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Congressman Charles B. Rangel [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Korea; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Lewis, Washington
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/89089

View full service history

"The whole concept of my life began anew, because I knew I was dead." (Video interview, 30:40)

Born and raised in Harlem, Charles Rangel followed in his older brother’s footsteps, enlisting in the Army in order to supplement his family’s income. Joining the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, a racially segregated battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, his unit landed in Korea in August 1950, and began pushing north--encountering dead bodies along the way, a grim foreshadowing of what was to come. During the Battle of Kunu-ri in November 1950, his unit was surrounded by Chinese forces, pinned against a mountain. In his interview, he describes the chaos and horror of that life-changing experience. As he says, "It was beyond your worst nightmare… nothing could be as frightening as that day."

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Charles Bernard Rangel Collection

Names

  • Patrick, Robert
  • Rangel, Charles Bernard
  • Library of Congress

State of Birth

  • NY

Home State

  • DC

Headings

  • -  Rangel, Charles Bernard
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Notes

  • -  Veteran's biographical form lists race/ethnicity as "African American, Puerto Rican".

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Korea; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Lewis, Washington
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1948-1952
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as an artillery operations specialist and led 40 men from his unit to escape the Chinese during the battle of Kunu-ri.

Materials

  • Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 06/20/2013)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 06/20/2013)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/89089

Cite as

  • Charles Bernard Rangel Collection (AFC/2001/001/89089), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Patrick, Robert, Charles Bernard Rangel, and Library Of Congress. Charles Bernard Rangel Collection. 1948. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.89089/.

APA citation style:

Patrick, R., Rangel, C. B. & Library Of Congress. (1948) Charles Bernard Rangel Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.89089/.

MLA citation style:

Patrick, Robert, Charles Bernard Rangel, and Library Of Congress. Charles Bernard Rangel Collection. 1948. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.89089/>.