Intermission Stories (15)

Earl Hufford in Korea

Private First Class, Earl R. Hufford

11th Evacuation Hospital, Medical Corps, Korea

Earl R. Hufford hailed from Perrysburg, Ohio.  He went to Bowling Green State University and received his preacher’s license for the Methodist church after high school and then found himself drafted into the U.S. Army destined for Korea.  The following article is condensed from an interview he gave the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project.

At one point, he was sent to a MASH unit:  “If you ever watch M*A*S*H* on television, that’s the way it is.”  Earl’s aptitude for things medical landed him in a series of courses and even learned how to do autopsies.  We even had a Klinger.”   Earl R. Hufford was a medic.

Earl Hufford w/ the 11th Evac hospital

It took several days to get to Korea aboard ship.  He had a tendency to become so seasick, he buddies would bring him fruit to eat.  He would then have to be tied in to stand his guard  or he’d fall overboard.  At first, he was sent to Inchon, but the army still wasn’t quite certain what to do with him; they made him a chaplain’s assistant and he started a newspaper for the 11th Evac. hospital.

After Inchon, he was sent to Wonju along with the rest of the 11th and even ran the first dialysis machine invented (the other one was in Germany).  “I felt bad for the — real bad for the wounded and I felt bad for their families.   But I just did my job and I thought I did it pretty good.  You have to move on to the next person…there’s no time for sentiment…I always said a prayer for them.”

Hufford (on right) w/ friend at the the 11th

The 11th Evacuation hospital also went North and took care of the North Korean wounded because they had no facilities, the wounded were left to die.  They even built them a hospital, but they didn’t return the favor.  Hufford spoke of having to remove their Red Cross sign because it made them too much of a target for the enemy.

 There were a lot of hemorrhagic fever patients to take care of too. (the fever, caused by rats, makes a person bleed internally).  “I felt very fortunate on saving those boy’s lives.  We had a lot of rats.

a later photo of Earl Hufford

After 15 months, Earl Hufford returned home.  “And it was wonderful to see the Golden Gate Bridge.  But, I’m not sorry that I was there, because I’d do it all over again.

The final line of his interview stated, “I dedicate this tape to all the veterans and servicemen and women in service today and may God bless them all.

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Farewell Salutes – 

A Farewell Salute

Clarence Anderson – Ogden, Iowa; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Lt. Col. (Ret.)

Maurice Archer – Greenbay, VA; US Army, WWII

John Debalek, Jr. – Chicago, IL; US Army, WWII, ETO, 745th Tank Battalion/1st Infantry Division

Larry DeCelles – Kansas City & Phoenix, AZ; US Army Air Corps, WWII

Dennis Gavin – Wanganui, NZ; RNZ Navy # C/SSX16068, WWII, ETO

John Hogel – Sultan, WA; USMC, WWII, PTO

Fred Moss – Holiday Island, AR; USMC, WWII

Dante Romano – Sun City W., AZ; US Army Air Corps, WWII

John Spinella – W.Palm Beach, FL; US Army, Vietnam

John Towers – Oak Brook, IL; US Air Force, Korea

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