I was in the Korean War at age fourteen.

They called me Bobby but I said don't call me that. Call me Robert. Bobby's die in war and I ain't gonna die. I joined early and my parents had signed the papers. They said I was eighteen but I was tall and could grow whiskers at a young age. I don't know why I joined up I was just sick of living a poor life in the middle of nowhere. School was okay but I felt bad being poor and not having any money. It wasn't easy. 

I liked being in the military. Everybody was equal. It didn't matter if your dad was a pig farmer or a lawyer. You were there and whattaya got. I got along good and made some good buddies. They sometimes wondered about my age but I could fight as well as most of them. I was big for my age. But I was also smart smart enough to know what's what and who's a dickhead. I made pfc in six months. 

We arrived in Korea in June of 1950 and it was hot. We didn't know what the heck was going on but we wanted to get into the shit. We soon would. 

We headed to Pusan in July.