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Title: Korea Between the Wars: A Soldier's Story by Fred Ottoboni ISBN: 0-915241-02-1 Publisher: Vincente Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1997 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $19.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Depressing, but it pulls no punches
Comment: A depressing book. Both because the conditions that the author described in Korea between the wars were so miserable, and because after a little while his writing style starts to drag you down. There's no doubting the authenticity of the material though, right there in the text he included letters he sent home at the time... still, only for a serious reader of this era, as nothing "historic" really took place in this time/place. At least, nothing that the author witnessed.

Rating: 5
Summary: Retired Air Force officer, Kunsan City, South Korea
Comment: This book is of great value in the sense that it is a piece of living history. I've lived here in Kunsan for a few years and this book really enlightened me about a few things. The dirt road to Kunsan is now a four-lane highway; the levee he describes in the book is still there; the dependent housing he built used to be the old ROKAF NCO houses (now deserted); and the base roads are basically the same routes as in 1947. Yes, things change, but at the same time they remain the same. I loved the book. Thanks, Fred.

Rating: 4
Summary: An accurate portral of conditions in Korea between the wars.
Comment: I was stationed with the 13th Combat Engineer Bn. 7th Infantry Division in Korea 1946 - 1947 and found more similiarities to Fred's experences then differences. We didn't experence quite the same shortage of food or clothing that Fred did and we were able to keep our clothes clean. I was first stationed near Seoul, being stationed nearer the source of supply (Inchon) we probably had an advantage. Fred mentions being given one clip of ammo on guard duty, I still remember many times guarding a bulldozer 5 miles from camp at night with one clip of ammo, don't think that I didn't have the same thoughts as Fred, thankfully the Koreans didn't know I was that short on ammo. I drove jeep for one of the officers, once a month we would take the money the men wanted to send home into Seoul and purchase money orders for them. The Lt. usually would wear his sidearm for protection. One month the Lt. was busy so he handed me $5000.00 in a First aid kit and a couple of smoke grenades and sent me off alone to Seoul to purchase the money orders. During the winter we were stationed near the 38th to keep an eye on the Russians. We lived in Quanset huts and our heaters were fashioned from old oil drums, the oil line would freeze up every night and when we went to pull on our socks in the morning they would be frozen stiff as a board.In the spring of 1947 our company was moved south to Taechon which was located on the southwest sea coast of Korea. Our task was to construct a R&R camp. We lived in squad tents. Being some what isolated we experenced shortages of food etc. but we had a good Mess Sargent and I remember more then one meal of lobster and other seafood which we caught in the sea in front of camp and the cooks prepared for us. Gasoline suppies were a big problem and wouldn't you know it when my orders finally came to go home they didn't have enough gasoline to take me the 200 miles to the repo-depo. To my surprise the Company Commander radioed Kimpo Airfield and they sent two small planes like Piper Cubs to pick up a Corporal and myself a lowly P.F.C. The planes landed right on the beach in front of camp (what a sight) and soon had us back at Kimpo. Fred I enjoyed your book and it brought back many memories, some good, some not so good. I would say your book was right on! and very factual in presenting conditions in Korea between the wars. I wish more books written by G.I.'s during this period were available. Donald F. Bohrer