Al Whaley, 1LT Paul T. O’Dowd, Jr., LTC Carl L. Aubrey , Cpl Ray P. Cooper

My father, Al Whaley, was a POW in “Pok’s Palace” on the outskirts of Pyongyang.

My Dad died there in May of 1951, but 3 men mentioned him in their repatriation briefing.

1LT Paul T. O’Dowd, Jr. 0955768 13th FA Bn, 2nd ID
LTC Carl L. Aubrey 8267A USAF
Cpl Ray P. Cooper ER17263750 B Co 38th Inf Reg Corpus Christie TX?

Just wondered if any of these men were “still with us”?

Please send any information you may have to MAJ Elwin I Whaley at r.e.whaley@att.net


9 Comments

  1. Ray P Cooper is still alive and of sound mind, living in Iowa. I do not know him or where exactly in Iowa. I am just doing genealogy work for someone else and know this to be true. I came across your information while attaching his POW medal distinction etc

    Wish you the best of luck.

  2. T. Koehn

    Ray is alive and living in Goldfield, IA
    P.O. Box 343
    404 Boone 50542-0343
    Goldfield, IA

    515-825-3415 but very hard of hearing.

    Ray is a retired RR engineer, C&NW RR

    • Korean War Ex-POW Association

      Thank you, T. Koehn. I have forwarded the info to MAJ Whaley.

  3. Robert Whaley (son)

    I have located and spoke to LTC Paul O’Dowd(USA ret.) in California.

  4. Jon O'Dowd

    Yesterday was like any other to a lot of people but to me it was a day I lost a connection to my past… A member of the greatest generation, A Marine in the Second World War, A Father and Husband, An Officer and Gentleman Solder in Korea then, A POW, at home again a Father again, Traveled the world, Then an Educator… and again traveled the world… yesterday he lost his last battle… and is at peace with his maker… there will not be many like him but this one was mine… Good bye Dad.
    I think of you often.
    Paul Thomas O’Dowd JR. LTC. US Army Retired.

    • Korean War Ex-POW Association

      Paul, I am very sorry for your loss. We have lost another hero.

      Cindy

    • Dave McCunn

      I served with Captain Paul in Giessen Germany in 1959 as a ROTC lt fresh out of artillery school. I will always remember him as the smartest officer in the battalion. The world lost a great man.
      Sorry for your loss.

    • Gary P Calveley

      jon, firstly accept my very belated condolences on the loss of your father. My father Arthur Calveley was. British Army trooper and spent 2.5 years in Camp 5 POW camp in North Korea. He spent time in the Temple which was a poor excuse for a hospital and was really a place seriously ill men were sent to die. While he was there he met a Lieutenant O’Dowd and referred to him in his memoirs. I am currently turning his memoirs into a book and that is the reason I came across Lieutenant O’Dowd. I wonder if this is your father ? My father survived the Temple and was the first to walk out alive. He always believed that Lieutenant O’Dowd also survived the Temple and they were the only two ever to get out . My father survived the camp and came home in May 1953. We lost him in 1994 . I would love to know if your father was the same person. I would appreciate you letting me know. Kind regards Gary P Calveley

      • Kieran O'Dowd

        Hello Gary I’m Kieran O’Dowd, LtCol Paul O’Dowd’s daughter. Yes, my father is the Lt O’Dowd (he was referred as Digger O’Dowd while a POW) you dad referred to. My dad was one of the last to walk across the “bridge of no return” on Sept 6, 1953. I was born 2 years to the day of his release.
        Kind regards to you and yours. Kieran

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