Help from Home
When the American servicemen and women saw the condition of the children that were victimized by the Korean War and sought to address those needs they wrote home calling for help. They asked for clothes, food, toys, medicines and whatever other help they could get, including money. They wrote to parents, relatives, neighbors, home town newspapers, schools they recently graduated from, former employers and whoever else they could think of.
And the American public responded in force. Thousands of tons of aid for the children and their caregivers began arriving in small packages addressed to servicemen in Korea. Help came in boxes, then crates and then by the boatload.
Often this call for aid was in a letter a GI wrote to his mother who, on receipt of the letter, made a crusade of it, organizing neighbors, friends, church groups and, with the help of local newspapers, the entire commuinity. Later, many units organized this call for help by distributing to all members of that unit printed letters that the GIs merely enclosed with letters sent home.
I have read a lot of material on the Korean War and the role of the American Servicemen and women as they related to the war child of Korea but have yet to find any writer pick up on this phenomenon, the massive aid that folks back in the 'states sent to their servicemen and women serving in Korea to aid the children. This support from home reinforced the values being expressed by their sons and daughters who, while in combat or on a war footing, still sought to render aid to the homeless and helpless children. GIs had to be taught to aim a gun at another human being and shoot to kill. They did not have to be taught to pick up a crying child, feed a hungry child, rended aid to an injured or ill child or find shelter for the homeless child. That came with being American. And ma, pa, family, friends, neighbors and the entire community back home supported them in their desire to help the children.
This aid is truly an expression of American values at their finest. The scale of this aid and the scope of it has never before been presented as we present it here. Read these stories and be proud to be an American.
Help From Home, Photo Page |
Better than Bullets |
5th AF Funds Aid 800 Korean Charities |
Chapel Collections to Aid Korean Waifs |
Clothing Donated |
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Korean Orphans Receive 50 Tons of Gifts |
Story Aids Korean Tots |
Rubber Toys Arrive for Pusan Orphans |
Jersey Chief Sets Clothes for Koreans Month |
Report on "Happy Mountain" |
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Buffaloes Start Drive for Waifs |
Headgear Given To Korean Waifs |
Buffaloes' Families Give Koreans Clothes |
Over 4,000,000 Refuges |
$10,000 for Needy Korean Children |
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US Parcels Make Korean Kids Happy |
Clothes for Korea |
Masons Place Kindness Over Charity |
Little Wanderers Aid Korean Orphans |
Copter Pilots Hustle Help for Orphans |
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Girl Scouts, General Aid Refugee Tots in Seoul |
Korean Kids Given Clothes by Sailor |
Story on Korean tot Starts Drive in US |
Korea Clothing Collection Creates Problem |
Stateside Marines Collect Goods for Orphans |
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Transport Carries Hope to Orphanage |
US Group Repeats 'Gift Lift' to Korea |
Signalmen's Appeal Raises 1,600 Gifts |
Texans sending clothes, Food to Orphans |
Mrs. Clark Joins In Korean Envoy's Plea |
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Marine's Plea For 'Big Bundle' to Aid Orphans |
Clothing From Alabama for Cheju Needy |
Koreans get 300 Tons of Houston CROP Gifts |
Conn. Citizens Ship S.Koreans 10 Tons |
Korea Aid Officials Ask Additional Milk |
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Mercy team Maps Aid for Korea Cripples |
Korea Orphans Rec. Milwaukee "Lift" Clothing |
Fund-Raising group Aims at $5 Million |
Yanks in Korea Give 13 Million in Aid |
Ambassador Takes Gifts for Korean Victims |
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Marine's Plan Gets Vitamins for Korea |
President specifies "Aid to Korea" Week |
Texas Woman Ships Clothes to Koreans |
100,000 lbs of Clothes for 5th AF "X-mas Call" |
Oklahoma Tots Send $12 to Korean Orphans |
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Catholics Donate $35,000 to Orphans |
Needy Receive Army Surplus |
Nebraska Gifts To Give Waifs Late Christmas |
3rd Army in U.S. Helps Korean Kids |
Passaic, N.J., MC Vets Send Gifts to ROK Kids |
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28 States Answer Plea Of Marines |
Model Railroad Set Coming For Korea Orphans |
Dallas' Project Clothes Orphans |
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Far East Footnotes |
Clovis Comes Through |
500 Pounds of Cereal Sent for Orphans |
Tiny Togs |
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Hot and Wholesome |
Just His Size |
Iowans Clothe Korean Orphans |
FBI Employees Provide Warm Duds for Orphans |
Korean Tots Thank Americans for Gifts |
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Aid for Orphans |
A Post Office Full of Toys |
Elks Join Korea Units' Orphan Drive |
Church Women Sew Clothes for Orphans |
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Brooklynites Donate 1,250 Baby Togs |
Yank's Appeal Brings Parcels To Yule Fund |
Dallas Citizens Send Food to Korean Orphans |
Korean Orphans Receive 50 Tons of Gifts |
Ex-Orphan Major Aids Korean Youths |
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500 Pounds of Cereal Sent for Orphans |
California Women Send Clothing to ROKs |
N.Y. Oldsters Plan Birthday Party for Korea Orphan |
Oklahomans Unite to Send Duds to Needy |
U.S. Government Office Supports Korea Orphans |
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Korea Gift Flood Needs Special Ship |
Foster Parents Sought |
Clothing From Alabama Arrives |
Blood Donating Champ Gives Tots Belated Party |
Air Force Officer's Death Spurs Relief Collection |
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US Soldiers Give Away Fortunes to Charities |
Supplies for Korean Cripples |
Stateside Checks Up I-Corp Fund |
Letter Home Helps Warm Tots |
Sgt. to Aid Korean Orphans |
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More material on "Help from Home" can be found in sections of this web site dealing with the Kiddy Car Airlift, Manassas Manor Orphanage and other topics. On occassions "home" in this context referres to US troops and dependents stationed in Japan, Guam or other military bases including military bases in the United States.
It is difficult to estimate the amount of aid sent from the 'States to the GIs in Korea for the children as no accurate records were kept but I am sure the total amounted to many thousands of tons of packages, parcels, crates and even shiploads of donated goods. This is in addition to the shiploads of goods sent by the US organizations such as the Red Cross, CARE, Korea Foundation, etc.