Putting Down A Prison Riot: Korean War Memories From A Rakkasan Paratrooper

The son of a coal miner, Ron Winters grew up in Boonsboro, Pennsylvania, with his three brothers and three sisters. He joined the Army in 1951, and after Airborne School, he joined the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Deploying to the Korean War, he joined B Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team in Bepu, Japan, a location he considered very beautiful. Arriving in Korea, he helped put down the prisoner riot at Koje-Do, and built the new compound so they could move the prisoners from one location to the other. He recalls the time immediately before the Armistice, and returning home through Japan. He left the Army in 1954 and returned to civilian life. After the war, he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress, which he admits “gives you an attitude.” Even so, he is proud of his service, and remains connected to the Rakkasans through their veterans’ organization.