July 27th is celebration of Armistice Day. Commemorating end of Korean War fighting, in 1953. It is not federal holiday, but flags are at half mast honoring those who served and those who perished during war.
I was in sixth grade. It was big deal not only in schools but also in society in general. The war was lead story in the daily news, for 3 years.
The fighting was brutal. There were 33,739 deaths of US servicemen and women. (In that era women served primarily in the nursing corp.) Another 103,284 service members survived their injuries and wounds. Most of us knew of people who served. To this day there are over 7,400 Americans still unaccounted for.
What lead up to Korean War?
“On January 1, 1942, representatives from 26 nations signed the Declaration by United Nations, pledging their full resources to defeat Germany, Japan, and Italy.” (Wikipedia.) Led by the "Big Four"—the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China—the alliance coordinated joint military strategies and supply lines to win the war. 1942 victor was very much in doubt.
UN didn’t become a formal institution until June 26, 1945. UN Security Council Veto Power was created at Yalta in 1945. Many have wondered why China and Russia are part of Security Council Veto Power. They were original members.)
At the conclusion of World War II, the Allied nations began the process of disarmament of Axis controlled regions, (Japan & Germany).
At that time Japan had occupied Korea since 1910.
The AXIS disarmament led to some strange re-alignment of borders in Korea and Africa. National borders were drawn and redrawn. Today, we say many of those boundaries were drawn wrong. 80 years later we know more about the world than we did in 1945. What was done then, either made sense or had to be done to satisfy various factions. Yes. Allies won, but many disagreements remained.
(Side note: History is study of what happened in the past. Year 2100 decisions world is making today may look totally stupid. Many would like to rewrite history based on today’s happenings. Value of history is taking what happened in past and modifying it without throwing out the base premises that form backbones of countries. We often hear that failing to study history guarantees civilizations will make same mistakes again. Any who have studied history, have seen how many times civilizations have repeated past failures.)
Back to Korean War, and lessons it continues to teach us today.
End WWII Korean peninsula was divided in two. Northern zone was occupied by Soviet Union and eventually became what we know as North Korea.
Southern zone was occupied by US.
After extensive negotiations on reunification, the Republic of Korea (now South Korea) was born in August 1948. North Korea in September 1948.
US withdrew last of our UN intervention forces June 1949.
How did US get involved in the Korean War?
Less than year later, in 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea. President Truman sent in troops in support of UN led intervention, to assist South Korea. USA did not make this decision alone
“The United States entered the war led by President Harry S Truman (Democrat) and ended the war led by Dwight D Eisenhower (Republican), who took over from Truman in January 1953. The war was a major issue in November 1952 election and aided Eisenhower's victory.” (Wikipedia)
What does Korean War tell us about history?
North Korea has been a one-party totalitarian dictatorship since it’s founding. South Korea has been both democracy and dictatorship. North Korea was warlike economy in 1950 and remains so 76 years later. Many Koreans in both sectors have family in other sector. The people don’t all hate each other. The single party goals of North Korea are not accepted as proper goals by South Korea.
38th parallel looked like good demarcation point in 1945. Hindsight dividing the country was mistake. Today? Choices are totalitarian North with heavily communist leanings or slightly softer South with somewhat representative government. 76 years later, re-unification can only be resolved by North or South defeating the other and forcing their will.
Either way will end with mass humanitarian casualties on both sides. North Korea has nuclear weapons. South Korea started down that road, but pulled-back, relying on protection of US.
Should US withhold support for South Korea what is likely to happen? Depends. Both are strong militarily. South Korea has twice population and 60 times the GDP (Gross Domestic Product.) Would North Korea use their nuclear weapons?
For today: Better to keep them balanced and pitted against each other.
Thanks to Wikipedia and Google for many fact checks.
Question of the day: Ask children or grandchildren if Korea has ever been mentioned in their school? I’d appreciate quick note either way. My guess? Schools are not teaching history at all.
Tomorrow, back to normal blog coverage. Today, thanks to our military and vets. Especially those who gave their lives so we can each freely express our political views.
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
