The Korean War seems so long ago, right?

This will take the long way around, but bear with me.

This semester I have a class called Folklore and Folklife, or ANT244W at my college. The first half of the semester is a study of the Occupational Folksong of the Vietnam Vets ( Airforce, in particular). It's really hit home for me.

I grew up during the hottest part of this war, we had friends and neighbors who served during this war and one who never came back.
I knew him because of his kids, Pamela, Debbie and David. Pam was a few years young than I and just a joy to know, she had a sense of fun and long brown hair that often flew behind her, as if trying to keep up with her and brown eyes that shone with laughter, and a joy of life. Debbie was just behind Pam, as I recall, lo these many years later, and David was just a mite. I remember David toddling out in just a diaper when we lived down the street from each other.
Years later, after we moved, I'd see Pam and Debbie at the Ice Rink or after school, around town, nice young ladies who always had a smile and a kind word.
But Mr Taylor- I remember seeing him in his uniform a couple of times, he must have been home on leave just after boot camp or something, but he was a proud daddy and loved to see his kids and their friends playing - or so it seemed to 8 year old me. I remember him picking Debbie off her bike and tossing her in the air and catching her as if she weighed nothing - a smile on both their faces. The memory has stayed with me for 4 decades. I don't know why.
Not long after that - we heard he was dead. And that, too has stayed with me, I've never forgotten him. Nor has my younger brother. I can't even say why, but I think of him often.
One of the things that was popular in certain circles during the later years of the Vietnam War was P.O.W. bracelets - with the names and capture dates ( and often service numbers) of the Men and Women who were being held prisoner by the VietCong/North Vietnamese..I wore one 'til it literally fell apart. I kept the one piece I could find for years. I'll bet I have it packed away somewhere, still today.
This class, the songs, the men singing them and the memories have moved me to tears and I decided to try and find out where on the "Wall" ( the Vietnam Memorial Wall Monument) Mr Taylor was...and I did.
This is what I found on the "virtual wall"

Raymond Ralph Taylor Jr
Chief Warrant Officer

PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Lancaster, NY
Date of birth: 06/01/1939

This whole page © Copyright 1997-2012 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd.

MILITARY DATA
Service: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: W1
Rank: Chief Warrant Officer
Note: Posthumous Promotion as indicated
ID No: 066302435
MOS: 100B: Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot
Length Service: 12
Unit: AVN PLT, HHC, 2ND BDE, 1ST CAV DIV, USARV

CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 08/18/1969
Incident Date: 02/12/1970
Casualty Date: 02/21/1970
Age at Loss: 30 (based on date declared dead)
Location: Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Non-hostile, died of illness or injury
Casualty Reason: Helicopter - Pilot
Casualty Detail: Air loss or crash over land

URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dt/TaylorRR01a.htm

ON THE WALL Panel 13W Line 042



Mr Taylor - you are not forgotten.

While I was researching that I came across a site called The P.O.W. Network (http://www.pownetwork.org/) that has info and things about P.O.W.s from all wars from WWII to present. So I decided to get a P.O.W. Bracelet to replace the one I ruined.

I had figured I'd get one for a Vietnam Vet, since that was the era when they were made, but I got browsing through the page and found out that there are still men who were taken prisoner in Korea that are unaccounted for - they are still considered P.O.W.s and with the state of relations between North Korea and everyone else ~ we truely don't know if they are alive or dead. My Daddy served in Korea, so I got a Bracelet for a Korean War Vet and I got Trish one for a Vietnam Vet since her Daddy served there.
This is whose Name I have:


FRENCH, WILLIAM L USA 13306412 PFC MIA 11/30/1950 PULASKI, VA

The Korean War seems so long ago - for some it's still not over.

Bring them all home!





















http://www.vietvet.org/folk.htm