Interviewed by:

Spencer Jones and Myles Walther

"I think the experience in the military gave me experience about a greater sense of what life is all about..."
~ Donald Wick (27:06)

Donald Wick's Story:

Donald Wick was drafted into the military at a young age, but it changed his life forever. He was selected to join the service right out of high school, like most of his friends, since the Korean War was brewing. Even though the Armistice was declared before he was shipped off, he still had to go through a lot to make it through his service in this difficult time.

After being drafted, Mr. Wick was moved to Fort Knox in Kentucky. There, he went through basic infantry training. He and his friends were quite frightened, as they all knew if they ever were assigned to go to Korea and see combat, they would be on the front lines in battle. One day they got the news that they were needed overseas, and all of them were scared. However, as they were on their way over, they were informed that the Armistice had been signed, which meant they were no longer needed overseas. He was greatly relieved by this news, as he would be able to stay in the states.

He completed the rest of his two year military service mainly in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was a member of the 503 Military Police Company there, and needed to do common police work, such as arrests and directing traffic. He also was assigned to be the company clerk, and did many "clerical" things.

When he arrived home, his family was ecstatic to not just see him on a break from service. He felt his service benefited his life greatly. Mr. Wick is always inspired to see young people take interest in the Military, as it benefited him so much. He always is proud when people ask him about his Navy hat, which is actually from his granddaughter who serves. While he currently feels war is definitely not the answer, he wants to see a draft reimplemented, so that people at a certain age need to join the service. He became a reverend after his time in the service at a local church. He enjoyed to play many sports at a younger age, but now that he is a little more aged, the amount of sports he can play are very limited. He currently resides in Orleans, Massachusetts with his wife. We thank him very much for participating and for his service toward our country.