On the DMZ

Norm observes a tank used during the Korean War. Norm served as a tank mechanic for the Army's 24th Infantry Division.

On January 17, 1955, Norm joined the U.S. Army. At 19 years old, Norm stood 6-foot, 2-inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. Norm went through basic training and two mechanical schools before being assigned to active duty in South Korea. Following the secession of hostilities he arrived on the demilitarized zone in December, a stone's throw from the North Korean border.

Being on the DMZ was a traumatic experience. Norm worked as a mechanic for the only tank company on the DMZ as part of the Army's 24th Infantry Division's 34th Regiment. He worked seven days a week from morning to night, sleeping on a canvas cot in a squad tent with no heat. He went months without bathing.

The Army had integrated with President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981 in 1948, but there remained a lot of hostility and tension within the ranks. When racially motivated fights broke out between the troops around Christmas 1955, Norm was among those ordered to separate the men. He saw a fellow soldier shot dead in front of him during the fighting.