Korean War Era A Personal Account by Lisa McPherson, daughter of 1LT Gerald William McPherson, USAF. T
his account is dedicated to the men and women who have served or are serving our country, some of whom never come home. My father was one of them. And as the saying goes, the price of freedom is never free. Gerald William McPherson, “Mac,” had enlisted as had so many young men, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Date of enlistment was January 2, 1942. He trained in the Army Air Force, which later became of its own branch of the
military, the United States Air Force.
While my father was training in the 343rd Detachment Air Crew at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, my mother and father met on a blind date. Mac and Naomi were married December 31, 1943. When Mac left Ada to continue his training, he insisted my mother stay behind. She had one semester remaining before graduating from high school and he would have it no other way, despite her pleadings to the contrary. She would stay with her parents and graduate from high school. Then and only then could she join him. Mac trained in San Marcos, TX, attending Harlingen Gunnery School in July, 1944, and graduating from the Army Air Force Navigation School, November 18, 1944. He was assigned by special orders from the Lincoln, NE, Army Air Field, to Rapid City, SD in December, 1944, spending time there and in Lincoln. After my mother graduated from high school, she joined Mac, living the life as did so many wives, in military housing. From scrapbook pictures and mementos found after my mother’s death in 2000, it was apparent they were deliriously happy and in love. I never knew her to be either.
Mac finished his training and went on to fly seven bombing missions over Germany in April,
1945. Germany surrendered unconditionally in May that year. From review of his military records, it is apparent that he was a part of that final assault on Germany which ultimately led to their surrender. Following this, he remained overseas, flying aerial reconnaissance. After honorable discharge, he returned to the U.S., living and working as a civilian. He quickly found that he not only missed the military life, but that he hated civilian life / work. Mac reenlisted in the Air Force and came to be stationed in Japan. On May 22, 1947, the family was allowed to join him there, now including his first daughter, Rebecca. From the memorabilia, it is apparent that they not only lived the traditional military officers’ life, but that they enjoyed it. His income put them in the well-to-do category and he showered my mother with gifts: a full-length fur coat, a mink stole, strands and strands of pearls, silver candelabra, and so on. Not only was she showered with gifts, but they were afforded a life of luxury. While living in Japan, they had four Japanese maids. And the little girl, my sister, came to be fluent in Japanese. There are pictures of Mac and my sister with obvious joy and delight on their faces. Then came the pictures of my mother, expecting. I was born on May 4, 1950, at Tachikawa
Air Force Base with birthplace of record Tachikawa, Honshu, Japan. When having completed his tour of duty there, we were all scheduled to come back stateside in July. Then came JULY 25, 1950, when the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. This day forever changed our lives.
After my mother died in 2000, among the items we found, most of which we did not know of until after her death, was his flight log. And, as an adult, my sister and I have viewed and reviewed the pictures, the memorabilia, and the military documents with stunning amazement. We had no idea all this information was there. It was there, undisturbed, in the back of a closet. After time, I began to research and look for information surrounding those first few days of the Korean Conflict. I was able to locate an author who had written a book about that period of time. He was in South Korea at that time and was a ham radio operator. With many thanks to Raymond B. Maurstead and his book, S.O.S. Korea 1950, I came to know even more of the events preceding the Korean Conflict and those first few days that were for forever to so fatefully impact our lives. Mac was a navigator. He had wanted to be a pilot, but his math skills so excelled that he was quickly cast into his role. From Tachikawa Air Base, they were flying a C-54D Skymaster and were evacuating civilians and families of military personnel in South Korea to get them
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