For Vern Mitchell, joining the military was not a choice, for he was drafted for the Korean War in 1950. He was a 20-year-old small-town boy who had barely been outside of his hometown. Leaving his home was a big deal.

“I was a farm boy,” Vern said. “Not too many people joined the Army back then, or the Navy that I know of. One of the things that sticks out in my mind about basic training was one time I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning. Me and one other guy go to the mess hall, sit down on a chair with over 100-pound bag of potatoes and peel ‘em all.”

He found out later that he did not have to serve since he was the only boy in his family. This led to him getting off the front lines.