In early 2013, a new initiative called the Story of the Month was launched by the Stories of Service Program at the United States Navy Memorial. The Stories of Service Program is proud to recognize our Nation’s Veterans and preserve their stories for future generations. Each month, the program will select a Veteran’s interview which has been conducted, edited, and archived by the United States Navy Memorial, to be featured as the “Story of the Month.” The October published Story of the Month honored, celebrated, and recognized the service of United States Navy Veteran, Lieutenant Stanley Wolf.

The importance of archiving his interviews embodies the values of the Navy Memorial and its unwavering mission to preserve the heritage of the Sea Services for future generations to come.

The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the October 2023 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of Korean War Veteran, Lieutenant Stanley Wolf.

The following is the original article, first published in 2013.

“I enlisted in the Navy when I graduated from medical school in Georgetown in 1948. I had been deferred during World War II to go to medical school and at that time they were threatening all of us that had been deferred with the doctor draft … And I figured it was peace time and I would rather be in the Navy,” Dr. Stanley Wolf shared with a United States Navy Memorial Film Crew at a Veterans Conference. Dr. Wolf spoke as if his experiences had happenend yesterday. His early months working in the medical field had gone well, he recalled, “I was thinking on making the Navy a career so I shipped over...and all of a sudden I was in the Marines. They sent me up to Camp Pendleton, California and my basic training for combat was two weeks of calisthenics.” It was at this time when the Korean War broke out and Dr. Wolf’s medical experience would be called upon to treat soldiers in combat who were on the front lines.

Commenting on his experiences during the Korean War, Dr. Wolf took the film crew back to his first moments in Korea,  “We landed at Inchon and we arrived on the 20th. Our Regiment, the 7th, was the reserve.” Upon arriving he was part of an American Force aimed at halting the spread of Communism in the region. At first, North Korean and later Chinese troops would oppose the men he would work to keep alive. Dr. Wolf shared a life changing moment that he recalled with vivid memory, “We got into Seoul and all of a sudden I grew up. It was no longer fun and games and we went across the Han River in Seoul and it was like Dante's Inferno. The sky was lit up, the ambulance jeeps coming back with the wounded.”  From that moment on, Dr. Wolf would take part in a number of operations and amphibious landings. He would witness the events of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and work tirelessly to save American lives from Communist forces and harsh weather.

From the harsh weather conditions following the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Dr. Wolf also shared the moment in his service career that would lead to him receiving the Purple Heart. Dr. Wolf’s incredable service stories have been archived at the United States Navy Memorial for future generations to learn about the key moments in time that shaped our world.

The United States Navy Memorial honors Dr. Stanley Wolf, featured within a new series titled, Stories of Service, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial.