Guy Hastings was born February 2, 1929, in Woodsville, NH, to Oliver and Irene Hastings and attended school in Claremont, NH. He enlisted in the Army in January, 1951. Daughter Shari noted that her father served in Korea and in the occupation force in Japan after WWII. Without having actual documentation, and seeing that Hastings served from 1951 to 1954, and with the Korean conflict ending July 27, 1953, and the occupation of Japan ending on April 29, 1952, it must be assumed that Hastings first served with the occupation forces in Japan, then moved on to Korea. However his tour went, he still found time to marry Frances Patton on December 6, 1952. They eventually had two children, daughter Shari and son Jeffrey.

When asked if her father had seen any combat in Korea, daughter Shari explained, “In 1952, my father was a platoon sergeant for the 279th Infantry Regiment Combat Team. His unit was supposed to relieve a unit of South Koreans along Heartbreak Ridge. His unit arrived at the rendezvous point only to find that the South Koreans they were supposed to be relieving were already gone, and might have been gone for some time. The North Koreans had taken over the area. From there, it was a fight to regain control of the position. My dad’s unit was successful.”

(Author’s Note: Heartbreak Ridge is a seven-mile-long stretch of land over three sharp peaks separated by steep valleys. It is just north of today’s demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel. Prior to the demilitarized zone being established, Heartbreak Ridge was a highly contested piece of property.)

In 2006, Hastings was looking through the medals he had received in his military career and found that he qualified for a Silver Star that he had never received. He wrote to Congressman Jeb Bradley and, in time, received his Silver Star for the action noted above along Heartbreak Ridge. Other medals received by Hastings include the following:

• Meritorious Service Medal
• Good Conduct Medal
• Presidential Unit Citation
• Army of Occupation Medal for Japan
• National Defense Service Medal
• Korean Service Medal and Bronze Attachment Triple*
• Armed Forces Reserve Medal and Hour Glass Device Bronze**
• Army Reserve Components Medal
• Achievement Medal / Oakleaf Cluster Bronze***
• Army Service Ribbon
• Combat Infantry Badge – First Award
• Marksman Badge and Pistol Bar

(*Author’s Note: The Korean Service Medal is a military award established by President Truman to recognize service in the Korean War. The Bronze Attachment is a device that signifies participation in combat operations during the Korean War. It is worn on the ribbon to denote the number of campaigns served, with one bronze star for each campaign.)  

(** Author’s Note: The Armed Forces Reserve Medal is a service medal awarded to members of the reserve components of the US Armed Forces for completing a total of 10 years of honorable service. The medal is accompanied by the hourglass device to indicate length of service; a bronze hourglass for 10 years, silver for 20 years, gold for 30 years and a bronze and gold hourglass for 40 years. The medal is awarded to both enlisted personnel and officers.)

(***Author’s Note: The Achievement Medal / Oakleaf Cluster Bronze is a military award device used to denote second and succeeding awards and decorations.)

He left active duty in January 1954 with an honorable discharge as a Sergeant First Class. He then went into the Army Reserves, 1st Battalion, 304th Regiment, 1st Brigade. He was promoted to First Sergeant in May 1962 and promoted to Sergeant Major in May 1967.

He was then promoted to Command Sergeant Major in August 1969. A Command Sergeant Major is the highest enlisted rank in the US Army and serves as the senior noncommissioned officer in a unit. Hastings was part of the first increment of Command Sergeants Major in the Army Reserves and the first Command Sergeant Major in New Hampshire.

In 1977, daughter Shari joined her dad in the same Reserve unit. The two served together for six years until his retirement.  She noted, “I grew up around these guys. I knew them all. It was just like being with family to serve with them.”

After Korea, when Hastings returned to civilian life, he moved to southern NH, where jobs were more plentiful, and, besides being in the Army Reserves, he went into the grocery store business in Manchester. He was the manager for Boy’s Market in Manchester’s north end from 1959 to 1981, and as the owner of the market, together with his wife, from 1982 to 1988. In his later years, he worked for the Kfoury family at Central Paper Products until his death at 83.

Guy Hastings was also a charter member of the Central NH Model T Club, and his favorite pastime was restoring and driving his 1919 Model T Depot Hack.

US Service Personnel Profiles
 By Gary Ledoux March 9, 2026