Alfred Lee - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

Korean War

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during the Korean War

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question. Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2024 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
US Navy QM3 Korean War Alfred Lee was born on June 26, 1932, and grew up in Long Beach, California. He graduated from Saint Anthony's High School and enlisted in the US Navy after completing one year of college. Many of his friends were joining the service due to the Korean War, and Alfred joined the nation in supporting its needs. Alfred arrived at boot camp with some classmates in San Diego on 29 April 1952. After graduating from boot camp, SN Lee reported as a student at the Navy Quartermaster (QM) A school and was in training from August to December of 1952. Here, Seaman Lee learned the basics of visual communication with flashing lights, sending the dots and dashes of Morse code from one building to another, representing ships at sea. They also learned some semaphores using flags for ship navigation and celestial navigation. QMSN Lee reported to his first combatant sea command, the USS Colahan DD-658. The Colahan was a Fletcher-class destroyer named after Charles E. Colahan with a crew of 300 Sailors and officers. It was homeported at the Naval Station in San Diego, CA. Alfred was assigned to work on the bridge, performing visual communication and keeping the ship's log, which functioned like a diary of all the ship's events. On 1 November 1952, the ship and QMSN Lee sailed from San Diego to conduct shore bombardment of Korean targets and screen carrier movements. They also served on the Taiwan Patrol and trained in antisubmarine patrol duties off Okinawa, Japan. The ship returned to San Diego for a quick refit in March 1952 and was put back to sea on 1 November 1952. It returned to the waters off Korea to perform again for the 7th Fleet until 1 June 1953. QM3 Alfred Lee continued to serve on board, preparing the ship for another deployment. His four-year enlistment was completed, and Alfred decided to receive his honorable discharge, having served his days at sea, including 11 months and 18 days underway on war deployments. QM3 Alfred Lee was honorably discharged on 27 January 1954 and transferred to the fleet reserve. Alfred earned the National Defense Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Korean Service Medal. Upon his discharge, Alfred returned to school, attending the University of Los Angeles on the GI Bill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. Alfred Lee was married to Sharon Jaffee and shared three children.
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Alfred Lee - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy QM3 Korean War Alfred Lee was born on June 26, 1932, and grew up in Long Beach, California. He graduated from Saint Anthony's High School and enlisted in the US Navy after completing one year of college. Many of his friends were joining the service due to the Korean War, and Alfred joined the nation in supporting its needs. Alfred arrived at boot camp with some classmates in San Diego on 29 April 1952. After graduating from boot camp, SN Lee reported as a student at the Navy Quartermaster (QM) A school and was in training from August to December of 1952. Here, Seaman Lee learned the basics of visual communication with flashing lights, sending the dots and dashes of Morse code from one building to another, representing ships at sea. They also learned some semaphores using flags for ship navigation and celestial navigation. QMSN Lee reported to his first combatant sea command, the USS Colahan DD-658. The Colahan was a Fletcher-class destroyer named after Charles E. Colahan with a crew of 300 Sailors and officers. It was homeported at the Naval Station in San Diego, CA. Alfred was assigned to work on the bridge, performing visual communication and keeping the ship's log, which functioned like a diary of all the ship's events. On 1 November 1952, the ship and QMSN Lee sailed from San Diego to conduct shore bombardment of Korean targets and screen carrier movements. They also served on the Taiwan Patrol and trained in antisubmarine patrol duties off Okinawa, Japan. The ship returned to San Diego for a quick refit in March 1952 and was put back to sea on 1 November 1952. It returned to the waters off Korea to perform again for the 7th Fleet until 1 June 1953. QM3 Alfred Lee continued to serve on board, preparing the ship for another deployment. His four-year enlistment was completed, and Alfred decided to receive his honorable discharge, having served his days at sea, including 11 months and 18 days underway on war deployments. QM3 Alfred Lee was honorably discharged on 27 January 1954 and transferred to the fleet reserve. Alfred earned the National Defense Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Korean Service Medal. Upon his discharge, Alfred returned to school, attending the University of Los Angeles on the GI Bill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. Alfred Lee was married to Sharon Jaffee and shared three children.