In honor of Veteran's Day - our Someone 2 Know is a man who fought in the Korean War in the 1950's - and survived an especially brutal conflict. 

A longtime Reno resident, he went on to become a successful businessman, an advocate for unknown soldiers, a tireless volunteer and even served as the Nevada State Treasurer.

Veteran Ken Santor takes us back in time...

"...To a little peninsula known as Korea. The year was 1950 and I was a 19-year-old machine-gunner Marine."

Santor shares a photo of his younger self sitting in a crater, in the middle of two other Marines in Seoul, South Korea. He would soon find himself in the northeastern Chosin Reservoir, where more than 7,000 suffered from frostbite in the negative 36-degree winter.

"Our C-rations were frozen solid. You could go into your can, open it up, chip out a bean, put it in your mouth and maybe in ten minutes it would melt to were you could chew it."

Santor says moral was low and so were supplies when U.S. cargo planes finally made an appearance. "...and down came these parachutes with pallets of Tootsie Rolls, no ammo just Tootsie Rolls."

Yes, the chocolatey chewy candy. Santor said it all started as a misunderstanding...

"We radioed for 60-millimeter mortars - ran out of ammo - so their code name was Tootsie Roll."

...That ended up saving lives.

"Thank God for that sugar content, okay. Not only did it help the Marines, after you dissolved it in your mouth it became soft, you could plug bullet holes in radiators and gas cans."

To this day, the Marine Corps and Tootsie Roll Industries share a special relationship.

Santor says he will never forget those who did not survive the gruesome battles of Korea more than 70 years ago. Every year, at The National Cemetery of The Pacific In Hawaii, Santor, along with fellow Marines and their families make sure honor is paid to the Unknown Veterans of the Korean War.

"We send flowers every Memorial Day and they put flags on all their graves - 825."

Santor has been doing it for decades.

In the late 1980's Ken served a term as Nevada State Treasurer - and he admits he wasn't popular. "They didn’t like me because I wasn’t political. No political B.S. involved with it."

For nine years Santor volunteered as head coordinator at the Reno branch of Toys for Tots, collecting and giving away more than 850,000 toys.

"Just to see the expression on the kids' faces."

Santor says next he's publishing a memoir of sorts. "The title of my book will be called The Tootsie Roll Marines"

###

That book should be available just in time for Santor's 92nd birthday – January 2023.

There is so much more to know about Mr. Santor - including his multiple Purple Hearts, Reno's Marine Corps League and his work with the Veterans Cemetery in Fernley. So, we'll let you know when it becomes available!