A Korean orphan salutes 665th Med. Dep. men
A Farewell Salute is given to the men of the 665th Med. Dep. who have cared for him the past six months, by Johnny Kim Suderman, 5-year-old Korean orphan. Kim was flown Tuesday to Iwakuni NAS, Japan, en-route to join his foster parents in Hawaii. With him is the plane's pilot. Maj. J.E. Warren Jr.
By Tom Gregory | Stars and Stripes December 11, 1957
Adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Suderman months ago, the 5-year-old was prevented from joining them in Lanikai, Hawaii by an airline regulation requiring he be escorted by an adult.
When Stars and Stripes wrote about the boy's plight on December 6th, 1957 after being contacted about it by the men of the 655th Medical Det., DS, Team 7 in Seoul who had cared for the infant - offers poured in from military and civilian personnel. The medics settled on the bid of the 1st Marine Air Wing based in Iwakuni, Japan and on December 10, 1957, accompanied by Capt. Schultze. During and right after the Korean War, stories of Korean orphans being "adopted" by various U.S. military units in South Korea filled the pages of Stars and Stripes.
Some of these stories had follow ups when the children would get adopted by one of the unit members and taken to their new American homes.
The stories often describe the "Americanization" of the children, taking on American dress, customs and tastes (and sometimes the language) of the U.S. military men they live with.