- Name: Mike Shipka
- Location of Birth: Carson Lake, Minnesota
- Date of Birth: September 9, 1928
- Date of Death:
- Parents: Trivo and Martha Shipka
- High School and Class:
- College:
- Highest Rank: SSG (Staff Sergeant)
- Branch: Army
- Other Branch:
- Date Sworn In: January 26, 1951
- Place Sworn In: Grand Rapids, Minnesota
- Date of Discharge: October 27, 1952
- Place of Discharge: Camp McCoy, Wisconsin
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Units and Locations:
Start Date End Date Unit(s) and Location(s) Served 1st Cavalry - 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, King Company 2nd Platoon - Military Awards:
Combat Infantryman Badge
Korean Service Medal with 2 Bronze Campaign Stars
United Nations Service Medal
Army of Occupation (Japan)
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal - Military Highlights:
Mike Shipka, Pengilly, Minnesota was drafted into the Army/US Infantry on January 26, 1951. He boarded the Greyhound Bus in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and reported to Fort Riley Military Base in Kansas for Basic Training. At this time, he was called home on an emergency furlough due to the death of his father.
After Basic Training, he was sent to Japan where servicemen were equipped with the necessary supplies needed for combat. From Japan, he was sent directly to the "front lines" of the Korean War. Mike was wounded in October, 1951, in Chorwon, Korea. After recovery, he was sent back to combat. He later was assigned the task of training officers with the Army's Officer Training Program in Japan. Again, he was called home on an emergency furlough due to the hospitalization of his mother.
While at Fort Snelling, when returning back to Japan, he learned his enlistment was over. He was discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin as a Staff Sergeant in October, 1952.
Mike still has the .30-caliber M1 rifle that he purchased many years ago--the same as the one he carried In Korea. - Wars Involved:
Korean Conflict - MIA / POW:
- Civilian Life:
- Tribal Affiliation(s):