Top of page

Raymond Kasten [2006]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 3rd Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Korea
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/57057

View full service history

"So the war was never over as far as I was concerned." (Video Interview, 22:26)

Drafted in 1952 to serve in the Korean War, Raymond Kasten was trained as a medic. But once he arrived in Korea, he was ordered to drive a troop truck. For 12 days, Kasten transported soldiers to what seemed to him like certain death at the front, where the North Korean and Chinese armies were making a big push. When South Korean President Syngman Rhee unilaterally released over 25,000 North Korean POWs in the spring of 1953, Kasten felt it was a betrayal of what he and his fellow soldiers had been fighting for. Though he was reassigned to duty as a bodyguard as a medical officer, the horrors of his early days never left him, and since 1991, he has been treated for symptoms of PTSD. Kasten sees his interview as a chance to reconnect with his children; their relationship has been strained by his problems.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Raymond A. Kasten Collection

Names

  • Gartside, Jeanne A.
  • Kasten, Raymond A.
  • Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Missouri

Home State

  • Missouri

Headings

  • -  Kasten, Raymond A.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Form

  • DVD

Extent

  • 1 item

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 3rd Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-11-14; 2006-11-27)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/57057

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Service Unit/Ship

Highest Rank

Service Entrance

Discharge Status

Gender

Home State

Interviewee

Interviewer

Organization/Affiliation

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:

Gartside, Jeanne A, Raymond A Kasten, and Missouri Disabled American Veterans. Raymond A. Kasten Collection. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.57057/.

APA citation style:

Gartside, J. A., Kasten, R. A. & Disabled American Veterans, M. Raymond A. Kasten Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.57057/.

MLA citation style:

Gartside, Jeanne A, Raymond A Kasten, and Missouri Disabled American Veterans. Raymond A. Kasten Collection. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.57057/>.