thedrifter
09-14-08, 08:03 AM
Korean conflict changed way wars are waged
By BILL VARGO
Times Columnist | Sunday, September 14, 2008
Largely forgotten in the celebrations of the World War II generation and the successes of that Great War are the struggles that ensued after the Japanese surrender in September 1945.
Many veterans would come back to a hero's welcome and take their places in the booming postwar economy. There were roads and houses to be built and money to be made after all those desperate years of the Depression and the war.
It would take a great deal of vigilance and determination after World War II to contain the threats to our national security and in 1950 the brightest and most intense flame of that unease was on the Korean Peninsula. Korea had been partitioned as part of the negotiations to end World War II, with the United States gaining influence over South Korea (below the 38th Parallel) and the Soviet Union gaining influence over the North.
Containing the Soviet threat was particularly important in light of the peninsula's proximity to Japan and the investment the United States had made in rebuilding it. Tensions built up over the latter part of the 1940s and by June 1950, they were at a full boil with both sides of the peninsula claiming the other had crossed the 38th Parallel. With both sides looking to reunify under their respective regimes, the tinderbox was set for a spark.
On June 25, 1950, that box was lit by an invasion by North Korean forces across the 38th Parallel. With an aggressive attack by the North, the South was on its heels from the start. The United Nations condemned the invasion, sans the Soviet Union, which was boycotting U.N. proceedings. By September, the coalition of South Korean, U.S. and U.N. forces were pushed to the southeast corner of the Korean Peninsula, about 10 percent of the island controlled by their forces.
Young Marines like East Chicago's Eliseo Castaneda would land on that rugged peninsula and assert the will of our nation on that land and lay the groundwork for the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s. In a few weeks, I will present Castaneda's story. That will be my honor - a special thank you for his service to our nation.
In late August and early September during the war, supplies and reinforcements began pouring into the island by way of U.S. bases in Japan. Thus began the Battle of Incheon on Sept. 15, 1950. The invasion by coalition forces met light resistance by the North Koreans, as they were unaware of the months-long preparation going on in support of this operation.
The fighting would go on for nearly three more years - much of it performed by brave U.S. veterans fighting on rugged terrain against North Korea with the support of Chinese troops and Soviet supplies.
Symbolically, the Korean War would be the bridge from one war to the beginning of a series of proxy wars that would stretch well into the latter part of the 20th century. But it also marked the end of another era, the age of General MacArthur and soldiers from his era.
He would not retain command of forces in the Pacific to the end of the war. The realities of the Cold War would render the old way of waging war obsolete.
- Bill Vargo is a longtime Highland resident. The opinions expressed are his own. Contact him at billvargo@yahoo.com.
Ellie
By BILL VARGO
Times Columnist | Sunday, September 14, 2008
Largely forgotten in the celebrations of the World War II generation and the successes of that Great War are the struggles that ensued after the Japanese surrender in September 1945.
Many veterans would come back to a hero's welcome and take their places in the booming postwar economy. There were roads and houses to be built and money to be made after all those desperate years of the Depression and the war.
It would take a great deal of vigilance and determination after World War II to contain the threats to our national security and in 1950 the brightest and most intense flame of that unease was on the Korean Peninsula. Korea had been partitioned as part of the negotiations to end World War II, with the United States gaining influence over South Korea (below the 38th Parallel) and the Soviet Union gaining influence over the North.
Containing the Soviet threat was particularly important in light of the peninsula's proximity to Japan and the investment the United States had made in rebuilding it. Tensions built up over the latter part of the 1940s and by June 1950, they were at a full boil with both sides of the peninsula claiming the other had crossed the 38th Parallel. With both sides looking to reunify under their respective regimes, the tinderbox was set for a spark.
On June 25, 1950, that box was lit by an invasion by North Korean forces across the 38th Parallel. With an aggressive attack by the North, the South was on its heels from the start. The United Nations condemned the invasion, sans the Soviet Union, which was boycotting U.N. proceedings. By September, the coalition of South Korean, U.S. and U.N. forces were pushed to the southeast corner of the Korean Peninsula, about 10 percent of the island controlled by their forces.
Young Marines like East Chicago's Eliseo Castaneda would land on that rugged peninsula and assert the will of our nation on that land and lay the groundwork for the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s. In a few weeks, I will present Castaneda's story. That will be my honor - a special thank you for his service to our nation.
In late August and early September during the war, supplies and reinforcements began pouring into the island by way of U.S. bases in Japan. Thus began the Battle of Incheon on Sept. 15, 1950. The invasion by coalition forces met light resistance by the North Koreans, as they were unaware of the months-long preparation going on in support of this operation.
The fighting would go on for nearly three more years - much of it performed by brave U.S. veterans fighting on rugged terrain against North Korea with the support of Chinese troops and Soviet supplies.
Symbolically, the Korean War would be the bridge from one war to the beginning of a series of proxy wars that would stretch well into the latter part of the 20th century. But it also marked the end of another era, the age of General MacArthur and soldiers from his era.
He would not retain command of forces in the Pacific to the end of the war. The realities of the Cold War would render the old way of waging war obsolete.
- Bill Vargo is a longtime Highland resident. The opinions expressed are his own. Contact him at billvargo@yahoo.com.
Ellie