Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Ira T. Neal Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Korea
- Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/1189
In 1947, at the age of 16, Ira Neal dropped out of high school to join the Air Force. He soon learned that the segregated armed services had quotas for African American recruits; he was encouraged to enlist in the Army instead. By June 1950, he had just returned from a tour of duty in Japan when the Korean War began. He decided to re-enlist for a six-year hitch, and he arrived in Korea as a rifleman in an infantry unit. He admits that he was "blessed" when he was transferred to a weapons company as a forward observer. He directed mortar fire on the enemy, and his job was not without danger, but he believes it greatly increased his chances of survival. While he was in Japan, he obtained a GED, and he later used the G.I. Bill to get an advanced college degree, leading to a long career in public education.
Ira T. Neal Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayEnlisting as a high school dropout pessimistic about employment as a black man in Memphis; able to help support his family with his Army pay; leaving one segregated situation (Memphis) for another (the Army). 00:00:54.6 - 00:05:36.6
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PlayShipping out to Japan in April 1948 for two years; coming home just before the start of the Korean War; re-enlisting for a six-year hitch; getting his GED while in Japan; using the GI Bill when he got out of the Army to get a Master's degree. 00:06:39.8 - 00:08:57.1
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PlayRace relations in the military; division of black and white troops housing in Yokohama between inner city and suburbs; more social opportunities for black soldiers in inner city; actual desegregation of the Army under pressure from Philip Randolph and other activists; dissolving of all-black units. 00:09:42.6 - 00:14:12.2
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PlayRelatively uneventful tour in Korea; switched from infantry to weapons unit and became a forward observer (F.O.) rather than a rifleman; his duties as an F.O. 00:14:46.8 - 00:17:38.3
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PlayHow the military helped him to become educated and a success; living off the GI Bill after he got out of the Army and lost his job at Chrysler in Evansville, Indiana; coming out of school, offered a job in Milwaukee but at the last minute accepting one to stay in Indiana. 00:18:44.5 - 00:22:54.3
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PlayOriginal plan was to do 20 years in the military, retire, and coast; once he got his GED, that opened the door for promotions in the Army and also raised his expectations for himself; last education in Army was on missiles; serving at a well-concealed missile site in the heart of New Jersey in the mid-1950s; going to baseball games in New York City, seeing the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants. 00:24:07.4 - 00:27:47.7
About this Item
Title
- Ira T. Neal Collection
Names
- Lugar, Richard
- U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar
- Ordner, Larry
- Neal, Ira T.
Home State
- Indiana
Headings
- - Neal, Ira T.
- - Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Korea
- Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
- Dates of Service: 1947-1956
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: Neal served in the Army Reserves from 1977 to 1992.
Materials
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2005-10-18; 2005-10-18)
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002)
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2002; 2006-06-27)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2006-06-18)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/1189
Cite as
- Ira T. Neal Collection (AFC/2001/001/1189), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- online text
Additional Metadata Formats
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
Service Unit
Highest Rank
Discharge Status
Gender
Home State
Interviewee
Interviewer
Organization/Affiliation
Featured in
- The GI Bill: 75 Years of Opportunity | Impact of Service | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
- Korean War: On the Line | The Korean War: Not Forgotten | Korean War (1950 to 1953) | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections