Posted: 6/19/02

Photos preserve memories of Korea

Cliff Buchan
News Editor

In the 41 years since he last set foot in Korea, Dick Freeman of Wyoming has never been too far from the memories of his military experiences. Thousands of black and white photographs made by Freeman during his 26 months in Korea bring back a rush of memories.

The memories of Korea took a new turn last week when Freeman and six of his service mates came together for the first time in 40 years for a reunion.

After four decades, seven of the nine men who were part of an Air Force Korean Language group were back together, sharing stories of another time and how their lives have unfolded since Korea. The men today are scattered across the United States and with a couple of exceptions have had little contact since they parted ways.

ìMostly we will want to talk,î said Freeman, 67, as he readied his Wyoming home for the reunion which took place June 12-14. There will be photos to share and old Super 8 film to watch, but mostly the men want to talk, Freeman said.

And that was what the men were taught to do in the late 1950s.

Special duty

More than four decades removed from service, Freeman and his mates are still hesitant to discuss what their jobs were in Korea. Specially trained in the Korean language, the unit worked in Air Force intelligence and much of the work remains classified, Freeman said.

The unit worked to provide translation and personal contact with the Korean people, serving as an interface between the Air Force and the people.

Personnel spent time with college students, orphanages, Korean civilians on the air base at Osan 30 miles south of Seoul and the Korean population at large.

ìWe donít like to talk about what we did,î Freeman said. He stops short of giving full explanations, but said the men were involved with gathering information from the Koreas during a period when tension ran high between the North and South Koreans.

ìThe DMZ is still a dangerous place,î Freeman said.

Special duty

A native of Willernie, Freeman was 23 when he entered the Air Force in 1958. He probably has his mother to thank for the duty he received.

Although not highly education, Freeman said his mother could understand five languages.

When Freeman entered the military, he took seriously the testing programs offered by the Air Force. He understood that doing well on a test could translate into a better job.

After completing basic training, Freeman learned he was being sent to Yale and the Institute of Far Eastern Languages.

ìWe all came together at Yale, not knowing what we were in store for,î Freeman said.

For 12 months from the spring of 1959 to the spring of 1960, Freeman and the eight others who stuck with the program studied Korean at Yale.

ìI was pretty surprised that I ended up at Yale,î he said. ìFor all of us, it was a learning experience. It was pretty intense instruction.î

For the full year, the men learned from Korean instructors at Yale, spending six hours a day five days a week in class. By the end of the year, the men were fluent in Korean.

When the unit arrived in Korea in March of 1960, they learned the harsh reality they would need to learn more.

ìWe had learned college Korean,î Freeman said. ìWhen we got off the plane, we couldnít understand a word.î

The dialects spoken by Korean groups in rural areas were not familiar and the men had to learn all over again. ìIt took a little while (to learn),î Freeman said.

While eight of the nine men in Freemanís unit went home after their 13-month tour, Freeman stayed for a second tour.

ìThe first year didnít give me all that I wanted to know,î he said. ìI had no place to go (back in the states).î

2nd Tour

While his buddies and college mates went home, Freeman continued his duty. His second tour included plenty of air time, as well, as he logged 60 hours of flight time each month.

In his free time during both tours, Freeman would move freely in the countryside meeting with civilians, making friends and collecting information. His cameras were his constant companions.

ìI always had three cameras,î he said. He carried two cameras shooting black and white and color negatives and a Super 8 mm movie camera. He believes he recorded hundreds of thousands of images as part of his official duties and personal shooting.

His travels on foot would carry him 20 to 30 miles from the base, but never too close to the DMZ which was 50 miles from Osan Air Force Base. In the early 1960s the North Koreans were not fans of American intelligence personnel. ìWe all had a price on our heads,î Freeman said.

Freeman canít speak about the duties or what the unit may have accomplished, but he believes in his heart the mission was successful.

ìIím sure we helped the diplomatic cause by the way we behaved and how we were friends of the Koreans,î he said.

Small town guy

Freeman left the Air Force in fall of 1962 and returned to his home in Willernie.

He was a University of Minnesota employee where he worked in various departments, including University of Minnesota Relations. He worked as a medical photographer and still photographer. Freeman retired in 1992.

Freeman and his wife, Sharon, moved to Wyoming last year to be closer to family who live in the Wyoming area.

With Sharon Freemanís travel capabilities curtailed by Multiple Sclerosis, the reunion was slated for Wyoming.

Losing track of good friends became a reality for all the members of the Korean language group. But that came to a close last week when memories were shared and the old and curled black and white photos came into focus again.

Where They Are Today......

Members of the Air Force Korean Language group are scattered throughout the country. The following veterans attended last weekís reunion at the Freeman home:

ïThomas Dini, Lagrange, IN.

ïDarrell Fargo, Loveland, CO.

ïDonald Hoyhtya, Coon Rapids.

ïMichael McCabe, Tempe, AZ.

ïJim McGee, Batavia, OH.

ïGeorge Smith, Charlotte, NC.

Jim Yost of Huntingdon, PN, was not able to attend.

William Randol who was from Santa Barbara, CA, could not be located by reunion planners.

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