Within a few short years of our young men being home and
restarting their lives, the United States found themselves involved in the
Korean War from 1950-1953. What brought us to this point once again? Why did we
allow ourselves to get involved in another countries civil war?
North Korea was backed by the Soviet communist dictatorship
while South Korea was against communism hence the civil war. The United States
and the UN decided to intervene and help South Korea. This wasn’t a new battle
for Korea it was something they had been batting with on and off for many
years. At one point Koreans fighting with Chinese against Japan fought Koreans
who were collaborating with Japan. Things didn’t improve after WWII.
In 1945 just a few days after the bombings in Japan measures
were taken by two US Army officers drawing a line now known as the 38th
parallel in Korea. It was a line drawn in the sand, on the map, however you want
to look at it, in which it divided North and South Korea. A line which not only
divided the country in half, but separated families at the same time with the
North side being temporarily occupied by the Soviet Union and the South by the
United States. Over the next few years rebellions surged. The United States saw
this as a communist threat which led to us providing military support and
equipment in hopes of stopping the rebellions.
The United States didn’t belong there. President Truman by
passed Congress and with the backing of the UN entered the Korean Civil War.
Although we sent out military there it was never called a war, instead Truman
referred to it as a “police action.” Our soldiers had no idea what they were
doing there. They didn’t feel wanted they felt more like they were intruding in
a family feud and were treated that way by the locals.
Although there was never a treaty signed at the ending of
the war there was a cease-fire signed and everything went back to things as
usual. In other words there was no winner, everyone lost. The number of lives
lost was a staggering five million people with most of them being civilians. I
could go on with more about what happened during and after this conflict but I
won’t.
Instead I want to tell you about those who served in our
military at that time. Just a few years earlier at the end of WWII when our
military returned home they were cheered and celebrated. There was patriotism
pouring out of everyone’s heart and home. It wasn’t the same for those who
returned from Korea. Men and women who were only out there doing the job their
government sent them to do were looked
down upon for wearing the uniform so revered in the past.
The sad thing is there was a large number of the 1.8 million
veterans who served in WWII during the final months sent to fight in Korea
according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our Korean War veterans
struggled with attitudes from Americans when they returned home. They had the
same struggles as veterans returning home from WWII but instead of their jobs
being there waiting for them they faced more unemployment struggles then those
returning from WWII. They were met with family dilemmas because readjustment
into society was harder. People couldn’t accept their participation in the
conflict. After all, no one won, so the mindset was, we went there for nothing.
It was the first action the United
States had taken that wasn’t classified as a war.
What we, as Americans, seemed to forget was, no matter what
the reasons were our military was deployed, they fought, they served, they
followed orders, and they saw things they wish they never had. They faced the same
struggles as those returning from WWII only a few years earlier but without the
compassion and understanding. Many soldiers who fought in Korea died from
frostbite even before reaching the battlefields because of temperatures
dropping below zero. Not being recognized or greeted as American heroes and
shown compassion by their fellow Americans was not only heart breaking but
played on the minds of many of these Korean Veterans. Imagine how ignored,
defeated, and even guilty they felt for doing the job they were ordered to do. Our
Korean veterans came home a forgotten breed.
Some of the illnesses these brave service members faced were
frostbit, immersion foot or trench foot, hypothermia, and non-freezing cold
injuries. Besides being at high risk for cold injuries these veterans faced a
higher risk for asbestos and PCP exposure, radiation, and other occupational
hazards. Many suffered long term and even severe health conditions for years
and for some decades after the original exposure. Today the government
recognizes that many cancers and other medical conditions caused by these
occupational hazards are, in fact, service related, but why does it always take
so long for them to put two and two together?
Why are our Veterans treated as just another piece of
military equipment? To all those who have severed this country with pride
regardless of the war or police action they were deployed to I beg you to reach
out to organizations who will fight for you. For those who served in the Korean
War check with the Korean War Veterans Associations, the DAV, and even the VA.
There is help from Silver Star Families of America who are there to help the
wounded, disabled, ill or dying veterans from all branches of the service.
There is an organization set up to help those who are looking for details and
information about POW’s and MIA’s so check with the Korea-Cold War Families of
the Missing. They will be more than willing to help assist the family members
of these veterans. Don’t give up just because of all the red tape. Make a list
of what needs to be addressed and fight for what is rightfully yours.
Our Veterans are not asking for a handout. They are asking
for help because when our government said they needed them, our service members
took up arms, no questions asked. Trusted their government to take care of them
and for the people of this great nation to stand behind them. No veteran
deserves to be forgotten, and no veteran deserves to be ignored by our
government or those at the VA who were put there to help them. The resources
are there you just may have to push the envelope a little and fight for what is
rightfully yours. Sad to say but even after all the time our veterans served
their country, so many years later, they are still fighting the fight.
May God Bless America and all our amazing service members,
past, present, and yet to come!
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