Interviewed by:

Andrew Burke and Brad Kempaner

"But you know they didn't hesitate to kill men, women, and children"
~ Calvin Eldredge 20:39

Calvin Eldredge's Story:

Calvin Eldredge has seen a lot over the course of his life. Mr. Eldredge grew up in quiet Harwich, Massachusetts. He attended Harwich Middle School until the eight grade. He then went off to agricultural school and planned to take over his grandfathers cranberry bogs. However his friend, Harvey Gause, was killed in action during the Korean War. This motivated Mr. Eldredge to enlist in the Marines to fight in the Korean War.

Mr. Eldredge's basic training for combat was rigorous. They would often have live fire over them, so they knew what bullets sounded like. During training he met two African-Americans, the only two in his entire unit, and they became fairly close. However, once he got to Korea they were split up and went off to fight.

According to Mr. Eldredge, the conditions of Korea were absolutely brutal. The summers were extremely hot, and in the winter it would plunge well below zero. After spending some time overseas, Mr. Eldredge was promoted to squad leader. He lead a unit of light 30 caliber machine guns. He had a lot of equipment, some good, some bad. Some of the equipment included "Mickey Mouse" boots, which were not all too helpful. Mr. Eldredge saw, heard, and smelled many things during his time in Korea.

After the bitter conflict, Calvin Eldredge returned to Cape Cod. He would later take up residence in Boston, Massachusetts. He did so with a fellow Marine from Hyannis that he met overseas in Korea. There were also very few jobs available after his return. Unfortunately, Mr. Eldredge couldn't revive his grandfather's cranberry bogs. He soon after went off to barber school to become a barber.

Mr. Eldregde now resides in Harwich, Massachuetts. He doesn't like to see today's young men and women killed in action. However, he does believe people should spend one to two years in the service. Many times he believes it can get one's feet on the ground.

It has been a privilege to meet and interview Mr. Eldredge.