"So the war was never over as far as I was concerned." (Video Interview, 22:26)

Raymond A. Kasten

Raymond Kasten [2006] War: Korean War, 1950-1953 Branch: Army Unit: 3rd Infantry Division Service Location: Korea Rank: Sergeant First Class Place of Birth: IL

Drafted in 1952 to serve in the Korean War, Raymond Kasten was trained as a medic. But once he arrived in Korea, he was ordered to drive a troop truck. For 12 days, Kasten transported soldiers to what seemed to him like certain death at the front, where the North Korean and Chinese armies were making a big push. When South Korean President Syngman Rhee unilaterally released over 25,000 North Korean POWs in the spring of 1953, Kasten felt it was a betrayal of what he and his fellow soldiers had been fighting for. Though he was reassigned to duty as a bodyguard as a medical officer, the horrors of his early days never left him, and since 1991, he has been treated for symptoms of PTSD. Kasten sees his interview as a chance to reconnect with his children; their relationship has been strained by his problems.