The National Guard was called up in 1952 toward the end of the Korean War. Marty had to go through officers training for the Army and was shipped to Korea. He said on the ship there were many young officers who were anxious to go, whereas he was hoping the ship would sink just enough so that he could go home. He became a platoon commander there where he helped set up the demilitarized zone.
Marty explained many differences between Iwo Jima and Korea which I found to be very interesting. One thing he laughingly said, “Korea was a lot quieter!” There were helicopters and much better and quicker medical help in Korea too When off the battle line in Korea the Army required the troops to receive education on the Constitution, etc. While the Marines when not in combat were allowed to participate in recreational activities, in other words, to work hard and play hard. Marty spent time with the Marines who treated him well as an ex-marine and joked with him about being in the army now.
After coming home from Korea, he finished law school and was married. He received a bronze star in Korea and combat infantry badge. At age 27, he ran for state legislature from Lucas County and served for three terms.
He explained that his life had not been affected by the wars he was in. “It was an experience” he said, “life is full of experiences”. He feels that since he was 18, it was almost like a dream and that he just didn’t take it as real at the time. Now, it almost feels like it was somebody else.
At first I was surprised at this response but I later came to realize that Marty was a man who went to do a job and do it well and then get home to his family. He said that the only heroes of war are the ones that don’t come back. But, in my eyes Mr. Galvin is a hero due to his courage in the face of war.
Overall, I really enjoyed this interview and meeting Marty. I expected and hoped that this would be a worthwhile project and that I would learn something from it which I definitely did. I learned that patience will always help and war is not all its cracked up to be.
War is not a bunch of tough guys who go in and know exactly what they are going to do and are willing to die at any minute, but it is men who are all scared and are out there to do a good job and protect others and simply get home. But, most importantly I have learned that life is full of experiences and that you should take each one a step at a time
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I have learned about Iwo Jima and the Korean War in school and found that Marty’s stories and experiences are historically accurate. Even Bob, his son, commented on how close everything he said was to a documentary they had on TV a while back. But, I did learn many new things that I didn’t learn in class, such as the dumping of supplies in the ocean after the war and the fact that on Iwo Jima they hardly ever saw any Japanese because they were all underground.
This project had many benefits to it and there isn’t anything that I would do differently. I believe that I have gained historical knowledge and life’s lessons. It showed me a different view of a soldier then I had always seen in the movies or on TV. The project showed me how scary war can be and how much courage one would have to have to endure it. In the end I realized how grateful all Americans should be for the brave people who put themselves in danger to protect our country and our way of life. Mr. Robert Martin Galvin is a true American hero. |
