SALUTE TO A VETERAN

Merlin Nicholas Schuster (my 8th cousin), the son of Emil Schuster and Elizabeth Hoefer (descendant from the Hober line), was born on 25 Nov 1923 in Farley, Iowa.  He joined the service on 18 Jan 1949, after working on his family's farm in his teen years, and was discharged a year later.  Merlin, however, was called back as a reserve on 27 Sep 1950 (due to the Korean Conflict) and was sent to Korea in November of 1950.  Merlin was a radar man for the 82nd Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion and 2nd infantry division.

On 13 Feb 1951, Merlin was taken captive as a Prisoner of War by the North Koreans while he was fighting near Hoensong, South Korea.  PFC Merlin Schuster died a few months later, on 6 Jun 1951, while he was a prisoner in a North Korean camp.  Merlin was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

Sources: WWI, WWII & Korean War Casualty Listings (Ancestry.com)
               US Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957

Note: I truly believe that it is important that we don't lose the stories of our family members, living and those that have gone long before us.  To that end I think that telling these stories and creating books with these stories will hopefully preserve their memories for generations to come.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

Every Veteran's Day, I think about my Dad and his two older brothers who served in the Armed Forces.  According to family history, Charles (known as Chuck and 2nd from the right) served in the Air Force while Eddie (with the white sailor hat) served in the Navy during World War II.  My dad Donald (on the far left) served in the Korean War from 1951-53.

My Dad never spoke with us kids about his time in the military.  Interesting enough, I probably have more photos of my Dad from 1951 to 1953 than I do from the rest of his life.  Every time I look at this photo, I have to laugh because my Dad probably wanted his photo taken with this sign not because it was on the border of North Korea but because it said Notre Dame on it.  My dad was a huge Notre Dame fan!

So, to my Dad, Uncle Eddie, Uncle Chuck, several of my cousins and 2 of my nephews as well as all veterans -- thank you so much for your service, we owe you a debt of gratitude!  Happy Veteran's Day!

MILITARY MONDAY

     In October of 1952, my Dad (Donald Sherlock) and three of his fellow soldiers were sent to Camp Stoneman before being sent overseas to Korea.  In this photo, Leonard King, Bernie Katz, Donald Sherlock, and Louis Pontrelli are at the Los Angeles International Airport getting ready to board a plane to the Bay area.

     Camp Stoneman was located in Pittsburg, California (northeast of both San Francisco and Oakland) and was a staging area on the west coast for troops leaving for Korea.  For more information on Camp Stoneman, check out www.militarymuseum.org.

Note: Whenever I come across in my research some place I hadn't heard before, I research it to find out more. Wikipedia, of course, is a great source but there are lots of websites, like the military museum website listed above. I love learning more about not only the history of my family but the history of places and things they were involved with. I think it will make my family history book that much more interesting.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TOUR OF DUTY IN KOREA

         After graduating from Loyola High School, Donald Sherlock attended Los Angeles City College with the career goal of becoming a dentist.  While attending college, he also worked as a postal carrier, delivering mail to a route in Sherman Oaks.  On his route, he met his future wife Joan as she was working in one of the offices that he delivered mail to.  Don and Joan married in October of 1951 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Van Nuys.

          Four weeks after the wedding in November 1951, Don was drafted into the US Army. He served the first year at Ford Ord (which interesting enough is the location of California State University, Monterey Bay).  In November of 1952 (2 ½ months after the birth of his eldest son) he was sent overseas to Korea.  He was stationed in Korea for a year.  He was discharged as a Corporal and received the United Nations Award and the Korean Combat Medal for his time in the service.  Don served as a medic during his time in the army.

          The above photo shows Don at Ford Ord (in Seaside, California) in 1952.