Don and Mert Lassere

Don Lassere

To Korea—March 1951, wounded September 24, 1951——Left Korea—1951

Mert Lassere

To Korea—March 1951—Left Korea—after one year of duty in 1952

 Though Don and Mert Lassere are cousins, they are close like brothers. They were raised together as kids and lived very near to each other. They did everything together.

 They even went to war together June, 1951. They flew to Japan for one day, then flew to Busan and to Gimpo airport in Seoul, and ended up in the “Punchbowl.” They were in the same Marine division and fought together until Don was wounded in September 24, 1951. Don’s job was loading machine guns, and Mert’s was loading mortars. The first night in the punchbowl, they could hear the Chinese troops shooting at them.

Don was cleaning and loading a machine gun when it went off, and an ammo hit his neck. He could have been killed had he been on the opposite side of the gun. He was put on a hospital ship and sent to Japan to recover. After six months, he was sent back home in February 1952.

 Mert stayed for one year which was his tour of duty. He came home in June, 1952.