Clarence R Skog
PFC (T) / U.S. Army
1951-1953 Korea
I was drafted in 1951 and sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois for processing into the Army for two years. Following WWII, the military had been greatly reduced in size so it was necessary to draft large numbers (80,000) of men each month to recreate a fighting force. There was an immediate need for leadership so many new recruits were able to attain the rank of sergeant in five months, giving them a pay boost. Unfortunately, promotions were frozen during the entire time I was in the service so I never was able to earn more pay.
An interesting event occurred while I and other new recruits were being processed at Fort Sheridan. General Douglas MacArthur was fired by President Harry Truman for disobeying orders in Korea. He was paraded through Fort Sheridan upon his return to the States and we recruits had to stand at Parade Rest along the route.
From Fort Sheridan, I was sent to Fort Hood, Texas to the 1st Medium Tank Battalion for 14 weeks of infantry basic training. I was assigned to the motor pool to work on jeeps and trucks, but the best job I had during this time was being selected as driver for the company commander. I never knew how this came about. In October 1951, I was sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland for Ordnance Storage Specialist Training, and in January 1952, I was sent back to Fort Hood and placed in the Ordnance Corps. In August 1952, I was sent to Camp Stoneman, California for overseas processing. I was sent to Okinawa where I was part of the 59th Ordnance Depot. One significant event happened in the summer of 1951: integration of the armed forces was ordered. All troops spent many hours of troop information and education in preparation for this change. In March, 1953, I was rotated back to Camp Stoneman, and from there to Camp Carson, Colorado for processing out of the army.
I enrolled in college in 1953, grateful for the G.I. Bill. I earned a B.A. degree at Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) in 1957 and an M.A. degree at The University of Iowa in 1965. I was a high school teacher for ten years and then an insurance agent, part of the time in management and part of the time self-employed. In June of 2022, my wife and I will celebrate 68 good years of marriage.
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