“I had more freedom in the service than I did at home.” (Video interview, 2:30)

Gerald Ketcher

Gerald Ketcher at time of interview War: Korean War, 1950-1953 Branch: Navy Service Location: Great Lakes, Illinois

Hailing from northeast Oklahoma, Gerald Ketcher joined the Navy in the early 1950s in search of better opportunities than he could find at home. He graduated from self-described "deck ape" to trained teletypist before landing tanks and evacuating Marines at the Battle of Inchon Bay during the Korean War. Then, upon his return stateside, a newly discharged Navy contact offered him a factory job in his hometown. The Navy had taken him out of Oklahoma only to lead him back to his roots.