THE KOREAN WAR REMEMBERED….PLEASE READ ALL THE COLUMNS
Posted By Ruth King on June 26th, 2010
THE LEGACY OF AN UNIFNISHED WAR: RUTH KING
“That is the pitiful legacy of America’s first unfinished war, establishing a pattern which haunts the free world and our allies today. It was repeated in Vietnam, and in the first Gulf War and in all Israel’s wars since 1973, leaving thugs and despots in place. Wars are now fought until nations get tired of them.
In war, only the continued application of overwhelming force and total surrender will subdue and destroy enemies. That is how the Nazis were defeated and how Japanese imperialistic Shinto was dismantled.
How the present war against Islamic Jihad will end is anyone’s guess. It is not promising.”
Not the ‘Forgotten War’ Heather Forsgren Weaver
June 26, 2010
This week marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. I was not yet born when the Korean War was fought, but I have much admiration for the veterans of what some call the “forgotten war.†These veterans fought their fight and returned to little fanfare, unlike “the greatest generation.†Their war became almost a footnote to history.
I say “almost†because I, like many of my generation, first learned about warfare by watching the TV series “MASH,†about life at a U.S. Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. “MASH,†which covered a three-year military conflict, spanned 251 episodes and lasted 11 seasons. It is still in syndication and I have recently been able to relive my youth by watching various episodes.
Some of my favorite “MASH†episodes are about family, whether about the “military family†of the fictional 4077th MASH unit, the father-daughter relationship between Maj. Margaret Houlihan and her father, or the love Col. Sherman Potter has for his horse. All of these themes are timeless, and I am quite sure are being repeated in real life as our troops fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It was shortly after “MASH†ended that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was built and dedicated and I began learning about that conflict both at home and abroad. The veterans of the Korean War again seemed to fade into near obscurity as focus turned to giving the Vietnam Veterans proper respect for their service.
It would take until 1995 – 42 years after the conflict ended – for a memorial to the Korean War veterans and fallen to be built.
I remember visiting the memorial with my mother shortly after its dedication. We reminisced about watching “MASH†together and talked of the veterans we knew personally. We could name more veterans of that conflict than we could of Vietnam. To us, the Korean War was not forgotten.
To honor and remember Korean War veterans on this 60th anniversary, the American Forces Press Service has launched a
multi-media Web SPECIAL. It includes photographs from the era, videos and podcasts from each of the services and historical information about the conflict. I hope you enjoy it.
Heather Forsgren Weaver writes for the
American Forces Press Service, which has a blog called
Family Matters Blog.
June 24, 2010
The Forgotten War, Remembered
By KIE YOUNG-SHIM, RALPH HOCKLEY, ZHOU MING FU and BERNARD E. TRAINOR.
Sixty years ago today, units of the North Korean Army crossed the 38th Parallel, invading South Korea and starting the Korean War — which grew into a cold war clash between the United States and China. Although more than two million soldiers and civilians died over the next three years, including more than 54,000 Americans, the war is now an overlooked part of United States history. The Op-Ed editors asked four veterans for their memories of the conflict.
By KIE YOUNG-SHIM
Though complete victory eluded us, I am glad to have aided many South Koreans in their flight from Kim Il-sung.
By RALPH HOCKLEY
Duty meant doing what the moment called for, whether it was in your assignment or not.
By ZHOU MING FU
A captured U.S. soldier was just like us.
By BERNARD E. TRAINOR
A violation of a prime law of combat — avoid predictability
Comments are closed.
