The "Forgotten" War

Began this day, 60 years ago. The Soviet Red Army, a latecomer to the Pacific War, occupied the north in the summer of 1945, an assertion of their intent to expand their sphere of influence in the region. There were agreements and negotiations.. Cairo, Yalta and Potsdam. The US occupied the south, a line was drawn at the 38th parallel, and the Russians began their proxy war. The United States chose to say no.

The first "hot" fight of the Cold War lasted for three bloody years, and 37,000 Americans paid the ultimate price in that fight.

All wars are ultimately unpopular in one sense or another, but some transcend that, into "hugely" unpopular". This one, for the United States may have been the first of that kind in the 20th century. A war-weary nation committed blood and treasure, to the concept of fighting against an enemy that was not easily described, hence the avoidance of "war" as a term used to define what we were doing.

Maybe that's timely, I don't know. Not trying to be "topical" as the Redlettermedia guy opined about "Avatar". Heh.

I do know that a generation of American fighting men, comprised of veterans of the last war, along with a new generation who were too young to have participated in that war, were cast into the conflict. A blog post is too small a canvas to give proper tribute and perspective to their sacrifice. The best I can do in some small way is to acknowledge their service, what they did when they were called.

My dad was one of those boys who joined into this one.. he didn't think it was coming, he had no idea where it would take him. He came out of it with his life, a Purple Heart, an education provided to a poor guy who otherwise wouldn't have had one. And he got to meet my mom at school.

So if you want to blame anyone for me posting here, you can blame Kim Il-Sung. He's as guilty as anyone, and he was a jerk.

Couple of photographs and a link to more.

Rather than try (because I'm just not up to that task) address the legacy of the Korean War, I'd rather focus on those veterans who bore the burden of it. They are our next generation of vanishing heroes.

God bless them.

posted by Dave In Texas at 08:48 PM

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