Corporal James K. Moran enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1949 and attended boot camp at Camp Chaffee, where the movies “Biloxi Blues” and “A Soldiers Story” were filmed.

As a gunner in the field artillery, Moran completed a ten-week advanced school at Fort Bliss, Tex. before deploying overseas to fight the Korean War.

In August 1950, Jim Moran along with a ship full of soldiers and sailors departed Seattle for the two week trip onboard the U.S.S. General William M. Black, a troop carrier bound for Korea. While destined for a combat zone, the ship lost both engines and had to be towed with tugs to Japan, after waiting three days for the tugs to arrive.

Moran was assigned to the 68th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (90MM) and fought in the Korean Peninsula for fifteen months, making personal sacrifices to an often “forgotten war.” He was able to return to his family in time for Christmas in 1951.

Jim Moran earned the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.