By Margay Roberge (pool-72-93-163-17.bstnma.east.verizon.net - 72.93.163.17) on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 08:55 am: Edit

I am doing research for a book I am writing and am interested in learning everything I can about the first group to go to Korea (in 1966). Especially interested in knowing mundane things like the month of arrival, a day in the life, acclimating to the country, getting and sending of letters, etc. Would greatly appreciate any info people could supply. (You can send info directly to my email address: Margay1122@aol.com)Thanks in advance, Margay

By Joanne Marie Roll (joey) (acbf00f6.ipt.aol.com - 172.191.0.246) on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 10:41 am: Edit

Good luck! One of the inconceivable consequences of the federal peace corps agency being run by political appointees is that there is little or no institutional memory or preserved public record. The information you are seeking should be available through the National Archives, but I bet those records were routinely destroyed. The federal peace corps does not even have a complete list of all the training groups who have served.
If they did, the month of arrival of the first group to go to Korea, as well as information about its training, its mission, its membership, reports on work done, correspondence between peace corps and korean agencies as well as correspondence from volunteers to all, would be carefully preserved, cataloged and available. Sad to say, the public record of the peace corps consists of recruiting posters with all the reality airbrushed out.