The Korean War

When the University of Nebraska asked me to be honored, I told them I would do it, but deep down, honestly, I don't know if I deserve it.

I wasn't wounded in battle or anything like that, and I know guys that are a lot worse off than I am.

Some of them with wives and even children at the time. 

I'm lucky and fortunate in so many ways.

The good Lord was always with me. Every single time those .50 caliber bullets whizzed by my head — I could feel every single one of them.

It's one of those things where you're either there or you don't really understand.

It's hard to explain.

Things happen so fast, and you're moving so fast all the time that you can't really pinpoint anything that's going on around you. 

You just react and do what you're trained to do. 

You aren't scared.

You aren't really thinking about anything.

All you do is follow your commands and do your job. 

Boots on the ground

I was sent to Korea in 1952 when I was 19 years old.

I was working a normal job, cutting slabs of wood, before I was drafted.

Before I knew it, my uncle was putting me on a bus ride back home to Nebraska, where I ended up flying out to Texas to do my training at Fort Bliss.

I remember there being about eight of us, and out of that group, I was the only one that went to Korea. The rest of them went to Germany.

Why? I don't know why. 

I didn't know back then, and I still don't know to this very day.

I ended up spending around 14 months over there in actual combat. 

I obviously have a lot of stories to share. But it's really hard to relive those memories.

There were a few pleasant times as well, though.

One situation that always stands out to me happened after a British pilot was shot down from the sky. I remember a soldier yelling, "Ingram, get your crew and get that engine before the enemies get it!"

So, we're out there with bullets flying all around us. There was this hot jet engine, and it took four of us to pick that thing up as quickly as we could and get out of there. 

You realize quickly when your life is on the line, you can pick up anything in a minute.

It's a pleasant memory because it reminds me of a job that we successfully completed. 

And a job you did with your brothers.

Being out there in a situation like that, when any day could be your last, you really start to appreciate moments like that.

Any day that you're still breathing is a good day.

The last big push

There were just so many moments that you can't prepare for.

During the last big push, for example, some crews told me to get my trucks, load them up, and get to the front immediately.

But by the time we got up there, they'd all been over run.

Just like that, they were all gone.

I picked up eight men, threw them in the back of my truck, and set them all down to bring back.

Even with all of the loss, I have to say my crew got very lucky. 

Out of our 12 rocket launchers, we only had one man that was killed. 

We had flak Jackets on when we were over there, and by the time I left, I'd been shot at so many times — that jacket was just peppered with flak.

Just a look at that jacket is a permanent reminder of what you went through and how easily things could have turned out differently.

The return home

I was fortunate enough to be able to go back home to Nebraska in the end and continue living life after the war.

Luckily, I was able to have a very gratifying career after the war.

I started with the University of Nebraska as a laborer in 1961, and after a few months, the foreman at that time came up to me and asked if I'd like to be a plumber. 

I didn't know anything about plumbing, but that's how it all started for me.

The first thing they did was send me to East Campus at the University of Nebraska, which was the best thing that ever happened to me because I learned everything out there.

It wasn't too long after that they decided they wanted to make a supervisor out of me for the entire UNL Campus. I was only in that role for a year before getting my Master's plumber license.

I worked every football game at the stadium for 32 years. So I obviously spent a lot of hours at that stadium — a lot of restrooms. I remember letting my son, John, come to help out from time to time. He used to love sucking all of the water out of the toilets with the suction gun and shooting it all over the place!

Those are some of my favorite memories.

I always prided myself on working hard and learning as much as possible.

I don't know, for whatever reason, it just came natural to me. 

And I enjoyed every minute of it. 

If you don't get in there and do it right, why do it at all? 

That's just the way I am.

It's the way I've always been.