Boring Diversions

Heroes Remember

Boring Diversions

Transcript

There wasn't a whole lot of things you could do. I remember volunteering to go back and get some sand for sandbags down the Imjin River. That was a change in the activity and you were able to have a swim when you were down there. You'd even volunteer to, we were in a very swampy position one time and the rainy season was approaching and there was a concern whether or not if we were attacked during the rainy season, could we get our guns out of there. So they brought in truck loads of rock and you'd volunteer to go out there with a sledge hammer and break this rock up and make gravel. Anything for a, for a change. It was very, a lot of boredom, a lot of boredom. So if anything came up, I remember one time hitchhiking back to watch Wayne and Shuster, got back there and there was no place to sit. So you had to sit outside and hear through the tent what was going on. Even that was better than nothing, you know, then you'd hitch hike back to the gun position. Every once in a while the word would come out that there was a mobile shower a couple of miles down the road. So you'd hike her down there to have a shower. You'd get down there, have your shower, usually the water was cold by the time you got there and the towels were all used and by the time you got back to the gun position you were dirtier than when you left so, but it was different, it was a change and the dirt was new.

Description

Mr. McKinney describes how the boredom of Korean life led to some less than interesting diversions such as stuffing sandbags, breaking rocks with a sledge, and walking miles to get a shower.

James McKinney

James McKinney was born on August 17, 1932 in Winnipegosis, Manitoba. Eventually his family settled in Gladstone, where he finished high school. Along with a brother and two friends, he enlisted in the army at Winnipeg. Mr. McKinney joined the artillery, took a jumper's course, and transferred to the airborne artillery. He also studied logarithms at night school during his basic training, and went to Korea as a Tech Able with the 1st Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Heavy Artillery. In this capacity, he ranged guns on enemy positions and acted as an observer in the observation post trench.

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