Tim Stanley: For Korea veteran, memories of ‘forgotten war’ still sharp after 72 years

If the idea of being sent off to war didn’t sound all that appealing, Bob Kenslow had at least one consolation.

He would not be going alone.

“I remember we all came out to the fairgrounds, where we were based, to meet the train,” Kenslow said, recalling the day he and the other members of his Tulsa Marine Corps Reserve unit departed for service in Korea.

“Our families came out to see us off.”

But for Kenslow, the comforting proximity of his Tulsa comrades would not be enjoyed for long.

Bob Kenslow, a World War II and Korean War veteran, is pictured during his time in the service.

Stephen Pingry, Tulsa World

As soon as they arrived in California, he was singled out and separated from the group. The Marine Corps, it seemed, had something different in mind for him.

Some of his special training from World War II was going to make him more valuable in another role.

This past weekend marked the 72nd anniversary of the start of the Korean War, on June 25, 1950.

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It officially began when communist North Korea invaded South Korea, which spurred a U.S.-led United Nations force to intervene.

Occurring between World War II and Vietnam — conflicts that both, for different reasons, stand out in Americans’ minds — Korea has long been overshadowed.

But for those who fought the “Forgotten War,” as it’s sometimes called, there can be no forgetting.

I’ve had the good fortune to interview a few Korea veterans and can confirm that their stories are well worth remembering, their sacrifices deserving of acknowledgement.

A WWII and Korea veteran who later worked on the Atlas and Titan missile programs, Kenslow, 96, of Coweta, originally had his sights set on becoming a Marine fighter pilot.

But shortly after graduating from Tulsa Central High School in 1943, his dream was tripped up.

“I couldn’t pass the color-blindness test to fly,” he said.

Instead, he would play a supporting role to the pilots. For the rest of WWII, he was stationed in North Carolina, where he worked in aviation communications.

Bob Kenslow’s Marine Corps’ 674th Platoon is pictured in San Diego in 1943.

Stephen Pingry, Tulsa World

Called back

After the war, Kenslow transitioned to the Marine Corps Reserves.

“We thought we were done with wars,” he said.

“When I heard about how things were going over there (in Korea), I grabbed my duffel bag, went out to the fairgrounds and told them I want to resign” from the Reserves, Kenslow laughed. “They told me I was two days too late.”

Called back to active duty for Korea, Kenslow was assigned to a Marine aircraft wing, where his job was communications for close air support missions.

In close air support, the enemy targets are nearby to friendly ground troops, meaning a high level of communication between air and ground forces is critical.

Kenslow’s introduction to Korea came in October 1950 at Wonsan.

“When I first got there, I thought, ‘Well, we’ll be winding this down soon.’”

UN forces were having their way with the North Koreans, pushing them not only out of South Korea but all the way to their northern border with China.

“We didn’t realize the magnitude” of what was to come, Kenslow said.

When Chinese units began pouring over the border to support North Korea, it changed everything, he said. That was when “the big, big war started.”

One of Kenslow’s team’s busiest times was that first December, when UN forces in North Korea were forced to evacuate. Communication was constant with the pilots who were supporting the evacuation, he said.

Kenslow, who operated in and around combat zones all his time in Korea, would also contribute by learning cryptography.

“They wouldn’t allow cryptographers to work near combat areas. It was too great a risk if they were captured. So they would pick someone out in the unit and train them in cryptography.”

That way, if you were captured, “cryptography wasn’t in your job title and you didn’t have to lie about it. You were just another rifle-totin’ Marine.”

As his unit’s de facto cryptographer, Kenslow encoded and decoded messages.

Another task that often fell to his team was rescuing downed pilots.

“Once it came over the radio, if you weren’t doing something specific, you’d grab your rifle and go along. We’d all pile in a truck, try to get there before the enemy.”

The responders would retrieve the pilot, then blow up the aircraft to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

Kenslow went on a couple of these runs, including to retrieve two Australian pilots who’d run out of fuel.

“They were characters,” he laughed.

Bob Kenslow looks over a photo scrapbook at his home in Coweta.

Stephen Pingry photos, Tulsa World

Once a Marine

When Kenslow, who achieved the rank of staff sergeant, finally got back to Tulsa, he was interviewed by local TV.

He believes it was because he was the first Tulsa serviceman to return from Korea. Those who had WWII service were often sent home before others.

Kenslow went on to work for the U.S. Air Force as a civilian employee. He served as a contract administrator on intercontinental ballistic missile projects.

It included the Atlas, the first operational ICB missile developed by the U.S., along with the Titan I and Titan II projects.

Kenslow remains proud of his military service and the tradition of the “citizen soldier” he represented.

Guard members and reservists, both recruits and veterans like Kenslow, played a big part in Korea.

At their peak, nearly 50% of all Marines there were reservists.

Around 122,000 Marine reservists were called to active duty during the war.

Kenslow wishes he could reconnect with anyone from his Tulsa Reserve unit.

His career took him around the country before he eventually came back to Oklahoma.

“I don’t think I ever saw any of those guys again. I’ve often wondered what happened to them.”

If you can help, reach out to me at the email address below.

“Once a Marine, always a Marine. That’s what we said,” Kenslow said.

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