ROK Air Force Veterans Recalls His Experiences During the Korean War
I always find these interviews of Korean War veterans in the Joong Ang Ilbo to be very interesting:
Gazing at the F-51D Mustang combat plane, the veteran’s eyes were still sharp. And just like the fighter jet he flew during the 1950-53 Korean War, his face had wrinkles carved in from years gone by.
But retired General Kwon Seong-keun looked elated as he stood before the old combat plane on July 1, at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, central Seoul, as if he had just met his former self.
He closed his eyes as he recalled the many times he risked his life during the conflict.
“There, you transcend the fear of death. It felt like being on a spaceship spiraling past meteors in muted silence,” said the 90-year-old Kwon, credited with contributing to the establishment of the nation’s Air Force.
The general was dispatched dozens of times during the war, though it has been decades since he has taken to the skies.
The JoongAng Ilbo recently sat down for an interview with the former Korean Air Force pilot to hear more about his life during the Korean War and under Japanese colonial rule. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
Here is how Mr. Kwon said they conducted bombing raids on North Korean forces, by throwing hand grenades out of the plane:
On June 26, we brought 15 kilograms (33 pounds) worth of explosives from the U.S. ammunition chamber. I sat in the front seat of the plane, and in the back seat, another pilot got on the plane with his arms full of bombs and grenades. We headed to Dongdu Stream, where North Korean military tanks were moving along the road.
We threw the explosives down at the tanks with our bare hands. The bombs exploded, and there were momentary swirls of dust, but the tanks started moving again as if nothing had happened. We set out again on the second day. This time, we threw the bombs on the road. That was to destroy the road to prevent as many tanks from moving south as possible.
You can read the rest of the interview at the link.
