Catalog number: VIS 201.0577
In part two of this two-part interview, Perry Mitchell discusses his experiences during and after his time in Korea as an administrative clerk in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He outlines the geopolitical backdrop of the Korean War and the broader Cold War. He reflects on daily life at the Joint Security Area (JSA) camp, including "moose nights," events informally sponsored by command where local sex workers would come spend the night at the camp. He recounts the regular occurrence of truce talks there between the Americans and North Koreans. He describes the villages around the JSA and gives an overview of Korea's harsh weather. Being battalion clerk gave him power, he explains, and he describes the ways in which he used it. He says he had a difficult transition back to civilian life because he "didn't know where to fit anymore," and he relates his struggles in detail. He explains how going to therapy helped him to get back on his feet before he returned to advertising work. He details his 38-year creative career in advertising. He credits his time in the Army for giving him lifetime friends and familiarizing him with people of different backgrounds than his own. He displays photos from a recent trip back to the JSA in Korea, and he details how the area has changed. In response to questions from the interviewer, he talks about how he was never confronted by anti-war protesters and how he met his second wife at the Atlanta History Center. To close the interview, he discusses his family and his various volunteer causes since retiring from advertising in the early 2000s.
2 июл 2024
