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Collection Veterans History Project Collection

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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 38th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Lewis, Washington; Korea; China
  • Highest Rank: Corporal

View full service history

"I could feel the heat of the muzzle, and I said, 'Well this is it.'" (Video Interview, Part II, 5:24)

Infantryman Jose Mares was eating his Thanksgiving dinner on November 24, 1950 while on duty in Korea, when North Korean troops attacked his unit, killing soldiers seated on either side of him. Five days later, he was captured, beginning almost three years of brutal treatment. Mares wouldn't break, even after he was nearly executed for simply refusing to offer any more information than his name, rank, serial number, and date of birth.

More Resources

View 8 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Mares, Jose. Western Union telegram from the Adjutant General, informing his parents that Mares is MIA, December 25, 1950.. ]
View Enlarged Image
[  Western Union telegram from the Adjutant General, informing his parents that Mares is believed to be a POW, December 19, 1951. ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Western Union telegram from the Adjutant General, informing his parents that Mares is believed to have been featured in an enemy propaganda film, May 18, 1951. ]

Show more resources (5)

View Enlarged Image
[ Western Union telegram from the Adjutant General, informing his parents that Mares has returned to military control, August 27, 1953. ]
View Enlarged Image
[  Western Union telegram from the Adjutant General, informing his parents that Mares will soon be arriving in United States, September 5, 1953. ]
View 12 images in sequence.
[ Biography, "To See the Flag." Unidentified author. ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Telegram from Jose to his parents, informing them he is on his way home. Undated. ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Mares, Jose. Cartoon and poem, "The cook, the baker / the candle stick maker." ]

About this Item

Title

  • Jose Mares Collection

Names

  • WRCB-TV Channel 3
  • Bowen, Sarah
  • Willie, Michael
  • Mares, Jose

State of Birth

  • AZ

Home State

  • GA

Headings

  • -  Mares, Jose
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 38th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Lewis, Washington; Korea; China
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1949-1971
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Dates of Service: 1949-1971
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [4 items] -- Photograph (collected 1950)
  • Manuscript: Maps [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [6 items] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Video: Betacam SP [3 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2/20/2003)
  • Manuscript: Biography [1 item] -- (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/6059

Cite as

  • Jose Mares Collection (AFC/2001/001/6059), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

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/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

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

Recording:

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

Photograph:

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

Computer file:

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

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), 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:

Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, Sarah Bowen, Michael Willie, and Jose Mares. Jose Mares Collection. 1949. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.06059/.

APA citation style:

Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, Bowen, S., Willie, M. & Mares, J. (1949) Jose Mares Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.06059/.

MLA citation style:

Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, et al. Jose Mares Collection. 1949. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.06059/>.