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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 8204th American Graves Registration Service Unit, Field Operation Service
  • Location of Service: Camp Kokura, Japan
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/31154

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"[The landing craft] came up to dock and folded down the front of it. It made an imprint on my life forever. I looked into the inside and all I could see was black body bags with military personnel in them." (Audio interview, 3:04)

The son of a funeral director, Corporal Robert Cassidy was a natural candidate for assignment to the 8204th American Graves Registration Service Unit, a mortuary team that processed remains during the Korean War. Still, despite having grown up around a mortuary, he was taken aback upon arriving for duty at Camp Kokura, Japan, and confronting the sheer number of American casualties. He estimates that the 8204th AGRS handled two-thirds of the American casualties over the course of the war. In his oral history interview, he discusses the emotional impact of his duties, and how his commanding officers constantly checked in with their enlisted men to make sure their daily exposure to death did not become overwhelming. He also relates the deep dedication and respect with which he and his colleagues approached caring for the bodies of servicemen who had given their lives for their country--a task that is seldom talked about or even thought of, and for which his unit received a Presidential Unit Citation.

Robert Emmett Cassidy Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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[ DD-214, Report of Separation ]

About this Item

Title

  • Robert Emmett Cassidy Collection

Names

  • Cassidy, Robert Emmett
  • Cheek, Helen F.

Home State

  • Oregon

Headings

  • -  Cassidy, Robert Emmett
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 8204th American Graves Registration Service Unit, Field Operation Service
    • Location of Service: Camp Kokura, Japan
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1951-1953
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2005-02)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- (collected 1953-03-06)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2005-02-03)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/31154

Cite as

  • Robert Emmett Cassidy Collection (AFC/2001/001/31154), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • online text
  • 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:

Cassidy, Robert Emmett, and Helen F Cheek. Robert Emmett Cassidy Collection. 1951. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.31154/.

APA citation style:

Cassidy, R. E. & Cheek, H. F. (1951) Robert Emmett Cassidy Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.31154/.

MLA citation style:

Cassidy, Robert Emmett, and Helen F Cheek. Robert Emmett Cassidy Collection. 1951. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.31154/>.