Duran, Jackie
Montiel, Susan
DeVine, Robert
Mr. Corona
Hnrs. History Per. 3
April 17, 2008C.S. 11.6 ESLR: 2,5
Veteran Joseph Rile
While the Korean War was taking place, there was one marine who took part in it. After seeing his aunt who was a nurse stationed in Japan during the beginning of the KoreanWar, he found an interest in what she had done. Joseph Rile was born in 1932 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Even though both his mother and his aunt did not want him to join the marines, but that did not stop him from joining the Navy and serving with the marines. After graduating fromhigh school in May, 1950 he was quick to react when the Korean War started in June of that year. After his father passed away shortly after graduation, Joe and his family moved to Santa Rosa, California. While inSanta Rosa, he joined the Navy and took basic training at San Diego where all of his Navy corpsman training began.
After training to be a corpsman at the BalboaNavalHospital, he was finally sent to go serve in the Korean War for the next sixteen months and was assigned to a marine rifle company in defense of a hill called BoulderCity.As a corpsman it was Rile’s job to provide medical attention to wounded Marines while on the battle field. He tried to do whatever he could in order to make the Marines feel as little pain as possible. It was common for him to have to run across open land in order to get to a soldier-in-need even if it meant risking his life while running through flying bullets and mortars.
In his first days of living in Korea, he had to become accustomed to the living conditions, living in tents and bunkers and dealing with rainy weather and lots of mud. One event he recalls is a time when he was working on a Marine who wanted some water. Rile had to go across “no man’s land” in order to get to get some water out of a water tank. On his way there, mortars were fired at him. To this day, Rile can still look back and remember the first patient he worked on as a corpsman. This new experience of being a corpsman had brought him excitement instead of fear. Later on in the battle was when he first faced fear like every other marine would. Looking back to the day of thearmistice, he remembers the bright flashes of lights going off by the bombs that had been dropped throughout the night before. One of his favorite and most memorable moments was when Rile and the other Marines were leaving BoulderCity and he was the last Marine to walk off the hill. When he was at the bottom of the hill a General asked if he was the last one and he said, “Yes sir, I’m the very last one”
After his sixteen months in Korea were up, his time to rotate home came. Joe Rile headed back to the United Sates. He was coming home with a Purple Heart for his wounds and a Bronze Star Medal for saving the lives of other Marines. On his way home from Korea, one of the first things he saw was the Golden GateBridge, which let him know that he was back in the United States. Joseph Rile ended up moving back to Idaho to continue the life he had left behind. Later on he became interested in a restaurant that he wanted to buy and his attention was caught by a young lady that was working there, who was a senior in high school. Rile was determined to have her as his own. In doing so, he gave up a full ride football scholarship to Idaho State College in order to follow her to BYU. While at BYU he ended up playing baseball while continuing his wonderful relationship with the woman of his dreams who is his wife today. Joseph Rile has been happily married for fifty-two years and has four children, three girls and one boy and ten grandchildren!
Interviewing Mr. Joseph Rile was a very memorable experience for us. It was an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to hear the words of Mr. Rile. He expressed his bravery to us and we appreciate everything he ever did. This interview has opened our perspectives on the way we view wars and the soldiers and marines that take part in it. Words can not describe the type of appreciation we feel for these men and woman that have sacrificed so much. Mr. Rile went gone through a life changing experience for the better. He has opened our eyes to realize what he had to face in order to achieve the goal for a better future for the people of our country.