Korean War - 63rd anniversary

[Smithy]

Today (25th June) marks the start of the Korean War with the invasion of the South by the North Korean forces.

Yes, it's slightly after WWII but just thought I'd post a little heads up as this war is largely overlooked and stands in the shadows of WWII and Vietnam. It was a particularly savage and brutal conflict which had a few firsts, first wide scale use of the helicopter in a major conflict and the first war which saw jet versus jet combat over MiG Alley.

 

[1930artdeco]

And in some ways it was disliked more than Viet Nam. Bob was always proud of his time in Korea but I think he had more feelings for WWII.

Mike

 

[Smithy]

And in some ways it was disliked more than Viet Nam. Bob was always proud of his time in Korea but I think he had more feelings for WWII.

Mike

Sorry Mike and excuse my ignorance but who is Bob? A relative?

I was just reading an article the other day where a USAF Sabre pilot and a US Army infantryman who were both veterans of WWII said that the fighting in the Korean War was far "nastier" than what they experienced in WWII.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Would it surprise you to know the Korean conflict was not over? There was a cease fire agreement signed in July 1953 but there was no official closure.

There is also some question as to whether it was a war. Truman preferred the name "police action".

I suspect the "Bob" was Bob Hope, a 20th century comedian who was famous for traveling to war zones and entertaining the troops in every conflict from WW2 to the Persian Gulf, a total of 57 USO tours in 50 years.

 

[Aristaeus]

Would it surprise you to know the Korean conflict was not over? There was a cease fire agreement signed in July 1953 but there was no official closure.

There is also some question as to whether it was a war. Truman preferred the name "police action".

I suspect the "Bob" was Bob Hope, a 20th century comedian who was famous for traveling to war zones and entertaining the troops in every conflict from WW2 to the Persian Gulf, a total of 57 USO tours in 50 years.

Regardless of what Truman preferred to call it, it was a war. A war that is still being fought today, except it has moved to different fronts.

 

[Aristaeus]

[video=youtube;NRbNLbAvzKs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRbNLbAvzKs[/video]

 

[Story]

Task Force Smith
http://www.nj.gov/military/korea/factsheets/tfsmith.html

 

[Smithy]

[video=youtube;NRbNLbAvzKs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRbNLbAvzKs[/video]

Many thanks for posting that Aristaeus, that was brilliant :eusa_clap

 

[1930artdeco]

Sorry Smithy, Bob was a close family friend who served in the Marauders in Burma and then got his commission and was an Lt. in Korea. And between the two wars he said Korea was much nastier.

Mike

 

[Aristaeus]

Your welcome, this is one of my favorite T.V. shows.

 

[Smithy]

Sorry Smithy, Bob was a close family friend who served in the Marauders in Burma and then got his commission and was an Lt. in Korea. And between the two wars he said Korea was much nastier.

Mike

Thanks Mike.

I'm no expert on Korea but have recently been researching a few RAF pilots (my main area of interest) who flew on exchange with the USAF during the conflict and it's really opened my eyes about this.

What has surprised me the more I have read is the number of WWII veterans who fought in Korea who considered the fighting in Korea much harder and far more savage than what they experienced in WWII.

It's certainly made me think about the Korean War in a different light.

 

[jskeen]

I can say this, having been stationed in South Korea myself back in the late 80's. The Korean people do NOT consider the war to be over. They are still living with the day to day impact of what happened and is still going on there as a result. Families are still torn apart by the DMZ, relatives still wonder what happened to those separated, and they do not consider themselves a separate nation, but a people violently torn apart by fighting not of their own making. The History of the Korean peninsula has been pretty much that way for the last thousand years, but that doesn't lessen the impact on those living there today.

There are a lot of conflicting views, a lot of bitterness and a lot of pain associated with that war (and believe me, it qualifies as nothing less), but it does stand as one of the last times that America truly stood as a protector and champion of freedom against a clear and undisputed force of evil in the world. The people of South Korea for the most part still remember and value the sacrifices that Americans made in their behalf. Despite press stories of student demonstrations and the consistent media tendency to portray America as the bad guy, I traveled extensively by train and bus, met many college students, and never had anyone display the least hostility to my obvious (red haired, fair skinned, and Texas accented) presence. To the contrary, I usually had to turn down free drinks and meals simply due to lack of time and opportunity to accept them.

One must remember that the true enemy in the Korean Conflict was not really the Korean people, but the communist Chinese. The North Korean army was and remains a conscript force, recruited by an illegitimate government that they do not support, which is maintained in power by a foreign Gerontocracy, for the sole purpose of acting as an irritant to America and a source of discord and resistance to freedom on the world stage. The walls and fences along the DMZ were built by the Chinese for the North Korean government for the purpose of keeping their own population in, not for keeping the rest of the world out.

 

[Smithy]

Thanks for that jskeen, nice to hear from someone who has spent some time there.

And thought some of you might like this link - some incredible colour photos of Allied aircraft in the Korean War:

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?195594-Allied-Aircraft-in-Korea