South Korea was worth saving; it finally came around to democracy and is a beacon of peace and freedom.
1
The Korean War is very hard to teach. The greatest victory, tactically (Inchon) was a strategic catastrophe. The greatest feat of arms was a retreat under fire (the withdrawal after Chinese forces entered). Our side remained a dictatorship for what, 20 years?
1
That was not the Korean war but our intervention into the Korean civil war, as was Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq 2. Yes it would have been bloody but over with. All were interventions into other countries civil wars. It amazing that the American people do not call these wars interventions. We had our bloody civil war. Why must we interfere in other countries civil wars?
1
Thank you, sir for honoring these desrving men. I find it quite sad that the South Korean government shows infinitely more gratitude than our own nation does. It's somewhat understandable that the society that sees the stark contrast of what their lives would be like had the US and our allies not fought on their behalf but it is inexcusable. I would love to see more articles like this instead of the constant hyperventilating about day to day politics.
During the Korea war, my father’s family fled the communist advances to the South of the Nakdong-gang perimeter. My mother’s father had to hide to escape a gruesome fate by the kangaroo court set up by the occupying communists simply to massacre the 'reactionary' capitalists and landowners. They would never have imagined what South Korea would become now thanks to the international community and the US. And I have finished my national service in the UN Command in Seoul, being able to witness the role and reality of the post-war alliance first hand.
That said, I sometimes wonder why it is called the 'forgotten war' when the price the US paid was so grave and consequential for decades to come. My guess is that even though the war was not won outright, the US presence on the peninsula has been so silently robust and successful for the stability and prosperity for the region that people have not had to pay attention (except the military and the diplomats, of course) and appreciate its import.
But therein lies the problem in the hands of ill-informed politicians: President Trump’s disregard for the ROK-US joint military readiness (from his love with Kim Jong Un), and the pro-North stance by the current South Korean government (dominated by pro-North ideologues) is rattling many in Korea, even though you may not hear about it too much.
The steadfast ROK-US alliance and readiness has done great things for the region: peace and trustworthy for the US. I hope it continues.
3
War is war, big or small, its a dirty ugly business. Korea was such a conflict. In essence we fought against the Chinese who had overwhelming numbers. Their Communist ideal under written by the Soviets chose to confront the South and our forces there. We had few troops to throw into a conflict and our President chose to immaculate our Army by removing McArthur at a critical time. We still had overwhelming weaponary compared to both Nations but we had shrunk our abilities at the end of WWII such that our forces were at best weak. Our troops fought valiantly and were pushed to waters edge and almost annialated.
We must remember that as once again there are moves on many fronts attempting to push out freedoms.
To my fellow Korean conflict veterans thank you! We did what we had to and perhaps that which is manifesting itself thee now will make the sacrifices worthwhile. The Land of the Morning Calm deserves the Peace tha has been hard won.
My dad was just a little kid in Seoul when he and his family had to carry whatever they could on their backs to flee from the Communist tanks. He survived eating frogs and whatever he could gather. Now look at South Korea, a vibrant country that embraced democracy. God bless America.
The Korean War is THE forgotten American war? Really? Ask most Americans what they know about the Barbary War of 1801-1805, the British War of 1812-1815, the Mexican War of 1846-1848, the Spanish War of 1898, the Philippine War of 1899-1902 and the ten years of Moro War that followed, the Banana Wars of 1898-1934, and most of the Indian Wars, of the 18th and 19th centuries.
I'd bet that, owing to MASH, a lot of folks know more about the Korean War than they do about American participation in the Great War of 1914-1918.
8
@Bejay
Nobody's alive that fought in a single one of those wars you mentioned. For most of them, neither are any grandchildren or other relatives that would have a tangible memory of being in the presence of their ancestor.
Apples and oranges, really.
5
the US aid to South Korea have been a great resource for Seoul to achieve what it is now. I appreciate it.
we can go further, if the United States helps us to settle a sustainable peace, not precarious or tentative, without a fear of war, with North Korea. I strongly believe that the Korean peninsula must never be a ground for proxy war between China and the US. to prevent it could be effective, and responsible way of honoring your veterans' sacrifice.
65
"They’re unassuming, uncomplaining men who answered the call"
These individuals are a part of the "Silent Generation". Kept their heads down, served their country when in need, worked hard, and didn't complain. The best of the best.
As and aside. The Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. is one of the best to depict the American soldier. Large statues of a platoon on patrol. Go there in the evening, or better yet during or right after a snow, they seem to come to life.
97
@cherrylog754 I agree. The Korean War Memorial is the most haunting and thought provoking site in DC.
3
Australia has its memorial to the Korean War in its central avenue of remembrance here in Canberra: Anzac Parade.
"A monument commemorates the 17000 Australians who served under United Nations command in the Korean War. The design characterises the period of the Korean War.
The use of white and grey tones in the memorial, and granite and gravel, recall the harsh climate and terrain in Korea - lasting impressions of those who fought there. A central walkway leads to a semi-enclosed contemplative space.
A boulder from a Korean battlefield is a commemorative focal point and a word in Korean script represents `Peace and Independence`. A scroll recognises the 21 countries that committed combat or medical units to the United Nations Command."
With photos here
http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/korea/display/90160-australian-national-korean-war-memorial/photo/1
One of those nations with troops there was Turkey, where Australian and Turkish soldiers fought side by side. They had previously fought against each other only some 35 years previously in World War 1.
We should never forget the fact that, when America entered the Korean War, the South Korean forces were barely hanging on to a small piece of land on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula. When viewed from that perspective, a strong argument could be made that the result of American participation in the War was far better than a stalemate.
1
I graduated from Francis C. Hammond High School in Alexandria, VA, named for a Navy corpsman who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1953 after he was killed while saving the lives of several marines. Entering the school every day, we would pass an exhibit of memorabilia for him in the front hall, so we never forgot the Korean War and the sacrifices it demanded from so many young Americans. This may be one of the reasons I chose to become an Army medic when I was drafted in 1970; it’s always better to save lives if possible, than to take them.
2
"Although more than 320,000 Americans served in the Korean War — and more than 33,000 were killed in action"
More than 1 in 10 were killed? There is something wrong with that count.
2
@Mark Thomason
The 7th Infantry Division, at the Chosin Reservoir, had 40% casualties.
1
Thank you for shining light on the brave young men who had to endure the Korean winter to fight back Communism. My grandfather was an interpreter for a US General, so I've heard a few stories, but I know so little of the history. On Desperate Ground is the perfect combination of historical non-fiction, journalistic writing and damn-good story-telling.
1
The hero of my first published novel suffered from medically-induced flashbacks to the bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps, the retreat of NATO forces from the Chosin Reservoir.
That was not its Korean name. “Chosin” came from the Japanese maps the Marines used during their initial invasion and subsequent retreat. To the Koreans, it was the Battle of Jhangjin Lake. It lasted 17 days.
It was a pyrrhic victory for Mao Zedong. The numbers are staggering. Chairman Mao’s 9th Army officially suffered 48,156 casualties, almost a third of its strength. The Marines lost 4,385 men during the withdrawal to the port of Hamhung. Fourteen Marines won the Medal of Honor.
The absence of 12 out of 30 Chinese divisions after the retreat let the UN forces establish a permanent foothold in Korea. That was, to the Marines, a victory, not a defeat, and not a draw. Semper Fi.
3
I recently read, "On Desperate Ground." I would give it a thumbs-up!
3
I suggest you research Tibor Rubin who survived both a concentration camp and a North Korean POW camp. He also defended a bill, alone, against a platoon of Chinese soldiers. He was the greatest action hero ever, but forgotten because he was in Korea and Jewish. He came back and worked in a liquor store for many years.
3
thanks for sharing
To say this was not technically a war is foolishness.
Over thirty thousand Americans gave their lives and those who survived, suffered terribly. General MacArthur was given hero status for the Inchon landing but he mismanaged the war and had to be replaced.
South Korea is a rich little nation. Let them pay for the protection we give and open their markets to our products.
Man, this is getting tougher by the day. You're nearing 90 years of age hoping to spend the last few years in relative peace and what happens: you're dealing with a current, explosive and divisive government and country. Then Maureen Dowd reminds us of all the real threats to democracy emanating from early 2000 with the Iraq war and its villains being led by the VP. You skip over Vietnam because nearly all Americans finally agree that was a terrible war and as a result a terrible treatment of our veterans on their return. And we stop at the Korean war because it was "technically" not a war yet 33,000 Americans lost their lives in that war.
So how do we get back to some sanity?
The first step came from the women and their movement. With one or two more elections we could have 40% women in the Senate and 40% in the House.
The second step: Are you listening millennials? Your great grand parents were part of that greatest generation that won
World War II. Why not dedicate your efforts to your great grandparents and right the ship of state in this country and do it in the next few years so one can enjoy a little peace before passing on.
3
@Tom osterman . A few years from now the casualty figures from the Iraq/Syria/Afghanistan will match Vietnam and Korea without the majority of americans noticing. Another 'forgotten' war(s). The person in the oval office should strane his attention span and learn a little history with the help of Audiobooks.
Thank you for remembering the Korean War this Armistice Day. My late brother fought at the Chosin Reservoir with the Marines and was one of the Chosin Few (he passed away many years later). I am currently reading Mr. Sides book “On Desperate Ground” and highly recommend it.
2
A magnificent piece about magnificent men!
4
My husband, a man of few words, anyway, spoke even less about his time in Korea as a member of the Underwater Demolition Team, the precursor to the Navy Seals. It was a dangerous job, no matter how much he tried to convince me otherwise.
The only memory he recounted to me was about the time the divers had to destroy North Korea's large fishing nets.
"Those fish could have fed so many children," he said.
End of story, except for that single memory of his made me even prouder to have been married to him, despite our 18-year age difference, because it told me he understood something about the world and wars: Both sides get hurt in a conflict, and no one ever really "wins."
He was my hero.
73
Thank you for sharing with us Jack Chapman’s extraordinary courage. Please let him know how moved we are by his bravery and sacrifice. And how grateful.
8
I am a Korean-American and I will always remain grateful to the brave men and women who served in the Korean War. I visit Korea on a regular basis and I can honestly say that no one over there on that peninsula forgot about your sacrifices. And as a former Marine, I will always be grateful to the veterans of the Marine Corps for all the sacrifices they have made on this peninsula. Semper Fi.
73
Thank you for this piece. My grandfather earned a Purple Heart fighting in this forgotten war and was never the same. It wasn’t until his funeral that I got to see all the amazing photos he took during his time there. Never forget.
62
Forgotten? Hardly. One of my father's best friends, Bob Dlouhy, had served in the Marine Corp at the end of WW II. Winding down that war took so long he wasn't home until 1946. A few months short of his inactive reserve obligation, in 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea. This man, still alive and living in Ellensburg, WA, was called up to active duty in the Marine's 1st Division. He told me recently he remembered the terrain between Pusan and the 38th Parallel as well as much of the terrain in his home State, Washington.
Forgotten? In early April, 1969, my dad, and his friends, including Bob, took me to a long lunch before my departure for war in Vietnam. None of them were happy with that war, but their love and support for me was, and remains, invaluable. All of them, but Bob, are gone now. My father, 102 years old, a WW II Navy veteran of war in the Pacific died today, Veteran's Day, 2018. I called Bob to tell him of my father's death. Eerily I'm approaching 70 years of age and find myself commiserating with Bob about forgotten war. Few understand the ground war in Vietnam like veterans of the ground war in Korea.
Funny, isn't it, a 70 year old man thinking of a 92 year old man as "old" and he of me as "young." But Bob is one of my remaining anchors and making Korea a remembered war is as easy as recalling my own, which I've done every day since I came home in June, 1970.
115
@John F McBride-I've always appreciated your posts and feel very moved that you would write today after losing your dad. Thank you for sharing Bob with us and other "anchors" like your dad who showed up and did so much for this country. The quality of their character stands out that they would show up for you--before you left for Nam and afterwards. Amazing courageous people, every one.
41
@John F McBride Thank you for sharing this post and reminding us all the exceptional character and devotion to duty of our veterans, past and present. Their sacrifices have made this Country the greatest on Earth. My condolences for the loss of your father.
10
@John F McBride Thank you and your father for your service. My old fishing buddy, Pete once told me about the cold and frozen boots he experienced in Korea. Then he would retreat and start talking about Korean food. He could hide his war experience but we all knew.
11
Members of my black African American family have fought in every American war since the Revolution. But white America and white Americans forgot that they were divinely naturally created equal with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness during their enslavement and separate and unequal sojourn " in the land of the free and the home of the brave". "Lift Every Voice and Sing " by James Weldon Johnson is the black national anthem.
8
In 1980, I was invited to be guest speaker at a dinner meeting of the Seattle Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, who surely must be ranked among our top heroes. One thing I learned, I will carry with me to my grave. After earning their wings as fighter pilots, they were sent by train from Tuskegee, AL, to New Jersey, from where they would embark for combat in Europe. On board the train, there were also German POWs. The Germans were permitted to eat in the dining car, but the Tuskegee Airmen were not! How shameful.
5
I grew up on the East Coast. In my post WWII world the neighbors were known, in part, by their ethnic heritage...Italian, German, Irish, English, Polish, Ukranian, Greek.....all European countries. and the students with darker skins were Black Americans ...original country of heritage unknown. I wonder if "geography" and personal experience contributes to the ease of overlooking the Korean War? If there had been Asian students in my classes...would I have ...would our history classes gotten far enough to mention the Korean War.
I edited a newspaper in those days, prior to getting called up by the Army. Republicans used the term "Korean War," Democrats "Korean Conflict."
1
Does America stand for anything other than warmongering and flag/soldier worship? Here is the thing: how non-free would we be if we never left the UK? I keep hearing the propaganda that freedom is not free...is the rest of the world in chains?
I am sick to death of the American Fascism...are you?
6
I am a retired Air Force colonel, as is my oldest daughter and her husband. My youngest son served 27 months in Iraq as a junior Army Officer. War should always be our last resort. We were lied into Vietnam and Iraq. Nobody hates war more than military service people. As General Sherman said, “War is Hell”. Sometimes, we have little choice.
12
I can't see why so many writers describe the Korean War as "forgotten". Everyone I know knows about it. I think it's just lazy journalism. It's easier than thinking about a war that was not fought in black and white, but all in shades of gray. The suffering and sacrifice of the troops never quite made up for the bungling, vainglory and willful blindness of their top commanders.
By the way, from what I read, there were regular army units to the east of Chosin Reservoir that had to fight like hell just to reach the relative "safety" of the Marines on the west side. But they weren't Marines, so they don't get mentioned, much less glorified.
1
As a US Army veteran myself, there’s a book about the Korean Conflict and events surrounding it: “Single Handed” written by Daniel M. Cohen (2016) and it brings a stark light that typifies this era: The Conservative Upbringing, The Condemned People, The Lost Family, The Survivor, The US Patriot, The National Hero—forgotten--on purpose. It’s all there.
The book follows Tibor Rubin, a Hungarian Jewish boy, who survived the odious killing of Jews in World War Two to find himself in America after the war with almost no understanding of English. All he wanted to do once he got to the USA, more than anything, was to fight for the country that saved him from certain death--but the US Army wouldn’t take him because he couldn’t pass the aptitude test. He wasn’t good enough at English. He finally made it in by doing something every good soldier knows how to do to get in: He cheated!
This story is so deep on so many levels you can’t help but be proud of him and his fellow soldiers, congressmen and friends ensuring he finally was awarded the Medal of Honor. Only thing is, he should have received it three times for his valor. What a great man. What a great person. His father, the conservative one with all the rules of life, would have been very proud of him! Of course his mother knew this in him all along, like mothers always do. But mother’s need to know this: There isn’t one soldier who doesn’t call out for his mother when he's dying on a hill someone needed to capture at all cost.
7
Thank you for this piece, Mr. Sides. I was a fighter pilot in the Korean War: 35th Fighter Bomber Squadron's "Black Panthers" at K-13, Suwon. Most of my friends from that experience are gone now. I never regretted volunteering in 1951 nor separating from active duty in 1955. I have three sons who have served, two in the Marines one in the Navy; three grandsons served or are serving, one in the Army two in the Marines. My only regret is that the VA has refused my claim for service connected disability emanating from Valley Fever contracted while in flight training in AZ.
5
@Howard Morton First: Thank you for your service. Second: Unfortunately, you and your war buddies were used as cannon fodder by the war profiteers of our military-industrial complex. Our current 17 year war - never declared as such by the US Congress - in Afghanistan demonstrates that that paradigm is still operative, and is still profitable.
2
Veterans being thanked for their service decades too late is not something people do for the veterans. They do it to try to forgive themselves. The Republicans want to cut veterans' benefits to pay for a big tax cut for the rich. We're deeply honored.
7
@Robert B.
The lost lower class lesser educated males and immigrants looking for a pathway to citizenship need to stop signing up with the employer of last resort in order to travel to foreign lands to kill people or to gain lifetime benefits from taxpayers held hostage. All those who signed on after the draft was eliminated in 1973 joined up for a job with a giant military employment agency wherein they went in as youth and came out 20 years later with a laundry list of benefits that even extend and are transferable to their offspring.
1
Those benefits are available to anyone who can pass a physical. Believe me, those benefits are earned!
3
Thanks for this. My dad, John Roddy, fought in both World War II and Korea as a Lieutenant Colonel, and won a Bronze and Silver star for his valor in combat. He never even told us which war they were awarded for, though. His generation didn't care much for the glory.
The only battle he ever described was in Korea, though, when his unit was almost overrun by Korean and Chinese troops. Dad was an artillery man, and that work kept the enemy at bay. This was during MacArthur's harebrained march to the Yalu River, where our air superiority was neutralized by the weather and terrain.
I recommend the Korean War statues on the National Mall. Shown are GI's slogging through bad weather, determined and uncomplaining, most of them draftees. War is hell. Let's try to avoid getting mixed up in more of them.
11
Moving article by a fine writer. Why hasn't Jack Chapman be given the Congressional Medal of Honor? Is it because he was captured, &--since long before Trump--we have always preferred those who weren't captured?
7
Bless Jack Chapman and the Korean War veterans; they fought a war that stands for all the values Americans are represent. All of our United States veterans, both male and female, deserve our thanks and appreciation for the freedom we have in daily life. I salute you Jack Chapman--a Vietnam War combat veteran myself. DaveL.
5
My Mom and Dad met in Daegu in 1951. He with the 934 Signal Battalion and she with the Red Cross. I own a WWII Jeep marked with his unit, just like the Jeep he used to court her.
5
I had two uncles who fought in Korea. One was a US Army sniper and he survived because when "Joe Chang" got close, uncle Nick could smell them.
The other flew a F 86 and got the Medal of Honor for what he did in Korea. His name was Vance Dougherty. I never knew him well at all. I knew his father John and Rosemary was my class mate in high school.
Rosie told me he never talked about what he did in Korea. Another uncle, Junior Lynch was in the Battle of the Bulge and in command of a 155 MM howitzer saw a German Panzer approaching and leaped on the back of it and using a 5 gallon "Jerry Can" set it on fire and dispatched the crew with his Thompson 45.
I served in the US Navy during the Vietnam era on a new ship, had my own air conditioned "state room". In the Navy, the worst sea duty is better than the worst shore duty. I drove to DC in my VW bug and went to see my "detailing officer" and told him I wanted to go to Vietnam. He told me he could do that right away if I signed up for another year. As an Ensign, I was making $222.32 a month. I later met a guy who went to Tanzania to avoid the draft and took a do nothing government job with very good pay and retirement.
Were any of these men heroes? IMHO the heroes are the ones with their names etched in some kind of memorial. I lived in S IN and on the south side of our county court house, all of those who had lost their lives in WWII had their names listed. Those are the real heroes.
6
My uncle came back from that war practically deaf after mortar fire killed practically everyone in his platoon except him and a few fellow soldiers. He died last year, in his nineties, completely deaf. Wasn't a war? My uncle was a Korean War Veteran, plain and simple.
5
I honor the bravery of the men that took on the Communist menace - Kim, Mao, and Stalin. The battles were ferocious and unrelenting. They fought and died in a war that became a static war beginning in 1951 similar to the First World War 1914-1918.
Today, I had the honor of meeting some of these brave men at the Veterans Day Ceremony. They are getting older and like the World War II generation are leaving a legacy that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!
RTHB, Jr.- 2 war veteran in Iraq- 1991 & 2004-2005.
4
My father served in the Korean War and was Airborne, 187th Rakkasan. He’s talked about his time as an army medic over the years but his stories aren’t the ones of death and destruction. They’re more like scenes from M*A*S*H:
How he’d use his knowledge of chemistry and access to laboratory supplies to run a still in a hidden corner of a MASH unit to supply his combat buddies with booze; or that time he furtively traded certain supplies with another unit for a side of choice beef reserved for officer VIPs that he then smuggled back to fellow enlisted men in the back of an ambulance; or the time on leave he got drunk and robbed by preying locals, going AWOL because he woke up with no trousers, no money, and no way to get back to his unit in time; or the ingenious little fixes he’d create on the fly when supply lines were disrupted for the more mundane but highly irritating maladies of war like the persistent skin diseases of combat life in foreign lands.
He did something like 60 jumps with over 30 in combat, so I’m sure he has incredibly grim stories he’s never shared. But I don’t need to hear those because the stories he does share are the ones that really fascinate me: how Dad, and humanity in general, manages to confront, cope, hustle, and ultimately survive, sometimes brilliantly, the brutal daily grind of war.
5
My Dad missed action in WWII. He felt it was his duty to serve his country so he went to Korea without hesitation even though he had two small children and a wife at home. He was a pilot and flew Mustang P51s for 21 missions before being shot down over N. Korea as he was flying low to see if a fellow pilot who'd bailed out was alright and to provide him some cover until he could reach safety. My Dad's plane was hit and caught fire. His face, legs and arms were burned before he could eject from his plane. He parachuted safely to ground and immediately began firing at the North Korean troops coming at him but his service pistol jammed. He believed that was what saved his life because his intent was to keep firing and he was certain they would have killed him if he had done so. He could not see because of the burns to his face and he was shot in the leg to stop him from running. He spent two and a half years in a North Korean prison camp run by the Red Chinese. He did not tell his family anything about his experience there except certain stories he could tell with humor or grace. When he came home he made some presentations to Rotary and other groups but learned that most people just did not care to know anything about Korea so he stopped giving talks. Dad suffered terribly but never got any help with what he went through. Thank you, Dad, for all that you gave to your country and family. I'm writing this in Memory of my Dad, George Lacy Coyle Jr.
11
What do you mean by it was not technically a war?
1
@J Park According to the US Constitution, only Congress can declare war, and the last time Congress issued a declaration of war was following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, by the Japanese, in December 1941. So every American war since the Second World War has been “unofficial”, not officially a war. But bloody and expensive nevertheless.
@J Park
Same as the Vietnam Conflict was not technically a war. Same as nearly all the 200+ U.S. military "missions" since 1953.
The Korean War was termed a “Police Action”, as I recall. I was 13 when it began in June 1950.
Those guys did good. Look at South Korea today, it is a vibrant country with an industrious economy, and for the most part has been a loyal US ally.
5
My father served stateside in World War II. A reservist, he was called up again and went to Korea.
He had a dozen funny stories (he refused promotion to PFC, he stood at attention for The Star Spangled Banner but put himself “at ease” for a UN anthem, even though he got chewed out for it.). He and his fellow soldiers spent spare time at a nearby orphanage helping the nuns when they needed repairs.
Once in awhile, when I was older, he would talk about the loneliness of sentry duty in the bitter cold. First finances and later I’ll health prevented him from ever returning to Asia, even when the Korean government invited veterans for the 25th anniversary of the ceasefire.
A lifelong conservative, I can just imagine what he would say to the current administration’s questioning continued US deployment to South Korea (“Are you people out of your -expletive deleted- minds?”)
He was happy when the monument was put up on the National Mall. My parents and I visited it on a Twilight bus tour of DC. “That’s what it was like” my Dad said.
He passed away 12 years ago, at 78.
4
It was a war to Koreans, a cold war between larger countries having little to do with Koreans themselves. This war, despite your subheading, took my grandfather's life and millions more.
2
Great piece. Thanks.
3
Booyah.
@jalexander
Back in the days of the Korean War the cry was "Gung Ho," but either will do and "Semper Fi" is forever.
The vets " are rightly proud of their accomplishments there. They stopped a naked act of Communist aggression and opposed three malevolent dictators — Stalin, Mao and Kim — while helping South Korea take wing as a democracy."
This rightwing spin needs to be challenged. We intervened in a civil war on the side of our installed dictator Rhee, invaded North Korea and essentially destroyed it. That's the source of the present crisis.
2
Government all over the world honors and glories those who served it or died for it. From an ethical point of view, we shouldn't. When we examine the list of the worst human-caused exterminations, we find government. It is the worst weapon of mass destruction of people ever devised by man.
Without government, how many could the rulers have exterminated? It is a crucial part of the explanation of the worst evils in history -- the partisan of government is, therefore, a partisan of evil. Should we be surprised that the perpetrator of Yemeni's ongoing holocaust, Mohammed bin Salman, is a government official?
We must honor its victims and never glorify those who served it, including those who served it based on ignorance.
Never glorify evil! Never!
3
@Philippe M. E. The problem with government is that the alternative is anarchy, which is worse. And even in the idyllic Garden of Eden (if you believe that story/myth) it did not take long, and Cain killed his brother Abel.
Iv'e heard again and again;
WWI, the forgotten war.
Korea, the forgotten war.
Vietnam,the forgotten war.
Afghanistan, the forgotten war.
None of them are forgotten.
5
@Chris Morris . As an unknown marine scrawled on a building in Iraq, The marines are at war, america is at the mall. A 20% war/sales tax would get the public's attention. Start at the top.
Why do we continue to glorify war and perpetuate this horrible plague on humanity?
3
@Reader “Remembering” and “glorifying” are two different things. We can (and should) remember the Black Plague, but we don’t glorify it.
1
A rose by any other name is a rose. Of course it was a war. Any fool can see that. Are you kidding? And by the way we lost. Part of a long list of subsequent wars we have lost.
1
@Yuri Pelham Yes, we lost those wars, but the American military-industrial complex profited anyway!
2
Whether you play Left, Right or straightaway Center, believe what you believe, keep to the high road, and every now and then…just remember to hug a vet.
2
Since the Korean War technically wasn't a war, presumably there shouldn't be either a need for a peace treaty to end it or objection to such a treaty.
@DMH
No one says it wasn't a war. The US led the UN forces, which were authorized by the Security Council--as the Soviets boycotted the session rather than vetoing.
1
@DMH If you really believe that Korea was not a war I have a lovely bridge I would like you to invest in. I was in the Navy and was in a Naval Hospital in Norfolk to have ,of all things, a hernia repaired. There were many marines there and every one of them had that 1000 yard stare. They were known as the Chosen Frozen.
It is of course important to honor those who have fought in our wars and those who have lost their lives doing so. I have found it tragically sad though that we have no special day or remembrance for civilians of those wars whose lives have been destroyed, have often lost everything including whole families and been left to live in ruin. When I read of the staggering number of innocent people who are injured and killed in war, including today in Yemen, it reminds me of the proverb "When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers." Never more true than today.
3
My Dad fought in both World War II and Korea. In World War II he was in a flash and sound battalion and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In Korea he commanded a Northern Virginia National Guard heavy artillery battery. My Dad passed away in 1968 in the flu epidemic. A couple of years ago my family had dinner with a Korean War veteran who had served in a light artillery battery. He said the Chinese didn’t bother them much but went after the heavies. My Dad received a Bronze Star in Korea for his performance under Chinese artillery fire. During the war my Mom was visited by some soldiers from his battery who said he was a great commanding officer.
My Mom said that my Dad came back a changed man from Korea. He talked more about World War II than Korea and had many humorous stories from that war. He did bring back amazing color slides from his time in Korea but didn’t talk about the war itself.
As for the designation “police action”, my Dad said, “Sure seemed like a war to me!”
8
@Michael Paluszek
I stand corrected! The UN called it a police action--indeed!
1
As a Korean Vet in the 7th Infantry Division, I thank you for this incredibly moving tribute. Although I served during so-called peace time in the 60s, I can tell you the threat from NK was still foremost on our minds, as it should be now. All these "Old War Vets" deserve all the honor we as a Nation can bestow upon them.
7
No. Technically it wasn't a war but the combat there was savage and brutal with massive casualties on both sides with the entire peninsula in ruins.
7
Many commenters here have missed a central point of the op-ed: Yes, war is evil, but some wars must be fought to prevent a greater evil. All one needs to do is look north of the 38th parallel to understand this. And that is why we honor those who serve in these causes. The people of South Korea understand this, that is why they show undying reverence to the people who fought for them.
9
I do not agree, shelbym.
All wars are started to make someone richer and more powerful and it's seldom those who die for it.
5
@njglea So when an aggressor starts a war which is admittedly for wealth/power, what do you suggest the target do?
1
My heart cries for all the men, women and children who lost loved ones or had their lives forever negatively altered because they were taught to kill others in these man-made wars.
Wars that only benefit the 0.01% in their demented quest for supposed power. They get richer and even more power to destroy the lives of 99.9% of us.
Let's stop glamorizing war and military and - most importantly - honor people who want to AVOID WAR through diplomacy and reason. They are the true heroes for 99.9% of us.
9
@njglea
You seem to miss the central point of Honoring those who fought in both WWII and Korea. Yes they were man-made wars, and, as you write in a reply to the @Shelbym comment, are (usually, I say, not always,) "started to make someone richer and more powerful."
But we are honoring those who Fought the people trying to become more powerful through War. If they had not sacrificed so much, in the case of WWII, all; and in the Korean War, the South Koreans; would be living in conditions at least as bad as exist in North Korea now.
I salute all those true Heroes. They truly saved us from a fate worse than death.
4
I remember the Korean War everyday when I see my 88 year old father and his missing eye and cheekbone and all the other ravages of cancer caused by the defoliants dropped on the soldiers by the United States military. Every day that he suffers brings the war home. War is war, there's no other way to look at it.
10
@Tim Moffatt - There were no defoliants used in Korea!
3
Sorry for your loss and thank you so much for this enlightening view of the Korean conflict....I will forever think of it in a different way.
5
This is excellent, and overdue. My (step) father was in Korea, and loves to tell me stories. He’s 89 years old, and retired in Florida. I soak in his recollections, and plan to keep them alive.
They truly ARE the forgotten Veterans. Let’s all strive to remember and thank them, while we can. Please.
9
This headline. Return Jonathan Meigs on my mother's side was battled in the Long Island Sound against the British, swamping over a dozen ships. My grandfather was gassed in the trenches with the French Foreign Legion. My dad was on the Burma Road. I really do not think that any one of these men or their family would look at what they did the way you in retrospect look at war and fighting battles. And growing up knowing many who survived the Second World War I certainly never heard one person evaluate it in the fashion of these words. I'm not sure why you do.
1
Every really cold day, when my eyes are tearing and my fingers are stinging, and I want to complain and curse winter, I think "Thank God I wasn't at Chosin." They're not forgotten, at least not by some of us.
7
My Dad son of Ukrainian immigrants volunteered , was a Marine sergeant won the silver star , bronze star and 2 Purple Hearts. He does not speak of his service and while proud spoke to his 3 sons of how not to go to War as the best lesson.
7
It's a pity. We have had so many wars, we can't keep track of them all and remember who to thank.
Maybe it's time for us to change.
4
There are many "forgotten" American wars. Our invasions and occupation of the Philippines and Haiti come to mind.
Then there was our invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965, Granada 81, Panama 89. I think there were something like 82 "military interventions" by US troops since WWII.
We don't call them wars but they felt like wars to the young men who fought them and the local people who suffered in them.
Maybe we don't call them wars because most of the casualties were suffered by the locals. Or maybe since Congress hasn't declared any war since 1941 we like to deceive ourselves into thinking that we weren't at war.
But we were, and we still are. The Libyan war is over, at least I think so. These days no one but the Pentagon seems to know where our troops are. But we are definitely at war in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, Niger and who nows where else.
No war should be forgotten. But neither should it be entered into lightly, on presidential whim or fancy. The constitution is clear on that point. Maybe congress needs to actually read the document.
And for any of these wars we should be able to tell the families of those who died why we asked their loved ones to sacrifice their lives. Not the usual platitudes about freedom and democracy, but real answers.
Our leaders, both Democrats and GOP have failed to do this. So on this Veterans Day let's commit ourselves to honoring the fallen by demanding those answers. We owe it to them and ourselves.
12
My dad was a Korean war vet, his brother fought in WWII, and their father -- a Sicilian immigrant, "an unaccompanied minor" who came to American alone at 13 -- returned to Europe for the first time as an adult to fight in WWI as an American soldier.
I have been thinking about these three men in my life all this Veterans day weekend, but especially my grandpa on Armistice day.
Added to the disgust and grief I feel over Trump's treatment of asylum seekers and immigrants like my grandfather, now is the absolute fury I feel that he sat in a Paris hotel room watching Fox news and tweeting conspiracy theories when he should have been at the cemetery honoring the fallen comrades of my grandfather. Grandpa was exposed to poison gas in that war. Like most veterans, he, my uncle, and my dad carried the experiences from three wars their whole lives.
I am so proud of my family members and so ashamed of my country's President right now.
26
I am writing this in memory of a colleague and friend George Adams, who served in Korea in graves registration, which branded memories of the war deeply into his consciousness.
George had a mordant sense of humor, a sharp mind, and a skeptical heart. Only in his old age did he go back to visit Korea and write moving and bitter poetry about his experiences. The war changed him irrevocably, and because of him I will never be able to forget this forgotten war either.
5
Fast rewind one century.
Korea was a Japanese colony under 50 years of brutal rule before Japan surrendered after WWII. Japan and Korea came under military occupation by Gen. MacArthur's American forces. Korea was divided into two at the 38th parallel arbitrarily to prevent the communist NK coming south. The war broke out when they did, with communist China fighting alongside Kim.
Communism died peacefully in China with the WTO and globalism, they are now more capitalist than we are or Europeans. There is no reason not to end the war, sign a peace treaty, and let the Koreans reunite as one soverign country - if they want to.
We dont own them!
5
@Chin Wu No reason, except for the hundreds of thousands of people in South Korea who will be summarily executed as dissidents if Kim Jong Un became their Supreme Leader.
1
@Chin Wu
China may now be capitalist, but it is as totalitarian as ever.
My platoon sergeant Wayne Weimer and my pal Dave Dillon both served in the Korean war. I served with them for years in the 24th Marines. Their service in Korea colored every decision made. I remember Wayne saying about every operation plan we worked on "That's not the way we did it at Inchon."
They are still around and tough as nails and I enjoy their company regularly. I have not forgotten about Korea.
4
My father served in Korea with the Air Force, maintaining flight line operations. He developed a strong affection for the young house boy--10 or 12 years old at the time--and at the child's mother's request, considered, with my mother, the possibility of adopting him and bring him home to be a big brother to my sister and me. Given all the complications, they decided against it. But for the rest of my father's life, right up until his death in 2008, he felt remorse, and he would occasionally wonder aloud, "Whatever happened to 'Charlie'? I hope he had a good life."
9
My father was drafted into the Korean War, and served in combat on an artillery crew. He would seldom talk about the war, but the one thing he made clear was that he resented the years of his life that were taken from him, and the risk of dying or being maimed, for a war that was fought just to prove a point between two superpowers, in defense of an absolutely corrupt South Korean government. If I had the temerity to thank him for his service, even on Veterans Day, he would have snorted with derision and reminded me that you cannot trust governments whose power depends on tossing civilians lives around like gaming pieces.
So let's continue to honor our veterans, with the capacity to separate their heroic sacrifices from the craven military policies that politicians use to obtain and hold onto power. I'd rather my dad were still alive today, but I don't regret that he died before Cadet Bonespurs was elected and used the high-stakes crisis with North Korea as a photo op and a little more support from his base.
18
No, not forgotten in my house. My dad enlisted in the Army and was in one of the first wave of soldiers in Korea in 1950. I'm not sure how long he was in country.
He was wounded, darn near died, and received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.
I wish I would have understood then what he went through, but it wasn't talked about much. I know he had nightmares for years after he came home. Who wouldn't?
He was a good husband and dad. Always a patriot but never a braggart.
16
The Korean government has not forget. Every year the consulates in the US participate in events honoring these Vets in July. Many receive an Ambassador of Freedom medal. As an honorary Consul here in Michigan, I receive calls from these men or their children whenever they hear of the medal. I get to speak with them. I am always humbled by this. My uncle served in Korea. He never spoke much of it. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1977-79. I will never forget. I honestly distrust the North and hope we don’t blunder.
12
My Dad took his GED, enlisted in the Air Force and served in Korea "police action". He received recognition from the South Korean govt and except among other veterans, did not feel that his service was fully appreciated back home. I wish he was alive to read your piece.
Thank you.
9
So, at one time the War in Vietnam, which has been tallied as losing the lives of 58,479 of our men and women, was not considered "even a war." What were the terms? Conflict comes to mind. I can only imagine there were many more euphemisms, all of them derogatory, as is the dwelling conceit that our people, whether conscripted or otherwise enlisted, are not due the respect that those caught up in the web of war are afforded is intolerable.
It is still the case that new immigrants who find themselves little respected in their new homeland enlist in military service for gainful employment and to establish…which no one should have to do…a loyalty and fealty totally inconsistent with our values for the past three centuries.
I have never forgotten Korea, not the hardships of a far northern climate nor facing an alien enemy who had no semblance of humanity left. This is even though I was too young to remember the daily sacrifices at the time. We soon became aware that this war was including a United Nations complement that we should never have disregarded.
It should be clear to all of us that the bodies of our veterans are still being disinterred whenever the need arises for some symbol of human decency to be demonstrated as belonging to the reprehensible dictatorship in North Korea. And in the interim their existences are denied by the godless heathens
themselves living lives of daily exhaustion.
I would be embarrassed if I cared that the writer has such a limited perspective.
3
For years New York State retirees who served during the Korea era tried to get service time included in their pensions (as their WW2 brothers received). The state never gave in an inch probably based on the concept that Korea was not a real war.
16
I read "In The Kingdom of Ice" a few months ago. It was one of the most engaging and informative books I've ever read. I will both read and give as Christmas gifts, "On Desperate Ground."
3
some historians have concluded that Harry Truman was a great President. i remember him for referring to the Korean War as a "police action" and for firing General McArthur because he did not wish to try and win a WAR with his hands tied behind his back.
i was a young boy at the time of this WAR and remember that Ted Williams served by flying fighter jets instead of staying at home and hitting homers during his prime years.
7
@john boeger
"i was a young boy at the time of this WAR and remember that Ted Williams served by flying fighter jets instead of staying at home and hitting homers during his prime years."
Not trying to stir something up, but in my church there was a Korean War veteran (officer) who had personal contact with Ted Williams during that war. His anecdote was that Ted Williams was giving advice to his fellow officers/pilots and that was to 'resign your commission, I wish I had resigned mine." Because he hadn't, he was flying fighters in Korea instead of hitting homers. The movie "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" addresses the issue of reserve officers/pilots getting called up. William Holden was the actor who played the reluctant warrior. Always admired Ted Williams and his skills at home plate as well as a fighter pilot in time of war.
10
@john boeger The U.S. had certain objectives in that WAR while MacArthur had his own and held secret conversations behind Truman's back with Japan about how he wanted to expand the conflict into a full-scale war with China. In short, MacArthur had become a loose canon and needed to go.
7
Truman was correct in firing General MacAruther. He led us into the trap of the Frozen Chosin Reservoir and then wanted to drop atomic bombs on China. He also declared our troops would be home by Christmas.
We did not have adequate winter clothing for the harsh winter weather in The Korean mountains where I saw it go down to 32 degrees below zero. We were wearing Chinese winter padded clothing under our military summer field clothing. This was clothing we took off of dead Chinese soldiers.
I still suffer from frost bite on my feet because of improper summer footwear we had for the winter. If I had not received wool socks and winter boots from home I probably would have lost my feet.
So tell me how great General MacAruther was.
13
First, Hampton Sides is an amazing author. I really enjoy his work. Second, there are many soldiers like Jack Chapman. I believe that Veterans Day is not a day to celebrate an individual war, the US, or some theory of American greatness. Veterans Day is a day to celebrate individuals who, like Jack Chapman, have unbelievable valor.
28
I am a 70-year-old Vietnam veteran. While I was in country, there were many Korean war veterans, who had remained in the Army and occupied senior NCO positions. When I was a kid in the early 1950s, I remember my dad grieving for a friend who had been killed in Korea. These experiences prompted me to learn more about the war later in life. It seems to me that the Korean War had to be one of the worst of all our wars. One day we would be advancing and winning, the next day, retreating and losing. But in the end, we at least achieved a stalemate and an armistice which allowed South Korea to become a modern, democratic ally. Unfortunately, we had no such success in Vietnam.
24
@wandmhunt The success in Viet Nam was leaving it.
We accomplished nothing, lost the flower of our youth,
and maimed a generation of men. Unfortunately,
we seem not to have learned from Nam. We're losing the lives of our youth in Afghanistan and Iraq and just for some large corporations.
We seem not to have learned anything from all our losing wars.
5
Forgotten: I don't think so. My father proudly served in Korea in the 1st Marine Division for over a year. He arrived after Chosin and he did not talk about it much. He did celebrate the Marine Corps birthday every year without fail. He's passed now and I proudly display his dog tags and think about his service often.
26
The Korean War was the last war we won (we went to war to achieve certain objectives, and they were achieved). It is a shining example of what winning a limited war looks like. We downplay it because we do not like limits on our wars; we like all-out, unlimited wars like World War II where the goals are easy to understand and sum up in simple slogans.
6
@sdavidc9
This is an extract from a George Washington University study of the conflict:
"Early on, UN forces, under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur, were successful in repulsing the North Korean attack. MacArthur's victory at Inchon in September 1950 allowed the UN forces to retake Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which the North Koreans had captured in June. Anxious to pursue the retreating North Koreans, MacArthur moved his troops across the 38th Parallel and ordered them to advance as far as the Chinese border. At the same time the UN passed a resolution changing the war aim from saving South Korea to unifying the peninsula and ridding it of the Communists. The decision to cross the 38th Parallel turned out to be pivotal. MacArthur's attack was not successful. Moreover, the Chinese Communists, at the request of Soviet premier Josef Stalin, sent troops to help the North Koreans. Stunned and outnumbered, the UN forces retreated back across the 38th Parallel. In the process Seoul once again fell to the North Koreans. At this point the war aim changed again. Now the goal became a negotiated settlement that would leave Korea divided. When MacArthur publicly disagreed with that objective and argued that war ought to be expanded into China, President Harry Truman relieved him of command in April 1951. "
Not quite the "victory" you seem to believe, was it?
5
We lost because the North Korean government has prevailed and has now nuclear weapons enough to start the total destruction of the world. We lost big time.
@sdavidc9
"The Korean War was the last war we won (we went to war to achieve certain objectives, and they were achieved). "
By that criteria, the first Iraq war was another war we won. Although I'm not a Republican and didn't vote for George H.W. Bush, he achieved victory by kicking Saddam out of Kuwait. Poppy Bush had that as his objective and it was achieved. There are those armchair warriors who thought we should have pressed on to Baghdad and "got" Saddam. They got their wish in W's folly. Poppy did the right thing, W didn't.
4
Forgotten? Hardly. My father was an Air Force officer who served in the Korean War. He didn’t talk about it, but his service in that war was a living, breathing thing in our household. I was proud that he had served.
18
The Korean war affected Japan then occupied in many ways. Foremost It breathed life into dilapidated industries. Keeping the South as a bulwark against the communist aggression eased Japan of some worry and burden (and allowed it to concentrate on economy). At the same time the democratic path set on it by the occupation army was abandoned by cracking down the leftist movements and reinstalling the purged right-wingers. And the US bases became permanent due to the paranoia of the Japan's establishment and interest of the US against the communism. So we do remember the Korean war; I as a war originated from a greed of Japan.
5
My dad served in the army immediately after WW2 and he completed his service before the Korean War began. He was stationed in Guam for his entire enlistment and spoke very little about his service but over the years we were able to piece together the hardship he endured. Veterans who like my father served during this ‘donut hole’ are truly the forgotten ones. The fact that he was denied VA benefits for years because of “no active combat” is just one of many injustices.
I believe that all persons who served in our military, regardless of era or length of service, should be honored for their outstanding contributions to the safety of our country. I thank all vets.
23
@Concetta Would you mind elaborating a bit more? It is hard to appreciate sacrifices that history has glossed over.
My grandfather is a Korean War Veteran. He doesn't talk much about his time in the war, though being a veteran is a big part of his identity. Every veterans day, we thank him for his service. My grandfather sacrifices for others without complaint. He drove my mother many times on the long drive between Connecticut and NYC when she was in college, and volunteered in a Jewish graveyard for many years. I am very proud of him, and thank the author for calling attention to this important, yet oft-overlooked, war.
32
Three out of our last five presidents were draft dodgers or used their influence for easy assignments and yet were elected president while at least two who served honorably and heroically were rejected.
I'd say the fact we have forgotten those whe served in Korea is not a reflection on what they did but on what kind of country we really are.
Here is to The Thin Red Line of Heroes who served in Korea and all those who have served everywhere.
50
@zb
You could have made it 4 out of the last 6. Interestingly though, All the Presidents, from Truman through Carter, were veterans.
So, at the least, you might want to modify your comment to "a reflection on...what kind of country we" have become.
We can and will change again. It is our job to make it be something better than we are now.
And I wholeheartedly join you in a salute to that "Thin Red Line of Heroes"!
3
@zb
From your wording, which seems to exclude the current President, you are mistaken about Pres Obama. The draft had been eliminated while he was still in his teens.
3
My father was a Korean War veteran who landed at Inchon with Louis B. Puller's 1st Marines as a wire team driver attached to headquarters.
He was with the Division at Chosin. Only recently, did my mother tell me that he had told her that he had been given the task to help gather the frozen corpses of fallen marines and soldiers for burial at (if my history serves me) Koto Ri.
My father could never be a the kind of father most people grew up with. We never got along. But I never lived through the experiences he had and I knew that, and never blamed him for our differences.
39
@Bruce Thank you for your post Bruce. Our experiences with our fathers are similar. My father was a prisoner of war during the last of WWII and went on later to serve in Korea. I could never understand him in my youth and often didn't get along, but now I have come to know him better because I understand the horrible losses and experiences the wars did to him.
6
I am from Korea, and am immensely grateful to Mr. Chapman, his fellow American veterans, my late father and the other soldiers who fought in this war. My family and I are here thanks to them. They are not forgotten.
46
My dad graduated from Notre Dame in 1954 and was drafted. I guess he was too late to fight in the Korean War. When I asked him about his service, he said he spent a lot of time playing basketball in Okinawa, and that he never saw any combat.
3
My father fought in WWII, the only war in modern U.S. history that was truly justified and had a positive outcome. Since then, the U.S. hasn't actually "won" a war. We're good at contriving them, starting them, but never really finishing them.
And no, I'm not going to thank the troops for their service.
17
@mrfreeze6
The Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, among others, were completely justified.
The rest of your post about not thanking those who have served is beneath contempt.
7
@mrfreeze6 Your comment is troubling me since I first read it several hours ago. Does your animosity toward those who elect to service in the military also extend to those that work in other public sector arenas such as education, public health, or first responders who will not achieve a lot of monetary gain in their chosen careers?
4
@mrfreeze6
Somehow, I think your father would disagree.
4
My father, who is 89 now, served in the army in Korea. When I mentioned this on a business trip to Seoul a few years ago, a Korean colleague, whose father also served in the war, asked me to be sure to express their gratitude to my father for his service. Such a response among the South Koreans is common in my experience.
75
My uncles fought in this war. They never spoke of it. Seems we go gloss over their achievements. I wish this article had links to good books about this war.
11
@Janice Badger Nelson
David Halberstam's "The Coldest Winter" is excellent.
1
@Janice Badger Nelson Read The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam. It's a riveting book.
1
@Janice Badger Nelson
“I wish this article had links to good books about this war.”
-The Frozen Hours: A Novel of the Korean War
-The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S.
Marines in Combat
-Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story
-The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War
-The Frozen Chosen: The 1st Marine Division and the
Battle of the Chosin Reservoir
-On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir,
the Korean War's Greatest Battle
On September 18, 1950 my father commanded F Company, the 7th Infantry Division's first Company to hit the beach at Inchon, then on to the Chosin Reservoir. 35 degrees below zero.
He never spoke of Korea, Chosin, Okinawa, or his Silver and Bronze Stars with Oak Leaf Cluster.
1