I've got a young man about to shipped out to Korea in 1951 or '52. I know basically nothing about military process and customs so I'm a little at sea here. It's just one scene, but I want it to ring true, and I suspect that in the breadth of the AW collective there's someone who can help me do that. Thanks! Here are a few specific questions:
1. He's a young enlisted man, 19 or 20 years old, in the Army.* I presume he's been training and serving on a base somewhere in the U.S. Where might that be? Would he get an opportunity to visit his mother in New York, however briefly, between when he learns he's going to Korea and when he's actually sent? What would that visit be, formally - a pass? leave? a stopover? [If he can't realistically visit his mother, there's no scene, so I'm hoping this isn't a showstopper or a place where I just have to toss realism out the window...]
2. Assuming he gets to stop in New York, how does he get to Korea from there? Does he report back to the base where he was originally stationed, for transport from there? What does that transport look like; does he get shipped to someplace like Tokyo first? This isn't hugely important but you never know what details might be useful to toss into a scene.
3. How would he introduce himself to, say, a friend of his mother's? Would he use his name and rank? What might his rank be? Is PFC reasonable for someone of his age or would he more likely still just a Pvt?
4. Are there any questions I haven't thought of, that I should think of?
* The branch isn't important, and could be changed if another branch makes for more interesting possibilities. Also, if it matters, he isn't a draftee; he joined up voluntarily when he finished high school. He's from a military family.
Again, thanks very much!
1. He's a young enlisted man, 19 or 20 years old, in the Army.* I presume he's been training and serving on a base somewhere in the U.S. Where might that be? Would he get an opportunity to visit his mother in New York, however briefly, between when he learns he's going to Korea and when he's actually sent? What would that visit be, formally - a pass? leave? a stopover? [If he can't realistically visit his mother, there's no scene, so I'm hoping this isn't a showstopper or a place where I just have to toss realism out the window...]
2. Assuming he gets to stop in New York, how does he get to Korea from there? Does he report back to the base where he was originally stationed, for transport from there? What does that transport look like; does he get shipped to someplace like Tokyo first? This isn't hugely important but you never know what details might be useful to toss into a scene.
3. How would he introduce himself to, say, a friend of his mother's? Would he use his name and rank? What might his rank be? Is PFC reasonable for someone of his age or would he more likely still just a Pvt?
4. Are there any questions I haven't thought of, that I should think of?
* The branch isn't important, and could be changed if another branch makes for more interesting possibilities. Also, if it matters, he isn't a draftee; he joined up voluntarily when he finished high school. He's from a military family.
Again, thanks very much!