Roen Griffiths
Roen Griffiths served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After being stationed in Illinois, Texas, and Alabama, Roen was sent to (the very hot) French Morocco for a year. He tells stories of the lengths the men at the base would go to in order to feel a little reprieve from the heat. For example, the men would often sleep uncovered on soaked towels to stay just a little cooler in the evenings.
Roen had to leave his young wife and toddler behind and missed the birth of his first daughter while deployed. Although Roen was not a pilot, he played a key role in the Korean War making sure that communication facilities were operating properly. He would have to make certain that generators were running smoothly and messages were being transmitted correctly.
Roen was given two stripes during his military career- one for completing basic training, and another for graduating with honors from the military electronic school. After the war, Roen returned to Utah. He worked in electronics and the communication industry his entire career.
Promotion or Religious Retreat?
While stationed at the transmitting facility in Morocco, Roen got an invitation to attend a religious retreat in Germany. This is at the time when Roen was up for promotion, but would need to attend a promotion board meeting in order to receive one. Unfortunately, the retreat and the meeting overlapped and Roen could only do one or another. Roen was deeply devoted and passionate in his religious beliefs and chose the retreat. When he returned to the base after his trip to Germany, to his surprise his name was on the promotion board. His commanding officer went to bat for him at the meeting and helped secure him a promotion.
Korean War - Key Events
January 12, 1950
In a speech to the National Press Club, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson outlines a U.S. Pacific defense posture that includes Japan and the Philippines but does not explicitly include Korea. In fact, he states that, “so far as the military security of other areas in the Pacific is concerned, it must be clear that no person can guarantee these areas against military attack.”
These events are taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica
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