Corporal Loren Blaisdell
13th Signal Company
The frigid winters in Bangor, Maine were a godsend for what Loren Blaisdell would meet in Korea. Growing up in Bangor, Blaisdell became accustomed to the frigid temperatures of the American Northeast. Like his father before him, he would go on to serve in the US Army, joining the 13th Signal Company, 1st Cavalry Division in mid-1951. Cpl. Blaisdell was stationed in the Chorwon River Valley in support of Operation Commando, the last major combat operation for the 1st Cavalry Division in the Korean War. The 13th Signal Company set up near Division Headquarters, relaying messages from headquarters to battalion and company signal sections.
Cpl. Blaisdell was a Field Wire Foreman (MOS 1641) during his military career. He was responsible for leading and supervising lineman teams to lay down temporary communication lines. According to military doctrine during the Korean War, wired communications were the best way to relay messages. However, many units switched to high-frequency radio due to the lack of logistical support and dangerous terrain.
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During Operation Commando, he led his lineman team under Chinese artillery bombardments, stringing wire from the 13th Signal Company relay boards all the way to company and battalion command posts. He was responsible for training his men and determining specifically where line would be layed in between relay points. Cpl. Blaisdell rotated to Hokkaido, Japan with the rest of the 1st Cavalry Division. Following the war, he would enter medicine like his father, working as a hospital controller for over two decades. In youth and adulthood, Cpl. Blaisdell put community and country first.
Sources:
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US Army. The First Team: the First Cavalry Division in Korea, 18 July 1950-18 January 1952. Turner Pub. Co., 1994.
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United States Army Occupational Handbook: A Manual for Civilian Guidance Counselors and Students. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1952.
Sources:
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US Army. The First Team: the First Cavalry Division in Korea, 18 July 1950-18 January 1952. Turner Pub. Co., 1994.
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United States Army Occupational Handbook: A Manual for Civilian Guidance Counselors and Students. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1952.