urn:taro:utexas.cah.00481 A Guide to the Ernest Leyva Papers, 1953-1954 04/02/2006Encoded in XMetal 2 by Edward Sevcik according to instructions in TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. Descriptive Summary Leyva, Ernest Ernest Leyva Papers 1953-1954Materials are written in English. 2004-072 5 in. Center for American History,The University of Texas at Austin Seventy letters by US Army private Ernest Leyva, to his family during his service in Korea, 1953-1954. Biographical Note

Private Ernest Leyva of Los Angeles, California trained at Fort Ord and other bases in California from 1952 to 1953. During 1953 and 1954 he served in Korea with the Eighth Army, as a truck driver in the 510th Trans Trk [Transport, truck] Company. In late 1954 he was transferred to a camp in Sendai, Japan where he continued to work as a driver.

 Scope and Contents

Seventy letters written by Ernest Leyva to his family in California (1953-1954) illuminate the attitudes and experiences of an American soldier in Korea. Subjects include friends and family, Leyva's training, truck breakdowns and conditions on the road in various parts of Korea, his opinions about Korean food and customs, the frustrations of army life, and details of life such as using truck fuel in his cigarette lighter.

 Access Restrictions

Unrestricted access

 Use Restrictions

Unrestricted use

 Preferred Citation

Ernest Leyva Papers, 1953-1954, the Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Index Terms Leyva, Ernest Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American. Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3K132 Correspondence, 1953-1954 3T214 Photographs, [ca. 1954]