Asa Charles Ball
Ball
Asa Charles
TN
Korean War, 1950-1953
Army
1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
Corporal
Pusan, Korea
Unknown
Veteran
"It's kind of a family deal, but they're closer than family." (Video Interview, Part 2, 19:49)
Asa Charles Ball-"Bud" to just about everyone who knew him-was a 22-year-old garage mechanic in 1950 when he was drafted into the Army to serve in Korea. A freewheeling personality, he didn't always play by the rules when he was in the Army, but he kept an eye out for his buddies and never forgot them.
Asa Charles Ball, California, March 1951.
Forever a Soldier
Mountain in Korea
Asa Charles Ball, California, March 1951.
Ball and Bernie Grosse, near the Injin River, South Korea, summer 1951.
Ball at the 38th Parallel, Korea, May 1951.
Korean children
Letter from Richard Phillips to John Mullins, May 6, 1958.
From Richard Phillips to John Mullins, May 6, 1958
Letter from John D. Mullins to Richard Phillips, May 19, 1958.
From John D. Mullins to Richard Phillips, May 19, 1958.
Letter and envelope from Herman Bearden to Asa Ball, August 7, 2000.
Letter and envelope from Herman Bearden, August 7, 2000.
Report of Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States.
Report of Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States.
Brass medallion depicting Joseph Stalin.
Brass medallion depicting Joseph Stalin.
Brass medallion depicting Vladmir Lenin.
Brass medallion depicting Vladmir Lenin.
Photocopy of front and back of dollar bill autographed by GIs serving in Korea.
Photocopy of front and back of dollar bill autographed by GIs serving in Korea.
Reaction to being drafted; older than many other recruits; labeled a misfit during training.
Unaware of Korea and the war, training unprepared men for combat.
Primitive living conditions at the front; concealing his combat status from his parents.
R & R in Japan; what motivates a fighting man.
Dealing with fear of battle; getting wounded; getting religion on the battlefield.
Coming back to the U.S. through Seattle; long trip home.
Dismay with the reaction of people back home to the war.
Ongoing relationship with a young Korean he served with.
Reuniting with a war buddy after nearly fifty years; standing in for a green soldier and hearing his gratitude years later.
Talking about Korea with an old friend who served another time in Korea, only after both men had heart surgery.
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.05944/
DLC-AFC
2023-06-09
loc.natlib.afc2001001.05944