Korean War

Can you possibly picture yourself risking your life living in the wretched wilderness knowing that all your struggles and hard work could be for nothing? That is what soldiers in the Korean Conflict had to deal with every day. There was talk all over about different reasons for fighting, ways to stop it, ways to speed it up, and reasons to get out immediately. There were so many issues during the conflict and so many different opinions that each step to ending it was crucial. The results were devastating with both gaining land and in a large number of deaths. The period during the Korean Conflict was hard on many; emotionally for all those back on the home front, both physically and emotionally for the soldiers, and politically for government officials. It was a fight of justice, freedom, and democracy.
The history for conflict between the two areas of Korea and the several countries involved in the conflict extends back to World War II. Towards the end of World War II, Korea was separated at a place referred to as the thirty-eighth parallel. The Soviets backed up the North and the United States backed up the South even before the Korean Conflict began. Eventually, not far after being divided the leaders of the North and South established that they would join back together and become more independent, no longer relying on other countries for military and government support. Unfortunately for Korea, the government at the time was unstable with the ROK in the South and the DPK in the North. Not helping the unstable government was the United Nations who wanted to pull out as soon as possible no matter how unstable Korea was. Such a hectic and unorganized government led to civil war breaking out in South Korea showing weakness. The leader of North Korea at the time took advantage of the South’s troubles. He persuaded the Soviets and Chinese to help in the conspiracy and attack against the South. The only concern of joining for the Soviets and Chinese was that the United Nations would join in due to loyalty to the South. Despite their uncertainties, the North’s leader, Kim 2 Sung, persuaded them, and they joined in on the attack against Korea. It was clear that the North wanted more power- power over all of Korea and not just the North, which is why the bloody battle began.
The North was taking advantage of the South at a weak point, deciding that instead of combining equally they would take over completely. They had their minds set on it and planned on easily defeating the South through brutal attack.
After plenty of training, military build up, and planning, the North made its attack against the struggling and clueless South. They made their attack June 25, 1950 right below the thirty-eighth parallel, the division between North and South. They had such a large advantage and had attacked by such surprise that after only two days the capital was captured and the South was being pushed farther and farther back. The capital, Seoul, was not difficult for the North to take not only because of the South’s disadvantage, but also because the capital is fairly close to the 38th parallel, where the attack began. After gaining control over the capital, the North gained confidence and they continued to greatly advance.
As the North advanced farther south the civilians were trying to escape. They were as surprised as the government and were scared. They were all attempting to find somewhere to go that would be away from the fighting, but the bigger problem was finding a way to get out. The North burnt down bridges and cut off all escapes, not that there were even many to begin with, considering the rough and wild terrain. For the most part, the civilians were completely trapped in a major war zone as their side was clearly losing. The attack went as planned, and the North was way in the lead. The South Korean Army was literally getting slaughtered and completely torn apart by the North, especially because their government itself was already unstable even before the attack.
After invasion, the United Nations was looking for answers on what to do. They had already pulled out of South Korea. The citizens of the countries in the United Nations were mostly against war and did not want to join into the conflict that they thought may turn into anything like war. To their disappointment, the United Nations and the government made the decision to enter the conflict and referred to it as just a police action.
The United Nations did have reasons for joining the war. The leaders realized that it would cause some corruption amongst the people with antiviolence feelings, but if they were to let South Korea become overtaken people would be upset they did not help. The people in the United States would have hated the president even more if they would have allowed that to happen. They also found joining the conflict necessary because North Korea was considered a disturber of peace. For this reason, the Korean Conflict is sometimes referred to as a fight for democracy. South Korea really needed some help and the United Nations was able to help them while there was no one else who could truly give much support at the time. The United Nations joining the conflict was a large controversy; however the United Nations was very important to the very fact that the South did not get completely demolished.
The United Nations made this decision quickly which was good because the South really needed their help. It took quite a bit of time to get the army together and get them over to Korea, but once they were there they made a huge difference. The first major leader of the war was General Douglas MacArthur who was well liked by the soldiers and by most of society. Once the United Nations did get there they helped South Korea to win some land back and eventually made a huge difference. If you consider that almost all of the South was captured when the United Nations got there and it was in the end divided in about the same place it started, the United Nations completely changed the course of the conflict.
The United Nations began arriving and started gaining more control. Some of first fighting the United Nations helped with was in the air, because many first got to South Korea in planes. It did not take long for them to control and overpower North Korea in air fighting. Soon after getting there, the United Nations also took control over fighting at sea. With the United Nations dominating in air and at sea, North Korea had to do the best they could to fight on land. They didn’t stand a chance otherwise. The United Nations and South Korea used this to their advantage especially since they had so much land to gain back.
As they started fighting, even though it was only a police action there were Prisoners of War just as there are when major fighting breaks out. Both sides were taking captive prisoners, but neither was fully prepared to keep them. The treatment and placement of the prisoners differed between the sides.
North Korea, even though they were more prepared for the war seeing they planned it, did not have a Prisoners of War system set up. They had planned on the conflict going very quickly, but that changed when the United Nations joined. At first they came up with temporary places and eventually established better areas. Supplies were low toward the beginning of the conflict, but as the fighting progressed more food and medical supplies were available. A problem with the North Korean camps was that even after more supplies were available, soldiers were being physically and mentally abused and tortured. Much fighting broke out in the camps. There was fighting between soldiers and guards and between the soldiers themselves. Another issue for the soldiers, although an advantage for North Korea, was that no one could escape. There was very rough terrain and the distance from the camps and the line of division between the sides was very large. The soldiers taken to camps did not have good chances of survival, although it depended on which camp they went to.
The three most popular camps and some of the first established were The Valley camps. There was The Valley, Death Valley, and Peaceful Valley. In The Valley a total of about five hundred to seven hundred of the one thousand prisoners died and while they were living they had awful living conditions. Also with terrible living conditions was Death Valley with approximately forty percent of the prisoners dead by the end of the war. Peaceful Valley had better conditions and held about three hundred prisoners. Peaceful Valley had only about a ten percent death rate.
The United Nation’s and the South’s Prisoners of War camps were slightly different, but not by much. At first they were not well prepared for prisoners of war, just as the North wasn’t. Their prisoners were first held at Pusan, a city in South Korea. As more prisoners were captured they were moved to Koje-do Island. Like the North, their supplies were limited towards the beginning of war, but eventually grew to an acceptable level, where the conditions were much more humane. Fighting also took place in their camps between the prisoners and other prisoners and also between guards and other guards. One major difference between the two was that the soldiers did not abuse prisoners, although there was once a claim in order to gain propaganda and get the rest of society feeling bad. In the end the Red Cross reported the camps in the South to be sane.
The prisoners built up in number on both sides as the conflict continued. There are no records of any prisoners ever escaping from either side successfully. As war was coming to an end, there was an issue of what would happen with prisoners returned and exchanged between sides.
Repatriation of the soldiers was an issue where both sides had different views. The North wanted forced repatriation, where all soldiers freed would have to rejoin into the fighting. The South and the United Nations on the other hand though repatriation was an injustice. They thought it would be right for the soldiers to choose, but soldiers from the North were usually killed or abused if they refused to repatriate. Another disagreement between returning the soldiers was that the United Nations and South wanted a one-for-one trade and the North wanted an all-for-all trade. The reason the United Nations and South wanted it that way was because then those who did not want to become repatriated could stay and would not be killed by the North. The reason being because after going through being held prisoner fighting again should not be forced, but the North disagreed leading to an extended battle and more confusion and conflict.
Eventually, the United Nations and the South came up with rules for repatriation exchanging, in hope the North would compromise their ways. There were three major options. Their first proposition stated that prisoners be brought to a neutral place, checked off, and then given the ability to make their own choice as to weather or not they would like to be repatriated. The next two were somewhat similar in fact that all those wanting repatriation would be quickly exchanged. In one of them all others would be interviewed and helped to decide. The other option was for all those not wanting repatriation or unsure would be set free in a neutral zone. The North refused to accept these rules which angered the United Nations and South, but they continued to push in battle and convince the North to consent on the rules.
Overall Prisoners of War was a pushed issue during the Korean Conflict. Partially because of the idea of the North’s abuse and partially because of the repatriation issue being so pushed. The issue was said to have extended the war a total of eighteen months all because of the president; however, many people didn’t like him and his faults were often exaggerated.
The president during most of the Korean Conflict was Harry Truman. He was elected to office in 1945 after President Roosevelt’s assassination. Before the Korean Conflict his decisions were already starting to get the people angry with him. In 1945 he gave the okay to attack Japan with the atomic bomb. He started the Marshall Plan in 1947 and responded to Soviet’s block of Berlin with supplies in 1948. The tension was building even before the Korean Conflict. The people were not happy with his decisions.
Truman also had to make many tough decisions when the Korean Conflict began. First, he made the initial decision to send the troops over to help South Korea. This made some angry, because the United Nations had just pulled out of Korea. If they would not have helped the people probably would have been angry that they let South Korea fall to the communists. The United Nation’s involvement helped South Korea greatly considering how terribly they were losing before. Even though it was appreciated in South Korea the citizens in the United Nations did not like that they were getting involved in more fighting. Then, angering the people even more, Harry Truman made the decision to force General Douglas MacArthur’s retirement in 1951. He claimed it was for questioning policy in public. Some thought that it was because of his great popularity and Truman’s decreasing popularity. Since the General was such a popular figure in battle, everyone was even more upset with the president and some even wanted him to be impeached.
After all that had gone on during his term, Harry Truman had many decisions to make. Many of the choices he made were not liked by most people even though some may have been the right decisions. His popularity seemed to decrease as his presidency went on and with the more decisions he made. After awhile there was nothing he could do to gain back the peoples’ respect and liking.
The more he did, the more they had to complain about. Three of the major reasons they didn’t like him were the firing of the popular General Douglas MacArthur, said to have delayed the war eighteen months, and for war ending without the United Nations having clear victory. Most of their problems were because of the conflict and majorly because they did not want to be involved in fighting. After his short term he was certainly not reelected and only about thirty-one percent of Americans like him as president or found him even somewhat effective. He is now said to be one of the most unpopular presidents in history.
The soldiers were probably angry with the president also. He was the one that had them there fighting and although they were proud to fight for their country, it’s not easy being a soldier. They did not want the war any more than anyone back in America did, yet they were still there fighting.
Soldiers had a few different jobs in war depending on which group they were a part of. All soldiers in the Army had to be ready for war on land. Those in the Air Force were in charge of spying, bombing, or fighting in the air, seeing the Air Force is all about military aviation. In the Navy, involving all warships, soldiers had to care for equipment, manage ships, and fight at sea. The marines had to cover fighting on land and at sea. All soldiers had training so that they were especially ready for the job they would be placed in. All of the jobs were very important and the grouping system is still used today.
In all the positions the risks differed, but only slightly. They were for the most part the same everywhere for both sides. One of the major risks, especially in the beginning when there were few supplies, was catching an illness or disease. Some were curable and some were painful and deadly. There was also the risk of being attacked often by surprise or even being bombed. There was also always a chance to be taken captive as a prisoner. If a soldier was taken there was possibilities of being abused, starving, getting involved in a large fight, dying, and maybe never returning. With all of these risks there was the chance that maybe a soldier would never be able to talk to family, friends, or other loved ones ever again. The soldiers were aware of these things, but they still fought for what they thought was the right thing. They fought for the right of freedom and democracy.
On top of all the risks they didn’t have a very comfortable lifestyle. They had to live in small, crowded, and uncomfortable shelters. Then, more towards the beginning, there was much hunger and illness due to lack of supplies. It was not difficult to become sick and there were not many people available to take care of ill soldiers. Soldiers also had to constantly be ready for fighting. They also had to go on day by day with very little contact with loved ones. There was no email or phones like today. The only thing they had to contact anyone back at home was letters.
The soldiers had to work extremely hard even when they were not fighting. They had to maintain camp and machines while caring for the injured and preparing for battles. They also had to fight in battles, but some were much more dangerous battles than others. Throughout the war there were many battles. The battles towards the beginning showed clear victory for the North, but the South along with the help of the United Nations eventually took back most of the land lost. There were a few battles that were very important to how it all turned out in the end
One of the first battles involving the United Nations was the Battle of Osan. On July 15, 1950 eight North Korean tanks came and no weapon of defense could stop them or penetrate through their tough outer liner. The only thing that would have stopped the tanks was heat weapons, which they did not have. Then again at eleven three more tanks appeared. They again attempted to fire at the tanks, but the tanks continued. Casualties continued increasing until finally at 4:30 word was given to surrender. The troops that heard this message left their weapons and went to outer edge of the city. Many soldiers died because they did not get the message to surrender. By the end of the battle there were 150 United Nations’ soldiers killed, wounded, or missing. North Korea had forty-two dead and seventy-two wounded with four destroyed tanks. The battle only delayed North Korea’s advancement seven hours. This battle occurred right as the United Nations was coming in, so they were not all fully prepared to fight.
Later that year was the Battle of Inchon and recapture of Seoul. The plan was to attack North Korea as they were in a weak state and then move in towards the capital in order to get it back. The United Nations at this point was still being led by General Douglas MacArthur who helped to make this plan. Gunfire and fighting in the air began on September 13, 1950. Then on September 15 ships started coming in all spread out among three beaches. The capture of Kimpo Airfield gave the troops support and encouragement to continue to progress in the battle. Finally on September 29 the capital was taken back after the marines had pushed to the center. This battle was tremendously helpful and encouraging to the soldiers fighting for the South and the United Nations.
A year later was another important battle called Heartbreak Ridge. It began on September 13, 1951. It was a rough battle to fight because of very rough and hilly terrain. The lead went back and forth and fighting was gruesome. Bombs, bullets, shells, grenades, and knives were the main weapons they used to fight. Eventually the United Nations and the South realized they need to cut of North Korea’s supplies. They took that plan into effect on September 27. Their plan worked and on October 10 they took a full force attack. Just as they were attacking the Chinese troops were coming in and were surprised and unprepared for the attack. By surprising them the battle turned to the favor of the South and United Nations. Only five days after the attack they took over the ridge and proclaimed victory over the long hard battle.
Although Heartbreak Ridge occurred towards the end of the war, it was not the last battle. By the time of that battle the United Nations and the South had taken back much land, but neither side had taken victory. Many people especially in the United States wanted the conflict to be over and action needed to be taken.
With much confusion and frustration in the United States, President Eisenhower fairly newly elected into office promised to bring an end to the conflict. He took a top secret trip over to Korea on November 29, 1952. While he was there he brought back up the lost talks of peace and visited soldiers. He then returned to the United States on December 6, and that is when the public first learned of his trip. His efforts were effective as in July of 1953 an armistice was signed. The large police action was finally over.
Even after the conflict was over people had strong feelings of hatred and disgust for it. Many felt that it was of no use and accomplished nothing. The two Koreas were separated by an area not involved in the argument right around where they were originally divided. There were 150,000 casualties and 34,000 deaths of American soldiers alone. There were 900,000 Chinese and two million Koreans that were wounded, missing, or dead. One of the only positive outlooks on the conflict was that it was proof warfare could go on without nuclear weapons. It may have been a fight for democracy, but many thought it was pointless.
The surviving soldiers did get rewards for their hard work. Whether or not the fighting got anywhere they still fought hard for freedom. Several different medals were given out to honor the soldiers that fought.
One of the medals was the Korean Service Medal. It was not of much specialty because it was given to all those who fulfilled their duties in the conflict. The medal was introduced by Harry Truman in effort to gain back respect. The medal had a simple look to it. It had seventeen stripes, but there was no declared reason for the number seventeen. There were seventeen nations involved, but that was never declared as an official reason. Although it is a simple medal, it makes sense to present it to those who fought the tremendously violent and rough conflict.
Another medal given was the Purple Heart. It is the oldest award which is still given to soldiers today. Its requirements are slightly more than the Service Medal’s though. This medal was given only to soldiers that had been injured in attack or by the enemy. The medal itself is a gold framed purple heart with a sketch of George Washington in gold in the center. The reason for George Washington being in the center is because he was the one who came up with the idea for the medal. It is certainly a fitting award as those soldiers had been injured for their country.
The highest level award given was the Congressional Medal of Honor. Any recipient of this medal is highly respected in battle. It is only given to soldiers for extreme bravery beyond ones duties while fighting. The reason for the medal was said by James W. Grimes, “…to promote the efficiency of the Navy…” The medal was later created to be given to all those who qualified and not just those in the Navy. Those who received the medal had truly been given a great honor.
The Korean War was certainly not an easy fight. In the end it gave freedom and democracy to many, but the fight it took to get there was immensely difficult. Everyone suffered from it economically, politically, emotionally, and even physically. The pain and suffering, however, brought freedom and justice to many.

Bibliography

Book Resources:

1. Burton I. Kaufman, The Korean Conflict, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 1999
2. James L. Stokesbury, A Short History of The Korean War, New York, New York, William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1988
3. Bevin Alexander, Korea The First War we Lost, New York, New York, Hippocrene Books, Inc., 1986
4. Harry J. Middleton, The Compact History of The Korean War, New York, Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1965
5. Richard E Ecker, Korean Battle Chronology, Jefferson, north Carolina, McFarland & Company, Inc., 2005

Internet Resources:

1. Wikipedia, “Korean War”, January 31, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War#U.S._intervention, February 4. 2008

2. Korean War Commemoration,“Prisoners of War in the Korean War”,September 30, 2003
http://korea50.army.mil/history/factsheets/pow.shtml, February 4, 2008