Unfortunately, the Korean War gets lost between WWII and Viet Nam. We need to remember that in the Korean War, over 33,000 Americans were killed in action and over 150,000 suffered casualties. For the men who suffered loss of limbs or other long term ailments, for the families whose father or son would never again come home, we cannot afford to forget these soldiers.

The Korean War was a conflict between North and South Korea. North Korea was communist, while South Korea was anti-communist. The Korean conflict was closely related to the Cold War between the United States and Russia.

South Korea's allies included: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other nations under the aegis of the United Nations. North Korea's allies included China and the Soviet Union.

The conflict was termed a police action in the United States, under the United Nations, rather than a war, which would require of Congress to make a declaration of war.

The Korean War took place on the Korean peninsula and resulted in the continuation of Korea as a divided nation. US casualties in the war were 136, 935, while Korean casualties were 600,000.

From 1910 until 1945 and the end of WWII, Korea was a Japanese colony. At the end of WWII, Korea was divided, with the northern half under the Soviet Union, while the southern half fell under the United States. Though the Allies pledged that Korea would be unified, details of the unification were never specified.

In 1948, an election was held by the UN but the Soviet Union forbade the people of North Korea to vote in the election and instead, the Soviet Union assigned control of North Korea to the North Korean Communist Party under Kim II Sung, then an exile in Moscow.

Kim II Sung convinced Moscow to support him in a war to gain control over South Korea, bringing them under communist control. Thus began the Korean War.

North Korean forces advanced upon South Korea 25 Jun 1950, empowered with Soviet equipment and enormous manpower, their surprise attack crushed their unprepared adversaries. The South Koreans retreated hastily and the North Koreans captured Seoul in early July.

On the 27th of June 1950, President Truman ordered US Air Force and the US Navy to help South Korea repel the North Koreans. On the 30th of June 1950, the first American ground troops, then stationed in Japan, were sent to Korea.

On the 15th of September 1950, the Navy enabled an amphibious landing at Inchon. Within a few days the North Korean army was disintegrating as it made a retreat. As the ground forces moved north along the Korean coast, hampered by a shortage of mine clearance assets, the Navy opened new ports at Chinnampo on the west coast and Wonsan, Hungnam, I won and Songji in the east. Supplies and fresh forces were arriving in abundance.

From offshore, US and British Naval forces fired airborne weapons and naval gunfire upon enemy targets. The forces were provided in such abundance that some were sent home.

The war ended with a cease fire, which was signed 27 July 1953.

Our family member in the Korean War:

James Dee Irwin, US Navy

(While James Dee Irwin was not actually involved in the Korean Conflict, he was stationed in China during the time when the United States was anxious to protect American interests in Asia.)