Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Lewis Sawaquat Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 987th Field Artillery Battalion, II Republic of Korea (ROK) Corps
- Location of Service: Korea; Fort Bliss, Texas; White Sands, New Mexico
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/41256
Lewis Sawaquat was 18 years old when he enlisted, in the last year of the Korean War. He served with an artillery battalion in Korea, stationed 25 to 30 miles behind the front lines. On arrival in country, he was rattled by the sound of gunfire but soon got used to it, as he did the rough-and-tumble men in his company. Told stories of the horrors that awaited him if he got captured, he soon found there was little chance for that, especially as the war ground toward a stalemate. He did find that Koreans bonded with him as an American Indian; they claimed that his ancestors crossed the land bridge from Asia to North America.
Interview / Recording
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PlayStarted out at Fort Custer in his native Michigan, sent for basic training at Ft. Still, Oklahoma; was amazed at the array of food; didn't enjoy the constant exercising; landed in Pusan, traveled north toward Seoul; assigned to the 9987 Field Artillery; located 25-30 miles behind the front lines; in support of the infantry, the armored, and the small artillery; occasionally sustained a hit; did suffer one casualty, their survey officer was killed. 00:02:09.6 - 00:06:25.6
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PlayCynical about medals because of an incident involving a friend; they had a 50 caliber machine gun assigned to them; would hurriedly try to load it in time to hit a regularly passing plane; one time, his friend fell jumping over a sandbag, cut his hand--and got a Purple Heart for his wound. 00:08:43.7 - 00:10:04.0
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PlayOn arrival, was warned about getting captured; entertained themselves with beer and cards; liquor supply was unlimited; did learn how to play chess; saw Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, who had been honeymooning in Japan. 00:12:08.3 - 00:14:44.4
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PlayDid experience some racism, but saw blacks as more frequent victims of it; Koreans saw him as one of them; the American Indians had crossed the land bridge from Asia; they promised they would come to America and free the Indians to return to Asia. 00:15:32.6 - 00:17:45.4
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PlayHearing the gun fire as he got closer to the front lines, thinking "this is not for me;" joined a so-called elite unit; they were actually ruffians, dirty and smelly, speaking a crude pidgin Korean-English, armed with hand grenades and knives; learned to speak their language to get along. 00:19:35.4 - 00:22:11.2
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PlayOffered duty in Vietnam in the mid-50s, where U.S. military were stationed dressed in civilian clothes as advisors; turned down the offer and left the military in January 1956; used the GI Bill, which was the main reason he joined; had no support from his tribe, the Ottawas, which at that time were no longer officially considered a tribe. 00:24:32.1 - 00:26:33.3
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PlayUnderstands the difficulty of transition from war to civilian life, though he had no problems himself; appreciates how military service broadened his landscape. 00:29:36.5 - 00:30:49.2
About this Item
Title
- Lewis Sawaquat Collection
Names
- Campos, Tanya
- Press, James
- Sawaquat, Lewis
- Northwestern Michigan College (NMC)
Home State
- Michigan
Headings
- - Sawaquat, Lewis
- - Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Form
- VHS
Extent
- 1 item
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- American Indian and Alaskan Native
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 987th Field Artillery Battalion, II Republic of Korea (ROK) Corps
- Location of Service: Korea; Fort Bliss, Texas; White Sands, New Mexico
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1953-1956
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-05-01)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/41256
Cite as
- Lewis Sawaquat Collection (AFC/2001/001/41256), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video