The 80-year-old Niles resident recalled Thursday how he and a couple of buddies attempted some 60 years ago to enlist in the military during the Korean War. A native of South Bend, Voss didn't make the cut.
"I flunked. I had a bad left eye," he said. "I went back a few months later but it was the same thing."
But it wasn't long after his second rejection that he received a draft notice in the mail. Induction quickly followed.
"All of a sudden, I had 20/20 vision," he said, smiling at the memory.
Shipped to Japan and, eventually, the 38th Parallel south of Pyonggang, Korea, the 20-year-old member of the 424th Field Artillery Battalion spent much of his time loading shells into howitzers. Two such weapons were situated at the rear of the unit and another two at the front, he said.
"When we were in the forward position, we were always getting shelled. ... I came within inches of being wounded. Someone right next to me got it," he said, adding the injured soldier survived but never returned to the unit.
Voss did spend some time in a hospital, however, after developing a 105-degree fever. With temperatures ranging from in excess of 100 degrees to 30 degrees below zero, heatstroke and pneumonia were hazards faced not only by U. S. forces and their allies but their North Korean and Chinese adversaries.
After 17 months, Voss returned stateside but it wasn't until recently that his medals joined him. His offspring -- Scott Nikodem and Darryl Voss -- and daughter-in-law Renee Voss, Darryl's wife, initiated the process by contacting the office of U. S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger.
"I never gave it a thought. I just said, 'I don't care if you try to get 'em," Ken Voss recalled telling his family.
A week ago, Voss stood front and center at American Legion Post 51 in Buchanan and was formally awarded a National Defense Medal, United Nations Service Medal and a Korean War Medal with bronze stars. Voss said the recognition "felt good" and was worth the surprise when he realized what was in store.
As for a return trip to Korea, he said that's not in his plans.
"I didn't leave anything over there," he said.
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