The Diplomat: UK’s Forgotten Korean War Role
By Bryan Kay
Over the years, it has often been viewed as a purely US conflict, fought thousands of miles away in a virtually unknown land – the name of which at its outset, 61 years ago, many in Britain said they'd never even heard.
But whether through ignorance, insufficient media coverage or post-World War II conflict fatigue, such assertions mask the truly multi-striped nature of the Korean War (1950-53), which pitted the US-backed South against the Chinese-supported North in what was essentially an international war of ideology and geopolitics fought under the United Nations flag.
And, outside the US commitment, no country committed more troops than the United Kingdom, whose armed forces contributed to some of the war's bloodiest and strategically key battles. A new book on some of the most brutal warfare involving British soldiers promises to shed some light on the UN counter invasion of North Korea in the second half of 1950, and some of the war’s murkiest episodes.
Scorched Earth, Black Snow: Britain and Australia in the Korean War, 1950, by the British journalist and historian Andrew Salmon, chronicles the efforts of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade and 41 Commando, Royal Marines -- the former including the first British troops to set foot on the Korean Peninsula.
‘British soldiers went into action at a week’s notice. Undermanned and underequipped, they lacked armour, artillery, transport and winter clothing. Yet in a barren, alien land, they undertook some of the war’s most critical missions: 27th Brigade won a South Korean Presidential Unit Citation; 41 Commando a US Presidential Unit Citation,’ a promotional release from the book's publisher states. ‘But beyond the glory, this would be one of the most apocalyptic wars of mankind’s bloodiest century.’
The first part of the book's title refers to the UN policy of laying waste North Korean villages, crops, and communications; the second to napalm strikes that turned white snow black.
‘1950 marked the only invasion the free world ever mounted against a communist state during the Cold War, when the United Nations counter-invaded North Korea. Veterans were in the eye of the storm at a pivotal moment in the 20th century: The moment China became a superpower as Mao unleashed his legions against the UN. That intervention resulted in the greatest reversal of fortune in modern military history,’ the release notes.
Indeed, it was a cause that took a heavy toll on British forces: More British lives were claimed in Korea than in Iraq, the Falklands and Afghanistan combined.
In an interview outlining some of the most intriguing material in the book, Salmon says he details evidence that the British government sought – unsuccessfully – to cover up one of the war's more infamous incidents: when Argylls, positioned on an elevation known as Hill 282, were strafed and napalmed by ‘friendly fire’ from US aircraft. Additionally, he says, the book sheds light on London's successful ‘whitewash’ of the dying words of the Argylls’ second-in-command, Maj. Kenneth Muir. The Englishman was awarded Britain's highest military award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross, for leading a charge against North Korean troops in the aftermath of the Hill 282 incident, an action which ultimately led to his death. ‘His citation did not report the full monty to avoid embarrassing the Americans,’ Salmon says.
The title of the book also addresses the man Salmon describes as Britain's most controversial figure in the war, the Scottish commando Andrew Condron, who defected to China at the war’s close.
The book is the latest of two volumes Salmon has written about the British involvement in the Korean affair. The first, To the Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea, 1951, records the role played by the Gloucestershire English regiment, which lost an entire battalion holding off Chinese soldiers at one of the Korean War's most pivotal moments.
Perhaps more than anyone in recent times, Salmon has been a tireless, almost breathless champion for the near forgotten men who fought – and gave their lives – for a cause they knew little about, but which had a profound impact on the shape of the world as it left the bloodshed of the 20th century behind.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Austintown event honors casualties of Korean War
Vincy.com: Austintown event honors casualties of Korean War
AUSTINTOWN
While cars rushed by on Mahoning Avenue, a group of about 70 took time to honor area men killed in the Korean War.
“Every year, about this time, we want to remember them,” said Zeno Foley, commander of the Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 137.
Saturday marked the 61st anniversary of the start of the war.
A laying of the roses, sponsored by Chapter 137, took place at the Korean War Memorial in Austintown Veterans Park on Sunday.
Veterans took turns calling the names of the 120 men from Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties whose lives were lost in the war. As each was called, a bell was rung and a rose placed on the memorial by a family member or other person.
“This was a terrible, terrible bloody war that lasted over three years,” Foley told the crowd. “Some battles were so fierce that over 700 were killed in one day.”
Between 35,000 and 37,000 American men were killed in combat, some as young as 17, he said.
“The war became known as the forgotten war,” Foley said. “Today, we are here to remember and honor all our veterans, especially those that made the supreme sacrifice for freedom.”
Their names should never be forgotten, he added.
“We also want to remember, thank and honor all the servicemen and women serving all over the world in this war against terrorism,” Foley said.
Sue Wilhelm and her daughter-in-law, Chriss Raschella, both of Austintown, attended the event for the first time.
“My father and brother were veterans, and I just thought I’d come and pay some respect,” Raschella said. “I think it’s important.”
Her brother, Jay Raschella, is a Vietnam veteran, and her father, Frank Raschella, was a World War II veteran.
Wilhelm has attended other laying-of-the-roses ceremonies. Her brother, Dave Lawless, served in the Air Force.
“I’ve been to the laying of the roses downtown several times,” Willhelm said. “I think it’s wonderful that they do that.”
Sandy Blair’s father, Richard Koker, a veteran of the Korean War, participated in the ceremony. He performed the invocation and benediction, as well as acting as sign-language interpreter.
“We drove in this weekend to honor him,” Blair said. “I think it’s terrific. We should have more of it.”
Her husband, Andy Blair, had never attended a laying of the roses, but was glad to be part of it. The couple is from Green, Ohio.
“I think everyone should honor the veterans of every war, and this is a great opportunity to do so,” he said.
AUSTINTOWN
While cars rushed by on Mahoning Avenue, a group of about 70 took time to honor area men killed in the Korean War.
“Every year, about this time, we want to remember them,” said Zeno Foley, commander of the Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 137.
Saturday marked the 61st anniversary of the start of the war.
A laying of the roses, sponsored by Chapter 137, took place at the Korean War Memorial in Austintown Veterans Park on Sunday.
Veterans took turns calling the names of the 120 men from Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties whose lives were lost in the war. As each was called, a bell was rung and a rose placed on the memorial by a family member or other person.
“This was a terrible, terrible bloody war that lasted over three years,” Foley told the crowd. “Some battles were so fierce that over 700 were killed in one day.”
Between 35,000 and 37,000 American men were killed in combat, some as young as 17, he said.
“The war became known as the forgotten war,” Foley said. “Today, we are here to remember and honor all our veterans, especially those that made the supreme sacrifice for freedom.”
Their names should never be forgotten, he added.
“We also want to remember, thank and honor all the servicemen and women serving all over the world in this war against terrorism,” Foley said.
Sue Wilhelm and her daughter-in-law, Chriss Raschella, both of Austintown, attended the event for the first time.
“My father and brother were veterans, and I just thought I’d come and pay some respect,” Raschella said. “I think it’s important.”
Her brother, Jay Raschella, is a Vietnam veteran, and her father, Frank Raschella, was a World War II veteran.
Wilhelm has attended other laying-of-the-roses ceremonies. Her brother, Dave Lawless, served in the Air Force.
“I’ve been to the laying of the roses downtown several times,” Willhelm said. “I think it’s wonderful that they do that.”
Sandy Blair’s father, Richard Koker, a veteran of the Korean War, participated in the ceremony. He performed the invocation and benediction, as well as acting as sign-language interpreter.
“We drove in this weekend to honor him,” Blair said. “I think it’s terrific. We should have more of it.”
Her husband, Andy Blair, had never attended a laying of the roses, but was glad to be part of it. The couple is from Green, Ohio.
“I think everyone should honor the veterans of every war, and this is a great opportunity to do so,” he said.
Monday, June 27, 2011
June 27, 1950 | Truman Orders U.S. Forces to Fight in Korean War
The New York Times: June 27, 1950 | Truman Orders U.S. Forces to Fight in Korean War
On June 27, 1950, President Harry S. Truman announced that he had ordered United States air and naval forces to fight with South Korea’s Army, two days after Communist North Korea invaded South Korea.
The invasion had prompted the Security Council of the United Nations to call for a ceasefire and for all combatants to return to their former positions on either side of the 38th parallel, which divides the two Koreas.
President Truman emphasized the action by the United States was taken as a member of the United Nations. He released a text statement that said, in part, the “attack upon Korea makes it plain beyond all doubt that Communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war.”
Mr. Truman also took steps beyond Korea to stem the march of Communism. He asked the Chinese Government on Formosa (now Taiwan) to cease all attacks against mainland China, and directed the Seventh Fleet to protect Formosa. He also ordered additional assistance to French forces fighting to keep Communist China out of Indochina.
The New York Times article from June 27, 1950 reported that, “the complexion of the Korean situation was changed overnight. Yesterday officials were inclined to see South Korea, with her small, poorly equipped forces, as good as lost.”
On July 8, 1950, President Truman appointed the 70-year old Gen. Douglas MacArthur to command the U.N. forces in Korea. On July 13, the New York Times reporter Richard J. H. Johnston filed a grim report from the battlefield on “the sober realization there that at best the United States troops face a long and costly campaign to drive the invaders from South Korea and that at worst we are facing a military disaster in which the American troops … can either be driven to the sea or bottled into rugged mountain passes and soggy rice fields for annihilation.”
However, in September 1950, U.N. forces successfully landed in the Western port city of Inchon, and recaptured the capital city of Seoul about two weeks later. But Chinese and Soviet Union forces came to the North’s aid, and the U.N. was pushed back into the South. Though the two sides pushed and pushed back, they ended up settling on a truce where the war began: at the 38th parallel. The Korean War finally ended on July 27, 1953.
There have been many smaller skirmishes between the two nations in the ensuing six decades. The most recent serious episode occurred in November 2010, when North Korea launched an artillery attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing four and provoking a retaliatory South Korea artillery attack. The island lies in disputed territory in the Yellow Sea, which had been the scene for conflicts in 1999, 2002 and March 2010, when a North Korean attack sank the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46.
On June 27, 1950, President Harry S. Truman announced that he had ordered United States air and naval forces to fight with South Korea’s Army, two days after Communist North Korea invaded South Korea.
The invasion had prompted the Security Council of the United Nations to call for a ceasefire and for all combatants to return to their former positions on either side of the 38th parallel, which divides the two Koreas.
President Truman emphasized the action by the United States was taken as a member of the United Nations. He released a text statement that said, in part, the “attack upon Korea makes it plain beyond all doubt that Communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war.”
Mr. Truman also took steps beyond Korea to stem the march of Communism. He asked the Chinese Government on Formosa (now Taiwan) to cease all attacks against mainland China, and directed the Seventh Fleet to protect Formosa. He also ordered additional assistance to French forces fighting to keep Communist China out of Indochina.
The New York Times article from June 27, 1950 reported that, “the complexion of the Korean situation was changed overnight. Yesterday officials were inclined to see South Korea, with her small, poorly equipped forces, as good as lost.”
On July 8, 1950, President Truman appointed the 70-year old Gen. Douglas MacArthur to command the U.N. forces in Korea. On July 13, the New York Times reporter Richard J. H. Johnston filed a grim report from the battlefield on “the sober realization there that at best the United States troops face a long and costly campaign to drive the invaders from South Korea and that at worst we are facing a military disaster in which the American troops … can either be driven to the sea or bottled into rugged mountain passes and soggy rice fields for annihilation.”
However, in September 1950, U.N. forces successfully landed in the Western port city of Inchon, and recaptured the capital city of Seoul about two weeks later. But Chinese and Soviet Union forces came to the North’s aid, and the U.N. was pushed back into the South. Though the two sides pushed and pushed back, they ended up settling on a truce where the war began: at the 38th parallel. The Korean War finally ended on July 27, 1953.
There have been many smaller skirmishes between the two nations in the ensuing six decades. The most recent serious episode occurred in November 2010, when North Korea launched an artillery attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing four and provoking a retaliatory South Korea artillery attack. The island lies in disputed territory in the Yellow Sea, which had been the scene for conflicts in 1999, 2002 and March 2010, when a North Korean attack sank the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Who Fought in the Korean War? Don’t Ask High School Seniors
(I wonder how many of them were smart enough to say that Korea fought in the Korean war?)
Bloomberg: Who Fought in the Korean War? Don’t Ask High School Seniors
U.S. students may know more about Lady Gaga than Abraham Lincoln.
Just 12 percent of 12th graders demonstrated proficiency in American history on a federal test, known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” according to data released today by the Education Department. Only one in five could name China as a combatant in the Korean War. Overall, seniors showed no improvement in their scores since 2006, the last time the test was given.
The results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress follow a call last week by Education Secretary Arne Duncan for more flexibility in carrying out the country’s education-testing law, which he says focuses on math and reading at the expense of other subjects.
“We as a nation must pay more attention to the teaching of U.S. history,” Diane Ravitch, a former assistant U.S. Education Secretary under George H.W. Bush, said in a statement released by the board overseeing the history test. “We should make sure that there is time for it in the school day.”
In a nationally representative sample of public and private schools, 7,000 fourth-graders, 11,800 eighth graders and 12,400 12th graders participated in the most recent test, which was administered last year.
Only 20 percent of fourth graders achieved scores that were considered proficient or better in history. Seventeen percent of eighth graders scored proficient or better.
David Driscoll, chair of the board that administers the test, noted some bright spots. Though only eighth graders improved scores in a statistically significant way since 2006, overall results increased since 1994. In fourth grade, historically lower-performing groups, including black and Hispanic students, made larger-than-average gains since 1994.
Achievement Gap
Closing this “achievement gap” has been a major focus of U.S. education policy, especially the No Child Left Behind Law, enacted by President George W. Bush in 2002.
“We are encouraged by the progress of our fourth and eighth graders, particularly by the gains being made by students who traditionally have been among the lowest performers,” Driscoll, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, said in a statement.
The rising results for fourth graders may have more to do with their improved reading skills than their history knowledge, said Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University. Fewer than half of students at that grade level have had more than two hours a week devoted to social studies, which may or may not mean history, she said.
When fourth graders could recognize Abraham Lincoln’s picture, only 9 percent could give two reasons why he was important, according to Ravitch.
Bloomberg: Who Fought in the Korean War? Don’t Ask High School Seniors
U.S. students may know more about Lady Gaga than Abraham Lincoln.
Just 12 percent of 12th graders demonstrated proficiency in American history on a federal test, known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” according to data released today by the Education Department. Only one in five could name China as a combatant in the Korean War. Overall, seniors showed no improvement in their scores since 2006, the last time the test was given.
The results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress follow a call last week by Education Secretary Arne Duncan for more flexibility in carrying out the country’s education-testing law, which he says focuses on math and reading at the expense of other subjects.
“We as a nation must pay more attention to the teaching of U.S. history,” Diane Ravitch, a former assistant U.S. Education Secretary under George H.W. Bush, said in a statement released by the board overseeing the history test. “We should make sure that there is time for it in the school day.”
In a nationally representative sample of public and private schools, 7,000 fourth-graders, 11,800 eighth graders and 12,400 12th graders participated in the most recent test, which was administered last year.
Only 20 percent of fourth graders achieved scores that were considered proficient or better in history. Seventeen percent of eighth graders scored proficient or better.
David Driscoll, chair of the board that administers the test, noted some bright spots. Though only eighth graders improved scores in a statistically significant way since 2006, overall results increased since 1994. In fourth grade, historically lower-performing groups, including black and Hispanic students, made larger-than-average gains since 1994.
Achievement Gap
Closing this “achievement gap” has been a major focus of U.S. education policy, especially the No Child Left Behind Law, enacted by President George W. Bush in 2002.
“We are encouraged by the progress of our fourth and eighth graders, particularly by the gains being made by students who traditionally have been among the lowest performers,” Driscoll, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, said in a statement.
The rising results for fourth graders may have more to do with their improved reading skills than their history knowledge, said Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University. Fewer than half of students at that grade level have had more than two hours a week devoted to social studies, which may or may not mean history, she said.
When fourth graders could recognize Abraham Lincoln’s picture, only 9 percent could give two reasons why he was important, according to Ravitch.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Korean Embassy honors Jewish war veterans
The Jerusaleum Post: Korean Embassy honors Jewish war veterans
The Korean Embassy in Israel on Thursday held a special ceremony to mark the 61st anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. In honor of soldiers who fought to help South Korea stop the communist invasion, a seemingly unlikely group was also recognized: Jewish Korean War veterans living in Israel.
According to an official statement released by the Embassy, some 4,000 Jewish soldiers fought alongside South Koreans and Allied Forces in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953. The Embassy has been awarding medals to Jewish soldiers since 2009. This year's ceremony was hosted by Korean Ambassador to Israel Ma Young-Sam at his home in Rishpon.
RELATED:
Jewish World War II veterans march in J'lem on VE Day
Grapevine: President to president
Asked why a ceremony marking the Korean War was being held in Israel, the Korean Ambassador explained in the statement: "One day, I noticed that among the 9837 tombstones in the Normandy cemetery, there were several tombstones with a 'Magen-David'. Since only 5 years separate the Normandy battle and the Korean War, it was only natural for me to assume that many Jewish soldiers would have joined the Allied Forces fighting in Korea under the UN flag.
"Therefore, I made up my mind to make all the necessary efforts to find and locate the Jewish veterans who participated in the holy mission of protecting my country."
Young-Sam's efforts were successful. With the help of The Jerusalem Post, Israel Radio and the Jewish War Veterans Association in Washington DC, the Embassy was able to locate several Jewish veterans living in Israel who fought in the Korean War, seven of whom were awarded in this year's ceremony. Medals for two veterans who passed away were granted to their families.
The Jerusalem Post's Greer Fay Cashman, who has covered the ceremony since it began in 2009, explained how the Korean Embassy's annual ceremony began and expanded.
"This was the third year the Embassy held the ceremony. When they first started, because the ambassador knew me personally, he came to me first with the idea to post information about it in newspaper. Two and a half years ago, he took me to lunch and told me the story. I got very excited about it. I wrote something in the paper about how he was looking for Jewish war veterans in Israel, and he got quite a lot of responses. And he continues to get them," Cashman said.
In response to Cashman's interview with Young-Sam published in thePost in 2009, nearly 30 veterans contacted the Korean Embassy.
Describing this year's ceremony, Cashman said, "I was surprised to see how many [veterans] were wearing kippot, how many religious Jews there are among American war veterans!"
She added that "the very fact that these war veterans feel is is important, after so many years, to be recognized is great. They went through a lot and they have been very grateful for everything they got."
In addition to the Jewish veterans, among the dignitaries invited to this year's event were representatives of the 16 countries which dispatched troops to South Korea during the war, high-ranking Israeli officials, and friends of the Embassy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Young-Sam said, "We were very happy about finding [the Jewish veterans]. We felt that we needed to return what they did for us."
"Koreans will never forget what they did for Korea and for the Korean people," he said.
The ceremony featured personal stories of the Jewish veterans, with one American veteran, Leonard Wisper, telling of how his unit was attacked heavily by enemy troops one night after he was sent to the war in 1951.
Wisper said he and his friend Palton were severely injured in the attack. He remembered lying on the hill, "bleeding, praying to God to rescue him from this dreadful situation." He recounted how he was then taken to a bunker by Chinese soldiers and was kept captive there along with three other wounded American soldiers.
A while later, Wisper recalled a big explosion. The Chinese guards exited the bunker and threw a grenade into it. The Jewish soldier reacted immediately, grabbed the grenade and threw it back outside just before it detonated. Although his friend Palton had died earlier from his wounds, Wisper was able to save the lives of his three American friends and his own. Soon after, the US soldiers triumphantly recaptured the hill.
For his heroic action and performance in the Korean War, Wisper, an Ultra-Orthodox Jew living with his family in Bnei-Brak, was awarded twice: He received a special medal of merit by the US Army, and was now also given a special medal from the Korean government.
The Korean Embassy in Israel on Thursday held a special ceremony to mark the 61st anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. In honor of soldiers who fought to help South Korea stop the communist invasion, a seemingly unlikely group was also recognized: Jewish Korean War veterans living in Israel.
According to an official statement released by the Embassy, some 4,000 Jewish soldiers fought alongside South Koreans and Allied Forces in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953. The Embassy has been awarding medals to Jewish soldiers since 2009. This year's ceremony was hosted by Korean Ambassador to Israel Ma Young-Sam at his home in Rishpon.
RELATED:
Jewish World War II veterans march in J'lem on VE Day
Grapevine: President to president
Asked why a ceremony marking the Korean War was being held in Israel, the Korean Ambassador explained in the statement: "One day, I noticed that among the 9837 tombstones in the Normandy cemetery, there were several tombstones with a 'Magen-David'. Since only 5 years separate the Normandy battle and the Korean War, it was only natural for me to assume that many Jewish soldiers would have joined the Allied Forces fighting in Korea under the UN flag.
"Therefore, I made up my mind to make all the necessary efforts to find and locate the Jewish veterans who participated in the holy mission of protecting my country."
Young-Sam's efforts were successful. With the help of The Jerusalem Post, Israel Radio and the Jewish War Veterans Association in Washington DC, the Embassy was able to locate several Jewish veterans living in Israel who fought in the Korean War, seven of whom were awarded in this year's ceremony. Medals for two veterans who passed away were granted to their families.
The Jerusalem Post's Greer Fay Cashman, who has covered the ceremony since it began in 2009, explained how the Korean Embassy's annual ceremony began and expanded.
"This was the third year the Embassy held the ceremony. When they first started, because the ambassador knew me personally, he came to me first with the idea to post information about it in newspaper. Two and a half years ago, he took me to lunch and told me the story. I got very excited about it. I wrote something in the paper about how he was looking for Jewish war veterans in Israel, and he got quite a lot of responses. And he continues to get them," Cashman said.
In response to Cashman's interview with Young-Sam published in thePost in 2009, nearly 30 veterans contacted the Korean Embassy.
Describing this year's ceremony, Cashman said, "I was surprised to see how many [veterans] were wearing kippot, how many religious Jews there are among American war veterans!"
She added that "the very fact that these war veterans feel is is important, after so many years, to be recognized is great. They went through a lot and they have been very grateful for everything they got."
In addition to the Jewish veterans, among the dignitaries invited to this year's event were representatives of the 16 countries which dispatched troops to South Korea during the war, high-ranking Israeli officials, and friends of the Embassy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Young-Sam said, "We were very happy about finding [the Jewish veterans]. We felt that we needed to return what they did for us."
"Koreans will never forget what they did for Korea and for the Korean people," he said.
The ceremony featured personal stories of the Jewish veterans, with one American veteran, Leonard Wisper, telling of how his unit was attacked heavily by enemy troops one night after he was sent to the war in 1951.
Wisper said he and his friend Palton were severely injured in the attack. He remembered lying on the hill, "bleeding, praying to God to rescue him from this dreadful situation." He recounted how he was then taken to a bunker by Chinese soldiers and was kept captive there along with three other wounded American soldiers.
A while later, Wisper recalled a big explosion. The Chinese guards exited the bunker and threw a grenade into it. The Jewish soldier reacted immediately, grabbed the grenade and threw it back outside just before it detonated. Although his friend Palton had died earlier from his wounds, Wisper was able to save the lives of his three American friends and his own. Soon after, the US soldiers triumphantly recaptured the hill.
For his heroic action and performance in the Korean War, Wisper, an Ultra-Orthodox Jew living with his family in Bnei-Brak, was awarded twice: He received a special medal of merit by the US Army, and was now also given a special medal from the Korean government.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Soldier Missing from Korean War Identified
USDoD: Soldier Missing from Korean War Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. A.V. Scott, 27, of Detroit, Mich., will be buried June 22 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Feb. 12, 1951, Scott’s unit, the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was supplying friendly forces approximately 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea, when Chinese Communist units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal. Scott was captured by enemy forces and marched north to a prisoner-of-war camp in Suan County, North Korea. Surviving POWs within the camp reported Scott died in April 1951.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200 to 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with one of the boxes indicated the remains were exhumed near Suan County, which correlates with Scott’s last known location.
Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons, and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA, which matched that of Scott’s cousins, in the identification.
More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this identification, 7,993 service members remain missing from the conflict.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. A.V. Scott, 27, of Detroit, Mich., will be buried June 22 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Feb. 12, 1951, Scott’s unit, the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was supplying friendly forces approximately 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea, when Chinese Communist units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal. Scott was captured by enemy forces and marched north to a prisoner-of-war camp in Suan County, North Korea. Surviving POWs within the camp reported Scott died in April 1951.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200 to 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with one of the boxes indicated the remains were exhumed near Suan County, which correlates with Scott’s last known location.
Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons, and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA, which matched that of Scott’s cousins, in the identification.
More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this identification, 7,993 service members remain missing from the conflict.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Local Korean War Vets Remember 'Forgotten War'
FoLxo2Nowa: l Korean War Vets Remember 'Forgotten War'
ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com)—— A group of veterans spent Saturday in St. Louis remembering what is often called the 'Forgotten War'. It started 61 years ago this month. And at a reunion of Korean War veterans, the people they fought for said thank you.
"It's just a room full of brothers more than it is friends," said veteran Harry Hope of the people gathered at Andre's Banquet Center in South St. Louis County. "It's a very warm feeling to get into a room of Korean War veterans because we know we all did the same thing: we each covered each others' backs."
There were hellish battles in the three year war in Korea, which began June 25, 1950. The worst might have been the two and a half weeks of bloodshed at the Chosin Reservoir, where 33 hundred American marines and soldiers died. Six thousand were injured. Anyone who survived was frostbitten
We were at the highest mountain in North Korea," recalled Hope, "up near Manchuria, the Soviet border. The temperature reached down to 40 below zero at night."
"It was one of the bloodiest battles the Marine Corps ever fought and we were very fortunate that we got out with our equipment and with our wounded, and most of our dead. But we have a few over there still. Their bodies have not been recovered."
So at Saturday's reunion for Missouri Korean War veterans, there was an empty place setting for those still-missing brothers. And at a table near the front, sat a group of people they freed. Representatives of the Korean Consulate from Chicago traveled to St. Louis for the reunion, so they could say thank you in person. They gave the veterans medals declaring them official 'ambassadors for peace'.
"I was not born yet," said MinHun Song, "but I lost an uncle in the Korean War so I heard the history. I came here to express my gratitude to the veterans. My country's democracy was saved. My country can survive after the Korean War."
"We are forever indebted," he added.
Americans sometimes call the Korean War the 'Forgotten War' because it occurred so soon after World War Two that it is often confused. But everyone at the reunion remembers, and they believe the rest of us should, too.
"If you don't know what happened sixty or seventy years go, you can't correct what's going to happen three years from now," said Don Gutmann, commander of the St. Louis area chapter of Korean War Vets.
Hope will turn 80 next month. He and Don know survivors are dwindling in numbers, which makes their annual reunion even more special.
ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com)—— A group of veterans spent Saturday in St. Louis remembering what is often called the 'Forgotten War'. It started 61 years ago this month. And at a reunion of Korean War veterans, the people they fought for said thank you.
"It's just a room full of brothers more than it is friends," said veteran Harry Hope of the people gathered at Andre's Banquet Center in South St. Louis County. "It's a very warm feeling to get into a room of Korean War veterans because we know we all did the same thing: we each covered each others' backs."
There were hellish battles in the three year war in Korea, which began June 25, 1950. The worst might have been the two and a half weeks of bloodshed at the Chosin Reservoir, where 33 hundred American marines and soldiers died. Six thousand were injured. Anyone who survived was frostbitten
We were at the highest mountain in North Korea," recalled Hope, "up near Manchuria, the Soviet border. The temperature reached down to 40 below zero at night."
"It was one of the bloodiest battles the Marine Corps ever fought and we were very fortunate that we got out with our equipment and with our wounded, and most of our dead. But we have a few over there still. Their bodies have not been recovered."
So at Saturday's reunion for Missouri Korean War veterans, there was an empty place setting for those still-missing brothers. And at a table near the front, sat a group of people they freed. Representatives of the Korean Consulate from Chicago traveled to St. Louis for the reunion, so they could say thank you in person. They gave the veterans medals declaring them official 'ambassadors for peace'.
"I was not born yet," said MinHun Song, "but I lost an uncle in the Korean War so I heard the history. I came here to express my gratitude to the veterans. My country's democracy was saved. My country can survive after the Korean War."
"We are forever indebted," he added.
Americans sometimes call the Korean War the 'Forgotten War' because it occurred so soon after World War Two that it is often confused. But everyone at the reunion remembers, and they believe the rest of us should, too.
"If you don't know what happened sixty or seventy years go, you can't correct what's going to happen three years from now," said Don Gutmann, commander of the St. Louis area chapter of Korean War Vets.
Hope will turn 80 next month. He and Don know survivors are dwindling in numbers, which makes their annual reunion even more special.
Friday, June 10, 2011
June 10, 1953: Eisenhower Fires Back at Cold War Critics
Politico: Eisenhower Fires Back at Cold War Critics
On this day in 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower, a few months after taking office and with the Korean War still under way, struck back at his foreign policy critics. He opened his speech to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce in Minneapolis by characterizing the Cold War as a battle “for the soul of man himself.”
Eisenhower’s remarks were aimed at Sen. Robert Taft (R-Ohio), the majority leader, and Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg, who would retire at the end of that month as Air Force chief of staff — though he did not name either man.
Taft, who died that July, at 63, held that if efforts to reach a bargain with the North Koreans and their Chinese allies failed, then the United States should withdraw its troops from the United Nations coalition and deal with the enemy on its own.
For his part, Vandenberg opposed a planned $5 billion cut in the Air Force budget advocated by Defense Secretary Charles Wilson. The cut went into effect immediately after Vandenberg’s retirement.
The president rejected Taft’s notion that the U.S. should pursue an independent foreign policy or what one might call “the ‘fortress’ theory of defense,” as he put it. Instead, he said, all anti-communist nations needed to stand together.
“There is no such thing as partial unity,” he declared.
Eisenhower also defended what came to be known as his “bigger bang for the buck” defense theory. A few planes armed with nuclear weapons could “visit on an enemy as much explosive violence as was hurled against Germany by our entire air effort throughout four years of World War II,” he noted. A more efficient defense could be built around the nation’s nuclear arsenal rather than the kind of massive increase in conventional forces that the Pentagon brass was seeking, he maintained.
SOURCE: “EISENHOWER AND THE COLD WAR,” BY ROBERT DIVINE (1981)
On this day in 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower, a few months after taking office and with the Korean War still under way, struck back at his foreign policy critics. He opened his speech to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce in Minneapolis by characterizing the Cold War as a battle “for the soul of man himself.”
Eisenhower’s remarks were aimed at Sen. Robert Taft (R-Ohio), the majority leader, and Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg, who would retire at the end of that month as Air Force chief of staff — though he did not name either man.
Taft, who died that July, at 63, held that if efforts to reach a bargain with the North Koreans and their Chinese allies failed, then the United States should withdraw its troops from the United Nations coalition and deal with the enemy on its own.
For his part, Vandenberg opposed a planned $5 billion cut in the Air Force budget advocated by Defense Secretary Charles Wilson. The cut went into effect immediately after Vandenberg’s retirement.
The president rejected Taft’s notion that the U.S. should pursue an independent foreign policy or what one might call “the ‘fortress’ theory of defense,” as he put it. Instead, he said, all anti-communist nations needed to stand together.
“There is no such thing as partial unity,” he declared.
Eisenhower also defended what came to be known as his “bigger bang for the buck” defense theory. A few planes armed with nuclear weapons could “visit on an enemy as much explosive violence as was hurled against Germany by our entire air effort throughout four years of World War II,” he noted. A more efficient defense could be built around the nation’s nuclear arsenal rather than the kind of massive increase in conventional forces that the Pentagon brass was seeking, he maintained.
SOURCE: “EISENHOWER AND THE COLD WAR,” BY ROBERT DIVINE (1981)
South Korean officials honor veterans of 'Forgotten War'
DemocratandChronicle.com: South Korean officials honor veterans of 'Forgotten War'
Two high-ranking South Korean officials visited the Korean War memorial in Perinton on Thursday morning as part of a daylong tour through the region with Rep. Tom Reed.
Ambassador Young-mok Kim, consul general of the Republic of Korea in New York, and Jungwook Hong, a member of the Korean National Assembly, traveled with Reed, R-Corning, to several spots in his congressional district.
After meeting with Korean students and Rochester business leaders at the University of Rochester, the group went to White Haven Memorial Park in Perinton to honor Korean War veterans.
"I appreciate the sacrifice you made in protecting a country and a people you barely knew," Hong told 10 local Korean War veterans at the ceremony. "Thank you. We'll never forget."
Kim echoed Hong's words of gratitude. The men together presented each veteran with an Ambassador of Freedom medal. Hong and Kim also placed wreaths at the foot of the Korean War Veterans Memorial, in memory of the 164 local men and women killed while fighting in the war.
"Ours is known as the forgotten war, between World War II and Vietnam, but never ever by the people of Korea," said Frank Nicolazzo, 80, of Rochester, a Korean War veteran who attended the ceremony.
Roger Hill, 79, of Chili, president of the Monroe County Korean War Veterans Association, said he was touched that Hong and Kim took time to meet the group.
After the midday ceremony, Hong, Kim and Reed went to Constellation Brands Inc. in Victor to discuss the possibility of shipping agricultural products — including Finger Lakes wine — to South Korea, said Reed's communications director Tim Kolpien.
The visit stemmed from Reed's recent trip to South Korea in April as part of a trade mission. He met Hong on that trip and encouraged him to visit the U.S. and his district.
Two high-ranking South Korean officials visited the Korean War memorial in Perinton on Thursday morning as part of a daylong tour through the region with Rep. Tom Reed.
Ambassador Young-mok Kim, consul general of the Republic of Korea in New York, and Jungwook Hong, a member of the Korean National Assembly, traveled with Reed, R-Corning, to several spots in his congressional district.
After meeting with Korean students and Rochester business leaders at the University of Rochester, the group went to White Haven Memorial Park in Perinton to honor Korean War veterans.
"I appreciate the sacrifice you made in protecting a country and a people you barely knew," Hong told 10 local Korean War veterans at the ceremony. "Thank you. We'll never forget."
Kim echoed Hong's words of gratitude. The men together presented each veteran with an Ambassador of Freedom medal. Hong and Kim also placed wreaths at the foot of the Korean War Veterans Memorial, in memory of the 164 local men and women killed while fighting in the war.
"Ours is known as the forgotten war, between World War II and Vietnam, but never ever by the people of Korea," said Frank Nicolazzo, 80, of Rochester, a Korean War veteran who attended the ceremony.
Roger Hill, 79, of Chili, president of the Monroe County Korean War Veterans Association, said he was touched that Hong and Kim took time to meet the group.
After the midday ceremony, Hong, Kim and Reed went to Constellation Brands Inc. in Victor to discuss the possibility of shipping agricultural products — including Finger Lakes wine — to South Korea, said Reed's communications director Tim Kolpien.
The visit stemmed from Reed's recent trip to South Korea in April as part of a trade mission. He met Hong on that trip and encouraged him to visit the U.S. and his district.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
TCA Spearheads Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial
ForConstructionPros.com: TCA Spearheads Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial
MT. VERNON, IOWA - The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) - a non-profit international organization that serves to expand and improve the use of Tilt-Up as the preferred construction method - along with the Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department and the Concrete Promotional Group of Kansas City is very proud to be spearheading the design and construction of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial. Developed by the TCA to encourage member companies and organizations of the Annual Convention's host city to give back to the community, work is being performed on the project leading up to the Convention being held in Kansas City, Mo. from Sept. 28 - Oct. 1.
"Not only is this project a testament to the flexibility, applicability, and beauty of Tilt-Up construction, it is a demonstration of the generosity, pride and good will of our members," said Mitch Bloomquist, project manager at TCA.
With a mission to perpetuate the legacy of Korean War Veterans present and past, the memorial is prominently sited in historic Washington Square Park near Union Station in Kansas City. The memorial honors the more than 900 individuals from the State of Missouri who paid the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives in defense of South Korea. Constructed of interlocking Tilt-Up concrete panels, the twisting structure of the memorial provides shade and shelter while maintaining a significant amount of transparency and a relatively light appearance. The surface on the outside of the structure exposes the local aggregate present in the concrete mix, giving it an exceedingly finished appearance and pleasant texture. The subtle warm color of the material is in harmony with the surrounding park. Iconic images from the war are cast into the face of the concrete. Grooves of varying depths and widths affect light cast on the structure to reveal the dynamic images. Their appearance changes with the light and viewing angle presenting visitors a different experience with each visit.
The interior surface of the memorial is highly polished and includes plaques with the names of the more than 900 veterans of the Korean War from the state of Missouri. The wrapping ribbon of concrete creates a sort of room affording visitors an intimate interaction with the names while remaining open to view from across the park. A series of staggered pavers with inscriptions intersect the structure softening the transition between hardscape and softscape by bringing vegetation into the structure and extending elements of the structure into the park.
A dedication ceremony to be held in conjunction with the opening of the 2011 TCA Annual Convention will be held on September 28, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in Washington Square Park. All Convention attendees are encouraged to attend this event which will immediately be followed by an outdoor exhibition and barbeque. More details regarding this celebration and the memorial will be available at www.tilt-up.org/convention.
Washington Square Park is located one block west of the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. A shuttle will be available from the dedication ceremony to the outdoor exhibition site.
MT. VERNON, IOWA - The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) - a non-profit international organization that serves to expand and improve the use of Tilt-Up as the preferred construction method - along with the Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department and the Concrete Promotional Group of Kansas City is very proud to be spearheading the design and construction of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial. Developed by the TCA to encourage member companies and organizations of the Annual Convention's host city to give back to the community, work is being performed on the project leading up to the Convention being held in Kansas City, Mo. from Sept. 28 - Oct. 1.
"Not only is this project a testament to the flexibility, applicability, and beauty of Tilt-Up construction, it is a demonstration of the generosity, pride and good will of our members," said Mitch Bloomquist, project manager at TCA.
With a mission to perpetuate the legacy of Korean War Veterans present and past, the memorial is prominently sited in historic Washington Square Park near Union Station in Kansas City. The memorial honors the more than 900 individuals from the State of Missouri who paid the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives in defense of South Korea. Constructed of interlocking Tilt-Up concrete panels, the twisting structure of the memorial provides shade and shelter while maintaining a significant amount of transparency and a relatively light appearance. The surface on the outside of the structure exposes the local aggregate present in the concrete mix, giving it an exceedingly finished appearance and pleasant texture. The subtle warm color of the material is in harmony with the surrounding park. Iconic images from the war are cast into the face of the concrete. Grooves of varying depths and widths affect light cast on the structure to reveal the dynamic images. Their appearance changes with the light and viewing angle presenting visitors a different experience with each visit.
The interior surface of the memorial is highly polished and includes plaques with the names of the more than 900 veterans of the Korean War from the state of Missouri. The wrapping ribbon of concrete creates a sort of room affording visitors an intimate interaction with the names while remaining open to view from across the park. A series of staggered pavers with inscriptions intersect the structure softening the transition between hardscape and softscape by bringing vegetation into the structure and extending elements of the structure into the park.
A dedication ceremony to be held in conjunction with the opening of the 2011 TCA Annual Convention will be held on September 28, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in Washington Square Park. All Convention attendees are encouraged to attend this event which will immediately be followed by an outdoor exhibition and barbeque. More details regarding this celebration and the memorial will be available at www.tilt-up.org/convention.
Washington Square Park is located one block west of the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. A shuttle will be available from the dedication ceremony to the outdoor exhibition site.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Korean War veterans honored in ceremony in Plover
WausauDailyHerald: Korean War veterans honored in ceremony in Plover
PLOVER -- It's often called the forgotten war.
But on Sunday, Korean War veterans from around the state received the message that their service was not forgotten.
More than 75 veterans from central Wisconsin and around the state were awarded the Ambassador for Peace medal in front of the state's Korean War Veterans Memorial in Worzella Pines Park.
The medals were part of an annual service held at the state's memorial in the village of Plover.
Korean dignitary Jin Hyun Lee awarded the medals to U.S. veterans who were stationed in his country during and after the war.
"The Korean people are eternally indebted to you for your sacrifice," Lee said.
More than 132,000 Wisconsin residents served in the Korean War. Of those, 4,286 were injured and 801 were killed during the war.
"It's often called the forgotten war, but it's not forgotten, not by everyone here today," said Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs Chairman Dan Naylor, himself a Vietnam War-era veteran.
For former U.S. Army Sgt. Glen Rutz of Rosholt, the medal was a surprise.
"To some people it might be forgotten," said Rutz, who served in Korea in 1952 and 1953, "but not for those of us who were there. It stays with you."
The day was a special honor for David Hanson and his father, John, both of the Plover Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10262. John Hanson served in Korean during the 1950s and retired from the Army, and David Hanson served in the 1980s, long after the war.
Both said they were honored to receive medals together.
"Of course, we didn't plan to both be sent to Korea," David Hanson said. "But we were about to talk the talk together."
John Hanson added, "We're really proud of it, for Plover hosting the state memorial. It's an honor."
PLOVER -- It's often called the forgotten war.
But on Sunday, Korean War veterans from around the state received the message that their service was not forgotten.
More than 75 veterans from central Wisconsin and around the state were awarded the Ambassador for Peace medal in front of the state's Korean War Veterans Memorial in Worzella Pines Park.
The medals were part of an annual service held at the state's memorial in the village of Plover.
Korean dignitary Jin Hyun Lee awarded the medals to U.S. veterans who were stationed in his country during and after the war.
"The Korean people are eternally indebted to you for your sacrifice," Lee said.
More than 132,000 Wisconsin residents served in the Korean War. Of those, 4,286 were injured and 801 were killed during the war.
"It's often called the forgotten war, but it's not forgotten, not by everyone here today," said Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs Chairman Dan Naylor, himself a Vietnam War-era veteran.
For former U.S. Army Sgt. Glen Rutz of Rosholt, the medal was a surprise.
"To some people it might be forgotten," said Rutz, who served in Korea in 1952 and 1953, "but not for those of us who were there. It stays with you."
The day was a special honor for David Hanson and his father, John, both of the Plover Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10262. John Hanson served in Korean during the 1950s and retired from the Army, and David Hanson served in the 1980s, long after the war.
Both said they were honored to receive medals together.
"Of course, we didn't plan to both be sent to Korea," David Hanson said. "But we were about to talk the talk together."
John Hanson added, "We're really proud of it, for Plover hosting the state memorial. It's an honor."
Friday, June 3, 2011
The Young [of Korea] Must Learn About the Korean War
TheChosunilbo: The Young Must Learn About the Korean War
Some 56.8 percent of secondary school students do not know which year the Korean War
Some 56.8 percent of secondary school students do not know which year the Korean War
broke out, while 13.5 percent said the U.S. started the Korean War and 13.4 percent Japan. This is the result of a poll of 1,016 secondary school students on national security the Ministry of Public Administration and Security announced on Tuesday. One in five believes that American or Japanese troops invaded South Korea in the Korean War. Only 48.7 percent of respondents correctly answered that North Korea invaded the country.
In a poll of 3,660 elementary schoolchildren last year, a monthly magazine asked in which of the four eras -- Three Kingdom period, Koryo period, Chosun period and contemporary era -- the Korean War broke out, and 37.8 percent opted for Chosun. 5.5 percent chose Three Kingdoms and 7.4 percent Koryo. In other words, more than a half the children think that the Korean War took place during our ancient dynasties. This, say teachers, is a phenomenon arising from inadequate attention given to the Korean War in the textbooks.
The cause of the Korean War is fist mentioned in the current sixth-grade textbook. It reads, "North Korea started the war in order to unify South Korea by force." An earlier reference was oriented toward unification rather than toward national security, when a second-grade textbook read, "Though we are divided into South and North, we are one nation." A high-school junior textbook makes reference to the Korean War "that erupted in 1950," but does not mention the North's invasion of the South. A teacher says this was "out of a concern that an explanation of the cause and process of the Korean War requires mentioning who was accountable for it, which would encourage students to harbor hostility toward the North."
A third-grade North Korean textbook, titled, "The Childhood of Great Leader Field Marshal Kim Jong-il," begins this way: "U.S. imperialist aggressors and their stooges launched a war in our country on June 25, 1950." A 12th-grade textbook, titled, "Crimes of Korea Invasion by U.S. and Japanese Imperialists," reads, "American imperialism, backed by scrupulous planning and preparations, provoked a war of invasion against our republic on June 25."
In the latest poll, 57.1 percent of the secondary school students cited the U.S. or Japan as countries that threaten our national security most. Only 24.5 percent named North Korea. Despite the fact that 54,000-odd Americans were killed in the Korean War, young people are as hostile to the U.S. as they are to North Korea.
It is no coincidence that when Korea Military Academy freshmen were asked in 2004 which country their nation's main enemy is, 34 percent named America and 33 percent North Korea. This is so because the Korean Teachers and Education Worker's Union and the Left have sowed the seeds of distorting our history in the classroom. We must urgently provide our young with a proper education on the Korean War, which has been eroded by unification-oriented teaching. The first step is to revise the textbooks.
By Chosun Ilbo columnist Kim Dong-seop
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