South Korea, a Grateful Friend

Had it not been for U.S. Armed forces under the initial direction of General Douglas MacArthur in the early 1950's, South Korea would have been overrun and absorbed by North Korean communist forces goaded on by the U.S.S.R. (the former Russian empire), with the support of communist China.

Without our help and that of other U.N. forces, the now vibrant and prosperous nation of South Korea might be non-existent, and its people living under the repressive umbrella of the failed communist regime which governs the north of the Korean peninsula today.

South Korea, with Seoul as its capital, lies below the infamous 38th parallel which partitions the two countries in half. It is a nation which does not need to be reminded of its friendship with America. Nor do South Koreans equivocate about the value of that relationship.

Their freedom was obtained at the price 54,246 American dead; 103,284 wounded; 7,140 captured; and 8,177 missing in action. Those numbers are engraved in stone on the grounds of the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Total casualties for all U.N. forces, including Koreans, were even greater.

The Korean conflict – dubbed "The Forgotten War" -- was a nasty, dirty affair whose ultimate political purpose, like that of Vietnam, was never clearly articulated by Washington. Yet South Koreans proudly have no reservations in expressing their gratitude for the American support that provided their freedom then and which guarantees it now.

If only certain of our leaders in Washington felt as unapologetic about the quality of the American character as they.

Photo Note:  South Korea Gratefully Commemorates its American Ally at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. (by Dick Bergeron)