Gerald Harper has lived his whole life in Clark County, except when he was in the Army. He was inducted into the Army at the end of September 1953. He did his basic training at Fort Loenard Wood, Missouri where he scored high on the mechanics aptitude test. He was then sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia to attend heavy equipment school. He was in the top 10% of his class, so he went for advanced schooling for heavy equipment. Next he was sent to Camp Stewart, Georgia where he was in a Construction Engineers group that maintained the ranges and roads for the tank battalion. Gerald was then sent to Korea. They arrived at Inchon Harbor. The water was too shallow for the big boats, so they had to climb down ropes ladders into the LST to go ashore. He spent the first winter at Yon Dong Po, where he lived in eight-man tents, which were very cold. Gerald worked in a motor pool, where he kept up the welders and generators for the platoons. The platoons were building roads and bridges, and a new prison in Seoul. He eventually got moved into brick barracks before coming home in 1955. He was sent home on a boat to Seattle, Washington, then flew to Burlington Iowa. Gerald was awarded a Quilt of Valor by the Sewcial Quilters of Clark County. Presenting the quilt were Pam Oilar and Audrey Eckle.
