Top of page

James Markalunas [2007]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Dates of Service: 1951-1952
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: VMR-152 (Marine Transport Squadron), 1st Marine Air Wing (MAW); VMFN-513 (Night Fighter Squadron), Marine Air Group 12 (MAG)
  • Location of Service: El Toro, California; Pusan West Air Base (K1), Korea; Pohang Airfield (K3), Korea; Kangnung Air Base (K18), Korea; Kunsan Air Base (K8), Korea
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/53605

View full service history

"The weather conditions were at best deplorable." (Video Interview, 41:05)

While in high school in Aspen, Colorado, James Markalunas worked in a power plant and later studied engineering. After he enlisted in late 1950, the Marines assigned him to a transport squadron to maintain radios, based on his background. In Korea, he was based in Pusan. The planes he worked on provided air cover for the 1st Marine Division and ground support, as well as making interdiction runs and dropping night-time flares. (The latter missions were the only time he got into the air.) Markalunas found the weather in Korea to be another kind of enemy, as the extreme conditions played havoc with his equipment.

Video interview of James Markalunas

More Resources

View 4 images in sequence.
[ Memoir: In Uncle Sam's Service ]

About this Item

Title

  • James T. Markalunas Collection

Names

  • Merritt, Richard O.
  • Roaring Fork Veterans History Project, Aspen Historical Society
  • Anderson, Corby
  • Markalunas, James T.

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Colorado

Headings

  • -  Markalunas, James T.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: VMR-152 (Marine Transport Squadron), 1st Marine Air Wing (MAW); VMFN-513 (Night Fighter Squadron), Marine Air Group 12 (MAG)
    • Location of Service: El Toro, California; Pusan West Air Base (K1), Korea; Pohang Airfield (K3), Korea; Kangnung Air Base (K18), Korea; Kunsan Air Base (K8), Korea
    • Highest Rank: Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1951-1952
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served in the Marine Corps Reserve until 3/13/1959.

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2007-06-05; 2004-01-01)
  • Manuscript: Memoir [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2007)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/53605

Online Format

  • video
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Merritt, Richard O, Aspen Historical Society Roaring Fork Veterans History Project, Corby Anderson, and James T Markalunas. James T. Markalunas Collection. 1951. Personal Narrative. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.53605/.

APA citation style:

Merritt, R. O., Roaring Fork Veterans History Project, A. H. S., Anderson, C. & Markalunas, J. T. (1951) James T. Markalunas Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.53605/.

MLA citation style:

Merritt, Richard O, et al. James T. Markalunas Collection. 1951. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.53605/>.