Dave Nutter

From My Service in Korea, I learned…

1970’s & 1980’s

My Name is Dave Nutter, I retired from the Army in 1993 as a SFC with 20 years of service. I quit high school the summer before beginning my senior year and enlisted in the Army in September of 1973, one day after my 17^th birthday. My father a Command Sergeant Major who had only been back from Vietnam a little over a year only asked if I was sure that was what I wanted to do. I arrived in Korea in April of 1974. I was assigned to C Company 1/72 armor and began as the driver on the platoon sergeants’ tank; going to the field for a month for gunnery/tank crew qualifications a few days after I reported in. When my high school class was graduating, my unit was on Chipori range firing tank table VIII.

17 is an interesting age, not quite a boy and not quite yet a man. During my 18 months in the 2d Infantry, I learned a lot about myself, structure, self-discipline, and teamwork. Many of those lessons, that took a while to take, and my experiences during my military service have served me quite well in life and the corporate world.

Quite honestly, the Army immediately post-Vietnam was quite a mess and the leadership had quite a challenge on their hands and 2d ID was no different except that we had General Emerson (Gunfighter) as the division commander. Who excelled in meeting those challenges. We spent an awful lot of time training, and I would guess that between us and 2/72 armor, we expended all the 105mm, 7.62mm and 50 cal ammo in the ammo dump at Tobong Son and kept the folks there quite busy with incoming shipments. The physical training was quite challenging as well, especially during the winter as PT was not canceled unless the temperature went below zero. For a period in the summer of 74 during the fuel shortage, we were also trained as infantry.

7 years later I was serving with the 38^th ADA Bde on an isolated missile site applying those lessons. Much of military service is learning how to deal with sleep deprivation and that tour was no exception to the rule. In the last couple of months of that tour, my maintenance section was down to three people with a requirement to have 2 of us on the missile site 24/7. During the Cold War air defense units pulled their wartime missions. Hawk missile systems were in various stages of alert all over the world. Systems were up, and running, and manned 24/7, 365 days a year unless in a maintenance state. Maintaining that state of readiness is quite challenging for everyone in the unit from the clerks to the tactical control officers.

During both tours, I learned to love Korea and have said many times I would have been quite happy if I could have spent all my service there. Both times it was obvious that Korea was still recovering from the war. In 1981 progress was evident. I observed how resilient and resourceful the Korean people are. There is an old saying about slaughtering a pig and using everything but the oink. I am convinced they found ways to use the oink as well. Nothing went to waste that I saw. From the less fortunate souls we had out on our ranges trying to collect what metal they could from napalm casings to shrapnel and shell casings to the street merchants using discarded paper from the base as containers for the street food they sold. Things we should be doing in today’s throwaway world. All the people I met were exceptionally nice. There were many times when we traded our c-rations with the locals for Korean food. In 1981-1982 my friends and I made it a point to try and go off the beaten path where most Americans would not.

Interestingly many members of my family served in Korea. One of my father’s brothers was assigned to Korea in 1948. Dad spent almost the entire war in Korea arriving in the late summer of 1950, his unit was attached to the 2d ID and they were up north when the Chinese entered the war, he was with the units that had to run the gauntlet to get back south. His brother was a Marine WWII veteran who was in the reserves and was called up and arrived in Korea before my father, he was at the Chosin Reservoir, and I know that haunted him for the rest of his life. The picture below is of my father at age 22 just before the armistice.

When I was in Korea the 2d time, 81-82 my older stepbrother was assigned to 2d Aviation and stationed at Camp Casey, we did manage to spend one weekend together.

Having recently visited Korea in October, it is quite evident that the alliance between in U.S and Korea has revolved exponentially, growing stronger over the years. The changes I saw in Korea make me wish I could bring my father and his brothers to Seoul so they could see what they have been a part of.

What did you learn from serving in Korea? Let us know –

Sharing your experiences from serving in Korea can be a powerful way to connect with others who have had similar experiences. By sharing your story, you may be able to help others who are currently serving in Korea or who are preparing to do so. You can share insights about the culture, the people, and the challenges you faced while serving. Your story can also help to shed light on the sacrifices that service members and their families make in order to protect our freedoms. So, if you have a story to share, we encourage you to take the time to put it down in writing and send it to KDVA.MyServiceInKorea@gmail.com along with any photos that help to tell your story.

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