Meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Diane Anderson Hunt

In our 45th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Diane tells how the Korean bakers would make donuts for them, that returning to the U.S. after a year in Korea was a shock and how she met her future husband in Korea.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Diane Anderson Hunt…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Korea?

When I graduated from college, teaching jobs were difficult to find.  I always enjoyed listening to people who came back from foreign countries telling about their adventures.  My college placement director encouraged me to seek employment with the Red Cross or Girl Scouts.  Both were seeking employees for overseas jobs.  I applied to the Red Cross, got an interview and volunteered for Vietnam, however I was accepted for Korea. 

When and where were you stationed in Korea?  Did you go by a nickname?

From 1971-72 I was stationed at Ascom, Humphey and Camp Casey.  I did not go by a nickname.

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What was a routine day like in Korea?

Monday through Thursday we traveled by jeep, deuce and a half or helicopter to bases to do a program for soldiers with a Donut Dollie partner.  It depended how far apart the bases were on whether we would visit 1 to 4 bases in a day.  Donuts and coffee was the standard breakfast before we departed for the day.  Fridays we worked on programs and premiered a new program for the guys on our base.  Our Korean baker made chocolate frosted donuts on Fridays.  Evenings were spent socializing with the guys. 

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

Of course the Korean War was over when I was in Korea, so close calls were not an everyday occurrence.  However because Korea was an underdeveloped country at the time it was still considered a hardship tour. 

Were you ever injured while in Korea?

I was not injured in Korea, but I did get dysentery from the water, which put me out of commission for a few days. 

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

We did not visit soldiers in the hospital in Korea.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

Returning to the States was a shock.  There was an airline strike when I returned, so I came back on a military cargo plane.  The windows were portholes too high up to look out of.  We sat in seats that were slid in on slats looking backwards at a huge net that contained all of our suitcases.  Nothing glamorous!

When I arrived in California, I had to fly standby to the midwest because of the strike.  I wanted to change clothes after the long flight from Korea before I started another day of traveling. The attendant in the restroom reamed me out for thinking I could use a restroom in an airport as a dressing room.  I had just read “The Ugly American” and couldn’t have agreed more with how I found America.  I was crushed to be treated so poorly after spending a year supporting my country. 

I think everyone should spend time in an underdeveloped country.  It will have a positive affect on you for the rest of your life. 

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

We were young college educated ladies that volunteered to support our troops.  We did not have to go, but we did to support those that were drafted to go to protect our freedom. 

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How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

I think the Veterans appreciated seeing a smile from home.  Yes, when they find out I spent a year in Korea.  

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Korea?

I remember landing in Korea and riding in a bus to Ascom from the airport.  It seemed I was watching a movie that was filmed years prior.  I had to pinch myself to realize the bus was going to stop and I was going to step out into this environment.  I was going to be living here for a year.   We were encouraged to take lots of pictures when we first arrived in country, because soon we would just accept our surroundings.  

On December 28, 1972 I married my husband, Leonard. We met in Korea. 

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