On June 25, 1950, 90,000 North Korean troops, using Russian tanks and weaponry, attacked South Korea. The Korean Conflict had begun. On June 25 the UN, in an emergency session called for a cease to the hostilities and demanded that the North Koreans pull back to the 38th Parallel - a division of Korea that had been in effect since the Yalta Conference near the end of WWII.
On June 27, 1950, U.S. President Harry Truman announces to the world that he has ordered U.S. Naval and Air Forces to Korea to help defend a nation from communist takeover. This meets with resounding approval from Congress and the American People but war is not declared and Truman does not ask for a declaration of war.
On June 28th the UN approves a resolution to use force against North Korea.
On June 30, within 5 days of the commencement of the invasion, Truman commits U.S. ground troops to the conflict.
On July 8, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur is named is named as the commander of all UN forces in Korea. Of course the U.S. troops are the major part of those UN forces.
In October 1950, the early advances and victories by US led UN forces were threatened by the entry of Chinese Communist troops into the conflict on the side of North Korea. UN forces retreat.
General MacArthur, in early 1951, openly defies President Truman's war policy by threatening to bomb China. Truman was fearful that an attack on China would bring the Soviets into the war. He fires MacArthur.
By May 1951 the North Koreans and Chinese forces have been pushed back to the 38th Parallel and this point is basically held for about the next two years while negotiations are ongoing to put an end to the fighting.
The armed hostilities cease, on or about July 27, 1953 when an armistice is achieved on that day.
Obviously though, the hostilities (both cold and hot - such as the recent torpedoing of a S. Korean ship by the North) continue today with the North Korean government remaining a self avowed enemy of South Korea, the U.S.A. and of freedom. It is one of the most oppressive and totalitarian regimes of all times.
Lest you think none of this important today, think of current totalitarian regimes and how they could possibly throw us into another similar conflict. Countries such as North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria, Venezuela (and groups like the Taliban) all come to mind. The result of an alliance formed between these little countries & groups might be that a larger country or two - such as Communist China and Russia - might again lend aid to be used against the United States and her allies. The next time we have a MacArthur telling our president to bomb an enemy into destruction - maybe we should listen. It might save lives today, in the long run, much as it may have done back then. As it stood, here is a list of the casualties of the Korean Conflict - a war that was not left to the generals and from which one of the best generals ever was fired:
UN FORCES BY COUNTRY
United States:
36,516 dead (including 2,830 non-combat deaths)
92,134 wounded
8,176 MIA
7,245 POW
United Kingdom:
1,109 dead
2,674 wounded
1,060 MIA or POW
Turkey:
721 dead
2,111 wounded
168 MIA
216 POW
Canada:
516 dead
1,042 wounded
Australia:
339 dead
1,200 wounded
France:
300 KIA or MIA
Greece:
194 KIA
459 wounded
Netherlands:
123 KIA
Philippines:
112 KIA
Belgium:
106 KIA
New Zealand:
33 KIA
South Africa:
28 KIA and 8 MIA
Luxembourg:
2 KIA
Total: 778,053
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COMMUNIST FORCES
North Korea:
215,000 dead
303,000 wounded
120,000 MIA or POW
China (Official data):
114,000 killed in combat
34,000 non-combat deaths
380,000 wounded
21,400 POW
China (U.S. estimate):
400,000+ dead
486,000 wounded
21,000 POW
Soviet Union:
282 dead
Total: 1,187,682-1,545,822
CIVILIAN LOSSES
South Korea: 990,968 total
373,599 killed
229,625 wounded
387,744 abducted/missing
North Korea: 1,550,000 (est.)
Total civilians killed/wounded: 2.5 million (est.)
Hopefully we can avoid another such conflict but if we become engaged again, as we already are now in Afghanistan, we should leave the military matters mostly to the generals. We civilians should need to carefully select the generals, then let the generals fight the wars to their ends as quickly as possible. We need to be opposed to tolerating war that is not allowed to be fought because of ludicrous political policy and thereby resulting in escalating casualties of our troops. We also need to be intolerant of elected officials who fumble their way through not only the prosecution of war but through the entirety of their elected terms as they try to find someone on whom to pin the blame for anything and everything. We do not need to determine whose asses need to be kicked, we need to get the job done first whether it be sealing off a leaking oil well or fighting a war. The asses that need to be kicked goals that need to be achieved are obvious, or should be, to anyone. In the case of an oil well leak, the top priority should be stopping the leak - or proverbially kicking the oil leak's ass. We can worry about name calling, looking tough with sleeves rolled up and finding fault later. The whole world is willing to help us but we keep turning them down because we are busy looking for someone on whom to pin the blame, an ass to kick, instead of solving the problem.
In war, the whole objective is kicking your enemy's ass, while not getting your own kicked; Washington knew it (American Revolution), Jackson knew it (War of 1812), Grant Knew it (Civil War), Patton knew it (WWII), MacArthur knew it (WWII & Korean War). We don't have to find out whose ass to kick, we already know the enemy or should know them and the enemy is not the U.S. Military.
In Afghanistan what we need to do is put on a political show by rolling up our sleeves get tough, really tough and kick some ass now! Otherwise we ought to get our boys and girls out of harm's way pronto with an immediate pull-out, just as most of the world eventually pulled out of Iraq when that one was being dragged on and on and on with mounting casualties every day - that is until we decided to actually fight that war. If we choose keep the Afghanistan war going, for even one day longer or one casualty more, then we ought to allow the generals to kick our enemies' asses, kick em hard and kick em now.
All the best,
Glenn B
References:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_conflict
