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Living up to the Marine maxim
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READ ALL ABOUT IT: Marine veteran Richard Mitchells Sr. shows a book about the helicopters on which he was an aircraft electrician.
GREENFORD — If anyone ever proved the saying “Once a Marine, always a Marine,” it is Korean War veteran Richard A. Mitchells Sr.
Mitchells, of Greenford, served in the Marine Corps from July 17, 1950, to July 16, 1954, including a year in Korea, from August 1951 to September 1952, during the Korean War. He was an aircraft electrician with Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 161 (HMR-161), which flew 15 Sikorsky-built helicopters, which he said were the first helicopters used primarily for combat missions.
Mitchells was stationed in two areas while in Korea, first Kangnung, then at an area called the Punch Bowl near Inchon.
“I was not [in Korea] during the Chosin Reservoir, but it was still no picnic. Winter was very cold and we were not well equipped for cold weather. But, we proved in Korea that helicopters could be used in combat situations,” Mitchells said.
Read the full story in Monday’s Vindicator and on vindy.com