Norma Kunkel, a local man’s AFS story.
The American Field Service Ambulance Corp began with 15 American students in France during World War I. These young men, connected with the American Hospital outside of Paris, decided to drive ambulances and assist with transporting casualties from the battlefield to hospitals. Their numbers quickly grew and by the end of WWI, there were over 200 drivers. Following the war, the drivers founded the AFS Fellowship for French Universities, Inc. There wish was that more U.S. citizens might have the opportunity of learning about France. When France was threatened again, the AFS Ambulance Corp re-emerged and remained active throughout the various arenas of World War II.
One WWII veteran of the AFS Ambulance Corp is Norman C. Kunkel. Norman was born September 17, 1918 in Wessington, South Dakota. His family moved to Yakima, Washington when Norman was young. Here, he grew up and attend high school. During the early years of the war, Norman attended the University of Washington where in the summer of 1943, Norman was recruited by the AFS Ambulance Corp. Norman left Washington State behind and headed to New York for training before being sent to the India/Burma front to serve the British in their campaign against the Japanese.
Norman spent his first year as an AFS driver serving in the harshest conditions in the India/Burma jungles and then in the mountainous areas carrying soldiers from the battlefields to dressing stations and later to hospitals. Once during his time here, Norman and his comrades were surrounded by the Japanese. From his foxhole, he wrote in his dairy what he thought was his last letter to his family back home in the United States. Luckily, the British broke though the Japanese lines and his writing was able to continue.
After a year of numerous tropical illnesses, all of which Norman recovered from; he was switched from the war in Asia to the war in Europe.
Norman served the European front during his second year with the AFS Ambulance Corp in Italy, Germany and France. In May, 1945, he drove his ambulance into Paris amongst Parisians celebrating VE Day. Now, he thought, this will all be over soon; however, this was not the case. One week later, Norman was sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. Here he was to help evacuate women who were still living. He saw woman lying surrounded by heaps of dead bodies yet unburied. After the camp was torched to rid the area of filth and pestilence, Norman was able to rest and contemplate in Germany prior to his return home to Washington. This however was not enough to erase the horror he had seen.
In 1993, an act of Congress granted AFS Ambulance Corps drivers, who served at least two months with the U.S. forces, the status of veteran. Soon after, Norman began speaking out about the war and the Holocaust. Norman states, “I learned about the horrors of war and decided that I didn’t want another generation to have to mop up after wars ever again. I was pleased when AFS became AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. to facilitate student and teacher exchanges. This program has become a wonderful sharing of cultures which has expanded to include many countries around the world.”
Norman still lives in Seattle today. With his wife Georgie by his side, he is currently working to publish his memoirs of his time as an AFS Ambulance Corp driver.