Share your Korean War story
Frank P. Calderon was a life member of American Legion Post 653 in Los Angeles. Born July 29, 1930, in Canton, Ohio, Calderon was drafted into the U.S. Army in April 1951 during the Korean conflict. He was assigned to artillery in the 1st Armored Division (Old Ironsides) at Fort Hood, Texas. His division was deployed to Germany on the USS Geiger as support to the allied troops against the Soviets. He was one of nine crew members who fired the 37 mm cannons and 50 caliber machine guns. He was honorably discharged for his services in late March 1953. Calderon passed away in February 2020.
Calderon’s daugter, Erica, submitted to Legiontown the story of her father’s Korean War service as part of The American Legion’s new Our Korean War story submissions.
Nearly 1.8 million Americans served in the Korean War combat theater. The Department of Defense puts the number of in-theater U.S. deaths at 36,754, with another 17,672 having lost their lives outside the combat zones. The number who went missing or were captured, with no remains stands at 8,075.
The American Legion Media & Communications Commission is once again calling on American Legion Family members to share their Korean War stories. Similar to a collection of more than 120 stories and photos called “Our WWII Story” which was published on legion.org between 2019 and 2021, “Our Korean War Story” will serialize such topics as:
- Personal accounts from Korean War veterans – Legionnaires, family members, post namesakes and others connected to the organization
- Local post efforts to support the troops during the Korean War and to remember the sacrifices of the war afterward
- Community activities that honor Korean War veterans
- Stories and photos of unique equipment, artifacts and other memorabilia from the war
These materials can be submitted using the www.legion.org/legiontown web platform under the category “Our Korean War Story.”
Once submissions are prepared and approved for publication, they will be posted on the site, which offers easy social media sharing. From those, selected pieces will be highlighted in the weekly American Legion e-newsletters, as well.
The aim of this project is to strengthen historical memory, while veterans of the Korean War – 361,749 of whom have been American Legion members in the last decade – are available to share firsthand accounts.