Chaplain of Villages Marine Corps League Detachment #1267 Ralph Hoffman spoke Wednesday morning at the Korean War Armistice Ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park in The Villages.
A native of Mineola, N.Y., Hoffman joined the Marines immediately after graduating high school in 1950.
On April 24, he celebrated his birthday by graduating from boot camp, not knowing that same year he would be heading to combat in Korea.
Hoffman detailed his experiences each month he served, recalling moments from lying on his stomach and shooting at attacking enemy forces to witnessing two thousand North Korean refugees seeking help, including one refugee who gave birth.
Most importantly, he never forgot all the men who suffered and died. Hoffman delivered a grim account of when he saw a bulldozer digging a large pit where the bodies of 125 Marines were placed.
He and a friend placed a marker at the site to honor the fallen.
“I saw so many brave and faithful guys,” said Hoffman.
Ending his speech, Hoffman recited a poem that one of the men in his company wrote, which depicted the hell that the men went through for their beloved country in this “Forgotten War.”
After Hoffman’s speech, other Korean War veterans shared their experiences. Jim Ankoviak of the Village of Glenbrook served in the Army and recalled the war’s bitterness, explaining that the men spent their days in the trenches that were used as bunkers.
Suddenly, a sniper 900 yards away started shooting at Ankoviak and his men. He then had to “zero in on him” to stop the shooting.
“Anybody that doesn’t think Korea was hell, it was,” said the veteran.
Present at the ceremony was state Rep. Marlene O’Toole who accompanied her Korean War veteran husband Ed. The O’Tooles reside in The Villages.
She commended the ceremony that was coordinated and said that everyone “did a beautiful job.”
Ed Sullivan, past president of The Villages Republican Club and Korean War veteran, also attended the ceremony. His company worked underground in Japan and handled all the intelligence between the U.S. and the Far East.