`FORGOTTEN WAR' VETS FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
It's been called the ``Forgotten War'' - one without the patriotism of World War II or the controversy of Vietnam. Yet more than 33,600 Americans were killed and 103,000 were wounded during the three-year-long Korean War Korean War, conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet (North Korean) and U.S. (South Korean) zones of occupation. that ended 50 years ago today. Of the 7,000 U.S. troops taken prisoner, fewer than half made it out alive. And 8,177 Americans are still listed as missing in action. Barry Jones Barry Jones may refer to the following:
An unincorporated community of southern California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Population: 56,100. . They didn't come home to glory and parades, like the guys did at the end of World War II End of World War II can refer to:
No, the young men who fought in the Korean War - a war that ended in a cease-fire without a winner or loser - came home to find a country in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a post-World War II economic boom. ``It was like there was no war to them,'' says Shiraga, who was sent home in late 1951 after being wounded at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir The Battle of Chosin Reservoir was a battle in the Korean War, in which 30,000 United Nations troops (nicknamed the "Frozen Chosin" or "The Chosin Few") under the command of American General Douglas MacArthur faced approximately 60,000 Chinese volunteers. , where 15,000 allied ground troops battled 150,000 Chinese communist soldiers in below-freezing temperatures in North Korea. ``My friends were getting killed in Korea, and I felt angry and disappointed with the American people An American people may be:
On the 50th anniversary of the war's end, the bitterness is long gone from these men now in their mid- to late-70s. It's been replaced with a well-deserved pride that they went to fight when their country needed them, even if the people back home never really understood or appreciated it. Many of them, like 78-year-old Lyon, went twice - four years in World War II, and two more in Korea. The Thousand Oaks veteran, who also fought at Chosin Reservoir, has lost any bitterness he had coming home to a country that didn't seem to care. But there's a big difference in people not caring 50 years ago, and people not knowing now, Lyon said. When they are out in public together, the members of the Chosin Few - a fraternity of honor for the men who fought at Chosin Reservoir - proudly wear a crisp white shirt, red tie, and blue blazer and service cap with their medals on them. ``We had a reunion in Portland about five years ago, and a bunch of us were coming out of a restaurant when some young people stopped to ask who were were,'' Lyon said. ``Korean War veterans ≈The last U.S. Korean War veteran on active duty was Lt.Col Don Byers, US Army, who retired in 1992
The people looked back at them with a blank stare on their faces. They'd heard of World War II and Vietnam, but the Korean War? When was that fought? ``I think they call it the forgotten war because it was the first war we didn't win,'' says Swanson, who took advantage of the GI Bill to further his education and become an attorney. Maybe if we had won it, instead of settling for an armistice Armistice (Nov. 11, 1918) Agreement between Germany and the Allies ending World War I. Allied representatives met with a German delegation in a railway carriage at Rethondes, France, to discuss terms. The agreement was signed on Nov. , it would have been different, the men say. ``I can look back on it now with a better appreciation of the political aspects of the war, especially after Vietnam,'' Lyon says. ``It's all so pointless if you're not there to win.'' Jones, a retired homicide investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. , agrees. ``We should have stayed and finished the job,'' he says. ``After all these years, to still have American troops in Korea is ridiculous.'' You can't change history and the vets aren't going to try. But they do want us to remember a few things about their forgotten war before their weekend on the nation's front pages is over. For one thing, freedom isn't free, they say. It's costly as hell. ``A lot of young men died for freedom - in the mud, rain and freezing cold of Korea - and people should remember them,'' Jones said. ``Maybe we could start by teaching more of this history in schools.'' Also, we should never stop trying to account for the more than 8,000 GIs who fought in Korea and are still listed as missing in action. And finally, don't let what happened to them happen to our young men and women fighting for peace around the world right now. ``These kids are doing a hell of a job for this country, just like we did 50 years ago,'' Forrester said. That's all they're asking the country today, say the men who served in the forgotten war. Remember, please. Freedom isn't free. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Korean War veterans, from left, Don Lyon, Barry Jones, Walt Swanson, Duke Forrester and Roy Shiraga want people to understand their long-ago fight for freedom. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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