Alfred Lonza Moye was born on September 17, 1931 in Farmville, North Carolina. When he was four months old his parents moved to Greene County. His father was a farmer and his mother took care of the family at home. He was sent to Maury Elementary and Maury High School. He graduated in 1952. The Korean War was in full swing. After checking with the draft board he decided to enlist and went to Fort Jackson on July 22, 1952 where he received basic training. He was housed in the Sand Hill Barracks.
In December 1952 he left Fort Jackson and went to Camp Stoneman, California. There he boarded the U.S.S. General A. E. Anderson. This is the same ship that rescued prisoners of war returned to The United States after being freed from Japan. The ship stopped for four hours before sailing on to Japan. During the voyaged, he became seasick and missed 21 meals. He left Camp Stoneman weighing 212 pounds and weighed 185 pounds upon reaching Japan.
After listening to many rumors about where he would be stationed, he was finally ordered to the armory to get military issued rifles and prepare to ship out. Three days later he landed in Korea. He then prepared to board a train where he received two clips on ammunition. At this point, he began to question why he had enlisted.
Upon departing the train he was informed he would spend the night in the area. He and his unit spent the night in a cave sleeping on warm sand. The next day he was taken by truck into North Korea to the 378th Combat Engineer Battalion. He slept in a tent with one other soldier. The weather was bitter cold and harsh. He was soon assigned to Company A (Able). This became his home for the next 16 months.
After returning to America, he was assigned to a replacement company at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he stayed until his enlistment was completed. After returning home to Greene County, he enrolled at East Carolina College. During the summer of his first year, he met Glenda Gray Cash. She quickly had him “hooked”. After dating for a few years and upon completing his college education he married his sweetheart on March 1, 1959.
He worked with Associate Investment Corporation in Newport News, Virginia until President Kennedy was killed. At that time, he returned to Eastern North Carolina. He began working for the Department of Human Resources at Caswell Center. After many dedicated years of service, he retired in 1993.
A few years later, he and Glenda returned to his “old home place” in Greene County. They enjoyed a simple life in Maury until Glenda’s death in 2008. After her death he moved back to Kinston to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He continues to live in Kinston and enjoys spending time with his family. He is a dedicated East Carolina fan and a member of Bethel Free Will Baptist Church.
