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The Forgotten War.
Korea came out of World War II a
nation divded along the 38th
Parallel. The Soviets held
influence in the north, the U.S.
in the south. By 1950 North
Korea had a communist government
supported by Russia. U.S. backed
South Korea was strongly
anti-communist. The stage was
set for the first armed conflict
of the Cold War.
On June 25th 1950, 135,000 North
Korean troops crossed the 38th
Parallel with heavy artillery.
The U.S. Eighth Army and
MacArthur’s successful landing
at Inchon helped offset early
defeats.
Four months later U.N forces
were already north of the 38th
Parallel when 250,000 Communist
Chinese troops spilled over the
border to fight. Seoul fell. A
reinvigorated. 8th Army—now
under the command of Mathew
Ridgway—retook the capital and
advanced back toward the
parallel.
The war was never declared over.
American troops remain in Korea
as part of the United Nations
command. The DMZ along the 38th
Parallel remains the most
heavily defended border in the
world. 54,246 Americans died in
the Korean War. 8,142 US
personnel listed as Missing In
Action. |
