Anthony Lori

Anthony Lori was born in Boonton, New Jersey, in 1928. After high school, in the immediate post-World War II era, he joined the army at the age of 17, because he felt that “it was an opportunity at the time to join the service rather than wait to be drafted after registering for Selective Service.” After his twenty-four-month active-duty obligation was completed, Lori was transferred to a Reserve unit. During his third year in the Reserves, he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, with orders to report to Fort Hood, Texas.

On arrival at Fort Hood, Lori was advised that there would be a twenty-two-day refresher training session, and the first ten men through the course would become members of the cadre. Fort Hood was an armor base; after seeing the tanks, Lori wanted no part of it and asked to be transferred. The next day, the first ten men initially designated as cadre were transferred to South Korea. The same day, Lori boarded a train to California, where he spent two days before leaving on a ship for South Korea. His MOS (military occupational specialty) was transportation and supply. From Inchon, he was put on a truck and taken to Seoul, along with six other soldiers. They were in Seoul for three days before he was sent to Pusan and assigned to a railroad battalion.

Lori and a few other soldiers were transferred from Pusan to Yong Dong Po, a huge railroad yard close to Seoul, as “pushers,” to supervise South Koreans repairing railroad cars. He had a five-man Korean crew that handled brake systems. They worked mostly on gondolas – open cars with no roofs. One day, a gondola had to be turned around. The repair team jacked it up, and then grasped the car in the center, balanced it, and slowly repositioned it. When Lori saw them doing that, he walked away, because he had never seen that maneuver in his life, and did not want to be around if the gondola fell. It did not.

If the Korean workers reached their repair goal for the month, they would get an extra five pounds of rice. Lori told the interviewer that “payment was rice, and very little money; mostly rice.” The Koreans worked hard to get extra rice for their families. At Yong Dong Po, supplies destined for the soldiers on the front line were loaded on trains twice a week, and three full supply trains would head for the front once a month. Exceptions were made for special items that had to be shipped, which were assigned priority status.

The soldiers lived in converted boxcars that had bunks installed with a stove in the center for heat. They slept in the boxcars for almost a year; as their tours of duty neared completion, they finally got lodging that was more comfortable. Lori met a soldier who lived near his town in New Jersey who was waiting to be shipped home. For about a week, they kept each other company, and he felt that it was “good to see somebody that I knew – matter of fact, I went to school with”.

After serving in the Army, Lori served both his community and the American Legion. He was Post Commander of Whippany Post #155 of the American Legion, where he was named an outstanding member in 1971. Lori volunteered annually with NJ Boys State at Rider University, where this interview took place. He was a member of the Hanover Township District #2 Volunteer Fire Department and earned the title of Fireman of the Year in 1998. Lori served as Chairman of the Fire Commissioners’ Fire Prevention Bureau for eight years. He was a member of the New Jersey Civil Service Association, Battleship New Jersey Historical Society, Polish American Club of Whippany, and the Italian American Club of Clifton, among others.

Anthony Lori was cited by the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1977 for outstanding service to veterans and his community. In 2002, the New Jersey State Fireman’s Association issued a resolution recognizing him for his years of dedication to the Whippany Fire Company, residents of Hanover Township, Town of Whippany and County of Morris. He and his wife, Betty, were married for over 70 years. 

Anthony Lori died on April 18, 2020 at the age of 91.

Additional Resource:

• Whippanong American Legion Post 155 Serves Vets and the Community