Keril Keiser - 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 SN Korean War Keril Keiser was born on September 11, 1931, and grew up in Glendora, California. He graduated from Citrus High School in 1950 and enlisted in the Navy, selecting to do his part in the war in Korea even as the last son to carry the family name. Keril rode a streetcar to Union Station, where he caught a train to San Diego. He entered boot camp at the Recruit Training Center in San Diego but caught a cold his first night, making the first few days hard. He graduated from boot camp and reported to his first command. SN Kaiser reported to the USS Alstede (AF-48) an Alstede-class stores ship acquired by the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. Her task was carrying stores, refrigerated items, and equipment to ships in the fleet and remote stations and staging areas. Keril referred to her as a refrigerator ship. SN Keril worked for Deck Department, Second Division, and was responsible for the ship's aft section and operations. The ship was forward deployed to the Korean AOR operating out of Wonsan Harbor. It loaded with stores and food, filling her refrigerators in Sasebo, Japan, and set back to sea at night and arrived in Wonsan at dawn. They loaded ships in the Korean waters via underway replenishment, transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while underway, ensuring a constant distance between the two ships as they moved forward. The USS Alstede replenished 3 to 5 ships a day and then steamed to a station to receive stores from ships from San Diego, keeping the cycle going. The ship and SN Kaiser repeated this cycle of operation for seven months and twice in two years. Keril remembers the battleships shooting right over their heads, realizing how close to the fight they were. He also drove landing craft in Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan, providing liberty ships for the crew. SN Keiser was ill at the end of his service, having caught Hepatitis and Yellow Jaundice. He spent three months in the Yokosuka hospital. He was well enough to return to the US on a hospital ship. He spent another three months as a patient at the Balboa Navy Hospital in San Diego. He was discharged from the hospital and received an honorable discharge. He rode the bus from San Diego back to Glendora. Keril used the GI Bill and attended Glendora College. He maintained gas station equipment. Doing everything from washing to welding. Keril learned welding at the Frank Wiggins Trade School in Los Angeles. Keril married his wife Sylvia, and they had four girls.
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Keril Keiser - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy SN Korean War Keril Keiser was born on September 11, 1931, and grew up in Glendora, California. He graduated from Citrus High School in 1950 and enlisted in the Navy, selecting to do his part in the war in Korea even as the last son to carry the family name. Keril rode a streetcar to Union Station, where he caught a train to San Diego. He entered boot camp at the Recruit Training Center in San Diego but caught a cold his first night, making the first few days hard. He graduated from boot camp and reported to his first command. SN Kaiser reported to the USS Alstede (AF-48) an Alstede-class stores ship acquired by the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. Her task was carrying stores, refrigerated items, and equipment to ships in the fleet and remote stations and staging areas. Keril referred to her as a refrigerator ship. SN Keril worked for Deck Department, Second Division, and was responsible for the ship's aft section and operations. The ship was forward deployed to the Korean AOR operating out of Wonsan Harbor. It loaded with stores and food, filling her refrigerators in Sasebo, Japan, and set back to sea at night and arrived in Wonsan at dawn. They loaded ships in the Korean waters via underway replenishment, transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while underway, ensuring a constant distance between the two ships as they moved forward. The USS Alstede replenished 3 to 5 ships a day and then steamed to a station to receive stores from ships from San Diego, keeping the cycle going. The ship and SN Kaiser repeated this cycle of operation for seven months and twice in two years. Keril remembers the battleships shooting right over their heads, realizing how close to the fight they were. He also drove landing craft in Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan, providing liberty ships for the crew. SN Keiser was ill at the end of his service, having caught Hepatitis and Yellow Jaundice. He spent three months in the Yokosuka hospital. He was well enough to return to the US on a hospital ship. He spent another three months as a patient at the Balboa Navy Hospital in San Diego. He was discharged from the hospital and received an honorable discharge. He rode the bus from San Diego back to Glendora. Keril used the GI Bill and attended Glendora College. He maintained gas station equipment. Doing everything from washing to welding. Keril learned welding at the Frank Wiggins Trade School in Los Angeles. Keril married his wife Sylvia, and they had four girls.