Letters Home: Korea: The Forgotten War, 1952-1954
Richard O'Brien
language
(, April 21, 2014)
My father, Richard O'Brien, a journalism professor at UGA, died in 1981. His oldest sister Patricia, my godmother, handed me a shoebox full of letters he had written home during the Korean War. This book is a compilation of the actual letters and envelopes presented in chronological order and is a tribute to my father and all soldiers who have experienced being away from their families, and who have been challenged by the realities of war. My father's letters begin with excitement, anticipating heroism, but later express some disillusionment many soldiers began to feel over time while stationed away from home. Interwoven within the letters are funny, frightening and sometimes sad stories. What makes these letters special is they are not a textbook history lesson filled with statistics. His words are a heartfelt, honest perspective from a son, a brother, and a soldier starting in basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, then stationed in Korea until his deployment home. I hope these letters touch the readers' hearts and enhance their perspective of the Korean War and wartime experience.