James W. Manning

James W. Manning was born in February 1933 in Newark, NJ but lived in Neptune, NJ for most of his life. He served in the Korean War as part of the 457th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion and the 187th Airborne Regiment Combat Team.

Manning enlisted in the US Army, after the US Navy had rejected him, while he was still in high school. He did not originally enlist because of the war but because he thought it would be good for him due to the bad economy. Manning had been thinking about getting a trade as a bulldozer driver. When the war came a month after he enlisted, he volunteered to go. The Korea War was a United Nations effort.

Manning trained at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He then was sent to Fort Benning in Georgia for parachute training school. Manning was reassigned to division artillery at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Being in the South was not the easiest as he was considered a “Yankee.” Of course it was not easy for the Black troops, as the Civil Rights Movement was not for another decade.

Being deployed to Japan, Manning was faced with the reality of what was ahead of him. He trained for combat jumps as well as went through mountain training. Manning would be back and forth from Japan to Korea depending on what orders his unit received. In Japan, he worked in the mess hall as a cook. Manning would save cheese for certain commanders and even made upward of 300 cinnamon rolls for men as well.

Manning flew to the island Kojedo, off Pusan, where Korean prisoners of war had rioted. Upon arriving, he initially didn’t know what they were getting into. They camped outside of the prisoner camp where they trained for handling the prison riot. Generals were held hostage. When Manning’s unit finally broke into Compound 76, they were faced with prisoners who had spears as weapons. Their orders were to have them all line up and undress to make sure they didn’t have any serious weapons on them. Some prisoners pushed back against the unit, and even killed a couple of men.

This was the most violence Manning was faced with during his time in Korea. He never killed anyone, but in the prison riot he did stab a couple of men. When they finally got the prisoners under control, Manning and his unit were tasked with rebuilding the camp, putting up utility poles, and keeping an eye on the prisoners. Manning and his unit worked long hours. They were given three to four meals a day depending on how much work was done. At the end of each workday, they were sprayed with DDT due to the environment they were in. 

Between Korea and Japan there was a lot of parachuting out of planes. In some cases, there would be faulty parachutes which happened to kill some men in Manning’s unit.

When the end of the war came, Manning decided to go home. He did not stay in contact with any of the guys from his time serving. When Manning landed in Philadelphia and found he was faced with the difficulty of finding a job that would pay him more than under a dollar an hour! He used the GI Bill to attend Monmouth College. Manning ultimately retired in 1998 after a 43-year career. He then went to work on a golf course.

Manning took advantage of his Veteran Affair healthcare. He filed for Post Traumatic Stress help. Manning shared his views on how veterans are treated by the government. He was very passionate about the treatment of veterans and, in 2004, he spoke before Congress about their healthcare and homelessness as a member of the New Jersey World War II Memorial Commission. 

He became a member of the Manasquan Veterans of Foreign War VFW Post #2639, where he served as Post Commander and Quartermaster. Manning also joined American Legion Post #346, as well as served on the New Jersey State Veterans of Foreign Wars Legislative Committee and as its Chief of Staff.

James Manning passed away at age 91 on October 11, 2024.

Additional Resource:

• Library of Congress Interview