Tag: Korean War

During a recent interview with Defense Secretary James Mattis conducted by a high school journalism student; Secretary Mattis recommended that people read a 2013 article in the Atlantic by James Wright that discusses what was learned from the Korean War.  The main point the article makes is that the Korean War began a trend of the US becoming involved in military conflicts before settling on political objectives:

Korea established a pattern that has been unfortunately followed in American wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These are wars without declaration and without the political consensus and the resolve to meet specific and changing goals. They are improvisational wars. They are dangerous.

The wars of the last 63 years, ranging from Korea to Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq (but excepting Operation Desert Storm, which is an outlier from this pattern) have been marked by:

• Inconsistent or unclear military goals with no congressional declaration of war.

• Early presumptions on the part of the civilian leadership and some top military officials that this would be an easy operation. An exaggerated view of American military strength, a dismissal of the ability of the opposing forces, and little recognition of the need for innovation.

• Military action that, except during the first year in Korea, largely lacked geographical objectives of seize and hold.

• Military action with restricted rules of engagement and political constraints on the use of a full arsenal of firepower.

• Military action against enemy forces that have sanctuaries which are largely off-limits.

• Military action that is rhetorically in defense of democracy–ignoring the reality of the undemocratic nature of regimes in Seoul, Saigon, Baghdad, and Kabul.

• With the exception of some of the South Korean and South Vietnamese military units, these have been wars with in-country allies that were not dependable.

• Military action that civilian leaders modulate, often clumsily, between domestic political reassurance and international muscle-flexing. Downplaying the scale of deployment and length of commitment for the domestic audience and threatening expansion of these for the international community.

• Wars fought by increasingly less representative sectors of American society, which further encourages most Americans to pay little attention to the details of these encounters.

• Military action that is costly in lives and treasure and yet does not enjoy the support that wars require in a democracy.  [The Atlantic]

You can read the rest at the link.

The evacuation of Hungnam during the Korean War is a well known event, but I will have to read up more about Colonel Edward Forney’s part in the evacuation when I have the time:

The descendants of U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Edward Forney who helped evacuate about 100-thousand Koreans during the Korean War visited South Korea on Thursday.

The First Marine Division announced on Friday that it invited Forney’s granddaughter Alice Krug and great-grandson Ben Forney to mark June, which is the Month of Patriots and Veterans.

The two guests viewed a road named after Forney inside the unit in Pohang on the southeastern coast and an exhibition hall honoring his achievements.

Forney is considered to be a war hero because he persuaded then Commanding General of the U.S. X Corps, Edward Almond, to evacuate roughly 100-thousand refugees during the Hungnam evacuation in December 1950 from North Korea to the South.

He stayed on for three years after the war to serve as a senior adviser for South Korea’s Marine Corps.  [KBS World Radio]

The U.S. has an enduring friendship with a democratic South Korea, forged by the sacrifices of those who served in the ‘Forgotten War.’ pic.twitter.com/qTiXrBcG2n

— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) June 27, 2017

This makes you wonder how many more US soldiers are still buried under the ground in South Korea waiting to be found?:

A U.S. soldier’s body is heading home 67 years after he went missing in action during the Korean War.

The U.S. accepted the remains of the 1st Cavalry Division soldier Thursday during a repatriation ceremony hosted by the South Korean military and United Nations Command at Yongsan Garrison. UN colors draped his casket, which stood alone on the ceremonial field.

The soldier is thought to have died in late July 1950 when U.S. forces, including elements of the 1st Cavalry Division, delayed the North Korean army’s advance along the peninsula and bought time for the U.N. to establish a line of defense around the southern city of Busan.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but the body was found this past March by a telecom worker installing cables under a road.  Hopefully the body is quickly identified and returned to surviving family members.

An exhibition on Turkish soldiers who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War opens at the War Memorial Hall in Seoul on June 2, 2017, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The event, jointly arranged by the hall and the Turkish Embassy, runs through Aug. 1. About 15,000 Turkish soldiers fought for South Korea against North Korea under the U.N. flag during the war. Of them, 765 were killed in action and 2,147 wounded. (Photo courtesy of War Memorial Hall) (Yonhap)

Korean War veterans from the British Commonwealth lay flowers during a ceremony at the War Memorial Hall in Seoul on the occasion of the anniversary of Anzac Day on April 25, 2017. Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Britain and 15 other nations fought for South Korea against invading North Korea under the U.N. flag during the 1950-53 war. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPBA) invited them. (Photo courtesy of MPBA) (Yonhap)

Jewish-American soldiers celebrate Passover in Korea, 1952.
Via: https://t.co/EQdf8T9Q5y pic.twitter.com/qhBP4BX6I9

— Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us) April 12, 2017

A true hero of the Korean War Colonel Dean Hess has been honored with a memorial in Jeju:

 South Korea has set up a monument to honor a late U.S. airman for his contributions during the 1950-53 Korean War, the military said Thursday.

The monument was unveiled in a ceremony at the Jeju Aerospace Museum on the country’s southern resort island of Jeju to remember Col. Dean E. Hess, called the “father of war orphans” and trainer of South Korean pilots during the war, the Air Force said in a statement.

The monument honoring Col. Dean E. Hess (Courtesy of the Air Force) (Yonhap)

In December 1950, Col. Hess helped evacuate about 1,000 war orphans from Seoul to the southern island using 15 C-54 transport aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force. He also helped build a local orphanage for the children who lost their parents, the Air Force said.

Some 200 government and military officials, war veteran pilots and former war orphans paid tribute to the late U.S. airman.

U.S. Forces Korea Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson and Larry Hess, the eldest son of the late U.S. pilot, also took part in the ceremony, it said.  [Yonhap]

Ms. Hannah Kim has actually been highly involved with Korean War veterans issues for many years and her latest project is to interview Korean War veterans around the world:

Hannah Kim, a former spokeswoman of former U.S. representative Charles Rangel, plans to meet with Korean War veterans worldwide to collect historical data.

The 33-year-old former spokesperson plans to visit 16 countries that sent troops to Korea during the Korean War, and another five countries that gave medical support. She will travel for four months, starting this month. She plans to make video and audio recordings of those who participated in the war so young people in Korea and abroad can learn from them.

Rangel, who is also a Korean War veteran, was one of the key congressmen that helped pass many resolutions and bills related to Korea, such as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance. Rangel retired from politics last month.

“I became interested in Korean War veterans after helping Congressman Charles Rangel’s schedules related to the Korean War,” Kim said. “I thought that our generation needs to keep records of the veterans across the world while they are still alive.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but interviewing Korean War veterans from other nations outside the US that participated in the conflict should be interesting for her.  I always find it interesting to learn more about the experiences of non-US troops during the war from putting together my ongoing Heroes of the Korean War series.

Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Rudy Hernandez has unfortunately passed away at the age of 82 last week:

Cpl. Rudy Hernandez cheated death on the battlefields of Korea 62 years ago. But the Medal of Honor recipient and Fayetteville resident couldn’t live forever. The 82-year-old Hernandez died early Saturday at Womack Army Medical Center, according to friends.  [Fayetteville Observer]

Here is a summary from the article of Corporal Hernandez’s actions that day during the Korean War that led to him being recognized with a Medal of Honor after originally being pronounced dead at the scene of his combat actions:

Cpl. Hernandez was awarded the Medal of Honor in April 1952 by President Harry S. Truman in a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden.

Following the award, Cpl. Hernandez became a counselor to wounded veterans of Korean and Vietnam wars, working for the Veterans Administration.

That work, as much as his actions in Korea, has become his lasting legacy, and in August, Fort Bragg’s Warrior Transition Battalion Complex was rededicated in his name.

It was just after 2 a.m. on May 31, 1951 when Cpl. Hernandez felt the warm trickle of blood from a shrapnel wound on his head.

Cpl. Hernandez and other soldiers of Company G, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team were holed up in foxholes near the Korean town of Wontong-mi, during a North Korean assault.

From their hole, Cpl. Hernandez and another soldier watched as the enemy approached and the night erupted in artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire.

As the rest of his platoon retreated after nearly exhausting their ammunition, Cpl. Hernandez and his foxhole mate held their position and kept firing.

When he finally did leave his position, it wasn’t for retreat. Instead, Cpl. Hernandez charged the enemy armed only with a grenade and a rifle with a fixed bayonet.

His bravery single-handedly stopped the enemy advance and spurred his fellow soldiers to a counterattack.

According to the Medal of Honor citation, “The indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding courage and tenacious devotion to duty clearly demonstrated by Corporal Hernandez reflect the highest credit on himself, the infantry, and the United States Army.”

The morning after the attack, Cpl. Hernandez was pronounced dead after being found lying among the bodies of six North Korean soldiers who had been bayoneted to death.

When a soldier saw a slight movement of Cpl. Hernandez’s hand, medics began frantically trying to save his life.

A month later, Cpl. Hernandez would wake up in a South Korean hospital.

Eight weeks later, he was sent to a hospital in San Francisco where doctors replaced part of his skull.

Cpl. Hernandez couldn’t talk for months following his injuries and had to relearn to walk. Part of his body remained paralyzed for the rest of his life.  [Fayetteville Observer]

You can read more at the link.