The movie star, who died 55 years ago at age 35, was then at her glamorous best. She performed with USO shows in Seoul, South Korea, for U.S. soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors. It was in 1954, just as the war ended with a cease fire.
I was with a group of Navy guys who were at Daegu Air Force Base in Seoul when we heard Marilyn was scheduled to entertain there that night. We convinced the pilot and crew to find something wrong with our R4D Navy transport, so we could delay the return flight to our base in Tokyo Bay for 24 hours.
It was a great evening for all the yearning, homesick GIs who were dazzled by the movie star’s sexy performance. We Navy guys managed to get seats near the stage, and I imagined the glamorous movie star, only a few feet away, was performing just for me. The sight and sounds of blonde Marilyn singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” created memories I still cherish today.
