The Forgotten War

bruno

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2 weeks from today will mark the 60th Anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War. Sadly this war is largely unremembered by many Americans despite almost 40,000 KIA and some of the toughest and most storiedbattles in Army and Marine history including the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon,The Chosin Reservoir, Chipyong Ni, and Pork Chop Hill to name a few. Too few Americans know anything about the war other than perhaps the old TV show MASH, but the Americans who fought there deserve to be remembered and Saluted. A couple of classic books about the US in the Korean War include "This Kind of War" and " The Forgotten War". The Army learned a hard lesson in the early days of Korea about training and readiness- and the USMC cemented their place in the US Military with their performance in Korea.

So on July 27th remember and honor the old vets who have largely been forgotten for their service 60+ years ago.
 
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Both of my grandfathers fought in the Korean War (Army and AF) and most people nowadays have never even heard of it....
 
Both of my grandfathers fought in the Korean War (Army and AF) and most people nowadays have never even heard of it....

Tough fight! God Bless them. My uncle was there. He lost some toes to frostbite.
 
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My father served in Korea and outside of 2 humorous stories, never said a thing to my mom or the rest of us about his time there during his lifetime. He mostly wanted to forget it.

My FIL was much the same through the years, until my daughter started in ROTC. My MIL has been quite surprised by the stories he tells these (when my daughter has been home from college).

I'm told that this isn't atypical. The GIs of that era didn't have the success of the WW2 vets before them to balance out the hardships they endured. And most of all, they wanted to get back to the good times (relative to the depression and war shortage years preceeding) that were going on at home.

I sense that many Korea vets seeing what is going on there today and the threat that what was once "settled" seems shaky have had many a memory re-lived. Surprisingly, though, I think they are more determined to see that we support the South than the population at large.

I will probably be spending Saturday with my in-laws. This has been quite a year for them. Married 60 years, MIL just turned 80. Perhaps he will have a story or two to tell.
 
There are three gents in my lodge that are "old Marines." They call themselves the 20 toe gang.

Being a new member, I asked the obvious...

"Well Steve, you see...we grew up together, graduated high school together, joined the Marines together, went to Korea together and ended up at Chosin Reservoir. We were fortunate to get back alive. But between us, we left 10 toes there to harass the enemy!"

A fine group of gents!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
There are three gents in my lodge that are "old Marines." They call themselves the 20 toe gang.

Being a new member, I asked the obvious...

"Well Steve, you see...we grew up together, graduated high school together, joined the Marines together, went to Korea together and ended up at Chosin Reservoir. We were fortunate to get back alive. But between us, we left 10 toes there to harass the enemy!"

A fine group of gents!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

Chosin Reservoir was some fight. The cold weather gear in those days was pretty poor. Especially those rushed from Hawai, Guam and Japan. A lot good men lost there. And many toes.
 
After WW2 the US military downsized to the extreme degree. Literally no money was put into weapons or armament research and while the Asian continent was upgrading their militarizes we stayed stagnant.

At the outbreak of the war I read somewhere that only 1 in 4 soldiers had combat experiences from WW2. When the first division hit the ground (I believe it was the 24th infantry division) they were totally unprepared (logistically and tactically) for the fight ahead. There was one account where the WW2 bazookas just bounced off the North Korean tanks and their upgraded armor. I couldn't imagine the horror of the "green" troops knowing they could do nothing against this new technology.
 
I've always known about Korea, as it was a big deal in our family. My grandfather and his brother both served in 1st Ranger Co. (Airborne). His brother was killed, and my grandfather was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for his actions there.
 
My grandfather served as a cryptographer for the AF near Seoul.
 
In my neighborhood it's hard to forget about the Korean War. There is a gentleman who lives in an old country home that is now surrounded by suburbs. He has monuments around the house with the names of WWII and Korean battlefields on them. Chosin is among them. They are made of stone and can be easily seen from the street. He also has cords and cords of wood on the property and the the fireplace is always going, even in the dog days of summer. I've never seen or met the man but another neighbor has. He says he never feels warm since Chosin regardless of the heat outside. This is the guy who always comes to mind for me whenever i think of the Korean War. That and bitter cold. God Bless the guys who served there.
 
My family and I were in Washington on the day they dedicated the Korean War Memorial. After showing my children the names of my high school friends on the wall we walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. A ROK veteran took off his pin and gave it to my son. I hope he remembers the "Forgotten War". "The Bridges at Toko Ryi" was a movie that came close to explaining it.
 
Having some time in Korea recently at least my observation was that even younger Koreans have forgotten about the war or that areal threat exists.

If anyone recalls when the new Kim was threatening to go to war early this year, average Koreans seems to be unaware of the history and the threat.
 
A really good book that focuses on Naval Aviation in Korea is Such Men as These by David Sears. Jesse Browns story is pretty remarkable. He is featured at the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola
 
Thanks Bruno

My Dad was an aircraft mechanic during the Korean War. He in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he was recalled for the Korean War, what is now the Air Force. He had a son and a daughter and just had another baby girl. He taught all of us kids to do our part. To always work hard. It makes me appreciate and love him everyday, even though he gone now. And to appreciate those of you who have defended the freedom of our country, the United States of America.

Thanks to all of you,

God Bless and God Speed to you all,

RGK
 
Tibor Rubin. From the gates of A death camp to the Medal Of Honor. Look him up.
 
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