George Edmondson

Korean Vet remembers the “Forgotten War.”

By Tim Chicirda, BucksLocalNews.com


Fire Control Technician Third Class George Edmondson, a graduate of Minersville H.S. ‘50, grew up in the coal-mining town of Minersville, located in the mountains of eastern PA in Schuylkill County.

Towards the end of WWII, after years of prosper in the coal mining world, the area started experiencing increasing economic and social dislocations as the result of the continuing decline of the entire coal mining industry.

Mineral deposits became exhausted and technological and economic changes brought about extensive mine closures.

George spent his childhood leisure time in a deep, clear cold water-filled-in “Strippin’ Hole.”

Strip mining is only practical when the ore body to be excavated is relatively near the surface.
George later played football in school and baseball with his friends, delivered grocery store circulars, and worked at the nearby Globe dance hall selling refreshments.

There were no employment options, so the week after H.S. graduation, George entered the Navy with seven of his closet chums from his graduating class under the “Minority Cruise." The only friend who remained with him during his tour of duty of 3 years and 3 months was Lawrence Gallagher.

George's family, late parents, James & Esther, his late siblings, Kenneth and Margaret and his sister Sally (her husband originally a Borough resident, Tony Ferraro) relocated to Dorrance Street in Bristol Borough to join relatives who lived on New Buckley Street after the mines had closed.

His dad first found work with Shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser on Radcliffe Street and then Barker & Williamson, a recognized leader worldwide in the manufacture of the highest quality antennas and radio parts for military, commercial, emergency management and amateur use.

The Korean War started a week or so after he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, so he was the first company with no leave after boot camp in the great lakes Navel Station, a formidable site situated on the banks of Lake Michigan in Illinois.

His first assignment was on The USS Kenneth D. Bailey DD-713 that had entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for modernization and conversion to a radar picket destroyer. George was part of the deck force painting and cleaning the interior and his responsibility included exterior maintenance of the ship for 6 months.

His next opportunity was to attend fire control school in Washington, D.C., training for a year to learn his specialties of electronics and operating massive computers. Fire Control Operator training taught how to track targets and send information to the computer down below, or one was able to control it manually from above and assign weapons from the subs fire control system.

After the DD-713 ship left the dry-dock used for the construction, maintenance, and repair, George went to Cuba to test the repairs of Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, GTMO or “Gitmo” Bay, the oldest overseas U.S. Navy Base.

His next assignment was the USS Black (DD-666), a 2,050-ton Fletcher class destroyer built at Kearny, NJ of the United States Navy, named for Lieutenant Commander Hugh D. Black (1903–1942), who was killed in action during the sinking of his ship, Jacob Jones (DD-130) in February 1942.

George was involved in no gun battles, Koreans didn’t have a Navy, but he was active in the shore bombardment of the Battle of Inchon Harbor, September 15-28, 1950.

Because the harbor was so shallow and muddy, the timing of the invasion had to be synchronized precisely with the autumn high tides so the landing craft could make it to the shore without running aground on the mud flats.

In spite of intelligence warning of the attack, the overextended North Korean army was unable to maintain a strong defense and the city fell with Allied losses of only 20 dead and 179 wounded. This was a decisive invasion and battle during the Korean War. USS Black continued her Korean operations until June 4,1953.

Once when he was on leave, he accompanied his friend, Jerry Farley to see his girlfriend and that was when he met his future wife, Beverly Ann Rinaldo, Minersville H.S. ’53.

He returned to his ship and they continued building their relationship through the mail with letters. Bev saved every letter he wrote to her. “She didn’t throw anything away.”

From January 1953 until August 1953 he toured the Panana Canal, San Diego, Hawaii, Midway Island, then Singapore and Hong Kong, Japan; Cannes, France; Naples, Italy; Athens, Greece; and up the Suez Canal. Back to the U.S. and his last stop was Norfolk, VA. He was discharged and returned to Bristol.

He and Beverly got engaged and were married in the First United Methodist Church on Mulberry Street in January 1954. They lived in Borough apartments and purchased several homes before they moved to their new construction Monroe Street home in 1973. He and his late wife had three children, James, Sharon and Laurie. He also had six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Though there are still some who insist it should be referred to as the "Korean Conflict" or a police action because the participants never officially declared "war," the most well-respected men who served our country, our veterans, would never disagree that the fighting in Korea between 1950 and 1953 was as bitter as any war. The Korean War has been dubbed "The Forgotten War," being overshadowed by the more current memories of Vietnam, Desert Storm and the anniversary commemorations of World War II.

But, George Edmondson is not forgotten.

*Cate Murway contributed to this article.