn
A Synopsis
Mishmash has a review of why the United States intervened in the "Korean Conflict" emphasizing college deferments, occupation duty and overall military service.
I describe how the Korean people lived in the countryside, in peacetime, in a postwar country. The period of acclimation and assignment from the 21st Medical Regiment to Able Company at the D.M.Z. depicts many experiences with the military and the Korean people.
Able Company was the first line of defense in case of a North Korean attack. The military setup, with my medical responsibilities and situations are explained. My first R and R in February 1956 was in Tokyo. There were training activities leading up to Able Company''s relocation south of the DMZ. At that time I volunteered for permanent guard duty at the 21st Medical Company. I write about the prevalence of prostitution, revealing my personal experiences.
April and July 1956 I went on two Religious Retreats to Japan. September 1956 religious services were arranged for the Jewish Holidays at the 8th Army Headquarters.
For my final R and R, in November, my companion arranged for me to stay with a Japanese family followed by touring Niko National Park. Traveling home on emergency leave was quite an episode!
The remaining months of my active duty, I was reassigned to the Hospital Management Office at Fort Dix, New Jersey. March 22, 1957, I left active service and was automatically transferred into an inactive Army Reserve unit for six years. During that period the US faced a grave threat in Laos and seriously considered military intervention. I was notified to take a physical exam. I received my discharge from the Army Reserve and from the Armed Forces on February 28, 1963.
