[Photo Album Compiled by an American Soldier in Korea]
- SIGNED
- San Francisco and Korea , 1960
San Francisco and Korea, 1960. Very good. 10 ” x 14”. Commercial album, wooden boards, internal string tie, thin black construction paper leaves. Pp. [20] with 93 B&W photographs corner mounted + 2 photos, a few letters and one original envelope laid in. Photos range from 3½” x 3½” to 4” x 5” (two laid in are 8” x 10”) and about two-thirds are captioned. Very good: album gently scuffed; light edge wear to a few leaves; photos generally near fine or better.
This is a vivid photo album, well-captioned by an American Private First Class stationed in Korea in 1960, Gary Goetz. The album begins just two days before the April 19 Revolution and includes fantastic shots of native people, scenery and life on base. It also notably holds a long letter home, descriptive of existing military affairs, as well as a photo of his squadron with several men identified.
Gary G. Goetz was born in 1936, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1959, joined the United States Army and served two years in Korea. He went on to become Assistant Chancellor at UW-Parkside, retired in 1992 and died in 2021.
After four shots of Goetz and some comrades in San Francisco in April 1960, the album holds dozens of well-captioned images showing military and civilian life in post-war Korea, including 25 photos of native residents. We see Goetz posed with “2 Korean students” and a “Korean meeting 2 days before rioting.” The April 19 Revolution saw mass protests by students, professors and citizens against President Syngman Rhee and the First Republic, leading to Rhee's resignation. The album retains a peaceful tone, however, as Private Goetz shares images of Korean children and families, street scenes, statues, locals “Dressed in Sunday Best,” the “Sacred Gardens Park” and a “Modern Stadium at a Female College. Note Shanty's in Background!!” We see “Farmers Working in Rice Paddies. Real Muck! Their working in!!” and an “Old Korean (Papazan). Only Tool Shovel. Note grass huts.” There are a number of “scenes around camp,” including soldiers relaxing, eating and chatting up the local “Shy Office Girls,” as well as the “Service Club” and “Library – Second Home!!” Goetz also shared some lovely scenic views and local scenes, such as “Mothers Carrying Child strapped to their backs” and the “Palace where after WWII Russia and US agreed to split Korea in two.”
A few laid-in materials provide ample research fodder; there is a great 8” x 10” shot of the entire, multiracial squadron with 15 men's names and addresses handwritten to the back, as well as a group of letters that Goetz sent home to his parents. These include an original poem sent to Goetz from a comrade in arms, as well as a letter of appreciation from Major Stanley Wild. A long, detailed letter to his “folks” gives a great overview of life in the service, covering his commanders' habits, daily tasks, off-duty hobbies and “the stupidity of these paper wars.” There is also a retained copy of a letter from Headquarters, granting permission for Goetz to marry one Kim Pak Ja; it doesn't appear as though the wedding took place, as Goetz' obituary mentions only a marriage to an American woman once he returned stateside.
A nice collection showing an American soldier's explorations and observations in Korea.
This is a vivid photo album, well-captioned by an American Private First Class stationed in Korea in 1960, Gary Goetz. The album begins just two days before the April 19 Revolution and includes fantastic shots of native people, scenery and life on base. It also notably holds a long letter home, descriptive of existing military affairs, as well as a photo of his squadron with several men identified.
Gary G. Goetz was born in 1936, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1959, joined the United States Army and served two years in Korea. He went on to become Assistant Chancellor at UW-Parkside, retired in 1992 and died in 2021.
After four shots of Goetz and some comrades in San Francisco in April 1960, the album holds dozens of well-captioned images showing military and civilian life in post-war Korea, including 25 photos of native residents. We see Goetz posed with “2 Korean students” and a “Korean meeting 2 days before rioting.” The April 19 Revolution saw mass protests by students, professors and citizens against President Syngman Rhee and the First Republic, leading to Rhee's resignation. The album retains a peaceful tone, however, as Private Goetz shares images of Korean children and families, street scenes, statues, locals “Dressed in Sunday Best,” the “Sacred Gardens Park” and a “Modern Stadium at a Female College. Note Shanty's in Background!!” We see “Farmers Working in Rice Paddies. Real Muck! Their working in!!” and an “Old Korean (Papazan). Only Tool Shovel. Note grass huts.” There are a number of “scenes around camp,” including soldiers relaxing, eating and chatting up the local “Shy Office Girls,” as well as the “Service Club” and “Library – Second Home!!” Goetz also shared some lovely scenic views and local scenes, such as “Mothers Carrying Child strapped to their backs” and the “Palace where after WWII Russia and US agreed to split Korea in two.”
A few laid-in materials provide ample research fodder; there is a great 8” x 10” shot of the entire, multiracial squadron with 15 men's names and addresses handwritten to the back, as well as a group of letters that Goetz sent home to his parents. These include an original poem sent to Goetz from a comrade in arms, as well as a letter of appreciation from Major Stanley Wild. A long, detailed letter to his “folks” gives a great overview of life in the service, covering his commanders' habits, daily tasks, off-duty hobbies and “the stupidity of these paper wars.” There is also a retained copy of a letter from Headquarters, granting permission for Goetz to marry one Kim Pak Ja; it doesn't appear as though the wedding took place, as Goetz' obituary mentions only a marriage to an American woman once he returned stateside.
A nice collection showing an American soldier's explorations and observations in Korea.