Freedom & American Dreams, Still Alive: Memoir Of an Immigrant Dreamer

The book has seven parts, in which I describe my childhood, my life in elementary schools in small rural towns, and my middle school days with my Japanese name in South Korea. As World War II ended, Koreans were freed from Japanese colonialism on August 15, 1945, and my own Korean name was restored, along with my new hopes for the future (Part I). However, the new hope was soon shattered by the cruel North Korean army invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950. My family survived in Seoul during the atrocious North Korean occupation of Seoul. Then fought in the front-line combat zone as a proud Republic of Korea Army medical officer against Chinese and North Korean invaders. With the kind help of friendly American medical officers in a nearby US mobile army surgical hospital (MASH), I came to the United States of America for my postgraduate education in medicine (Part 2). It was an incredible opportunity for me to come to the United States from a combat zone in Korea in August 1954. Since then, I have had my American name, William Y. Chey, in the new country, the United States of America. I wished to share my life experience in this great country. Having worked hard in several medical learning institutions, I achieved my goal, and my dream became a reality—an American dream. I have had a wonderful and proud family. I had the fortune of having excellent graduate training, receiving two advanced medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, a world-class university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My hard work paved my way to becoming a physician scientist and physician educator in higher learning institutions (Parts 3 and 4). I believe that the American dream is still very much alive and not dead today in this great country. The story I tell is not only for my family but also for many American people who believe in this great country. Not only my family but also all Americans should be proud of America and should also cherish real American traditions and values (Parts 3 and 4). The door was open for my further advancement in a reputable university's exceptionally good medical community in Rochester, New York, where I would organize and establish a successful academic digestive disease program that included training not only for clinicians but also for physician scientists in gastroenterology who combine both clinical work and meaningful medical research. In the latter program, many postgraduate trainees came to our research laboratories from all over the world (Part 5). Part 6 describes my gratification for being a clinician-healer and physician scientist and for having my happy family and lifetime friends. I believe my original American dreams are realized; I have a good and wonderful family and a successful career as a physician healer and educator, a physician scientist, and a mentor for those physicians and scientists who came to our institutions in Rochester, New York. In my last chapter (Part 7), after telling of my retirement from the university, I share with you my life of joy and honor as a physician healer, again in a medical practice setting—a rare and delightful opportunity for a retired professor. Also I describe my proud family—my American dream. I would like to thank Mrs. Ok-Hee Nam, my dear sister and a recognized artist and painter, for an abstract creation of my image for the front cover of the book; Ms. Bethany Wilson, BS and Ms. Crystal M. Rothfuss, B.S., for their help in the preparation of the manuscript. This book is dedicated to our parents, Chey Kee-Bok and Lee Meung- Gwon; my wife, Fan; our children, Bill, Donna, Richard, and Laura; Late Dr. Harry Shay, my mentor and guardian; Dr. Alvin L. Urelese, my longtime friend and mentor; and my late dear friend William Konar. Without them, I would not have realized my American dream.