pect the authority of the president. I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was.”
Over the next three years, the front lines ebbed and flowed. Fighting took place in often deplorable conditions; winter battles being the worst. There were stories of atrocities, horrors for prisoners of war, brainwashing, and a conflict nearly forgotten in the U.S. One reason was there was no clear goal other than containment. The same effect would haunt the US in Vietnam. To fight a limited war with limited political aims would end with limited results. In the US, the Korean War has become known as the Forgotten War. With over 50,000 US dead and 5000 still missing, it still remains a footnote in most U.S. History textbooks.
In 1953, an armistice was signed temporarily ending the fighting. A demilitarized zone was established and for 57 years now, both sides stand waiting for the war to start back up again. Kim Il Song has been replaced by his son, Kim Jong Il. Now, with sabers rattling, will a new Korean conflict arise? The days ahead will only reveal how South Korea and the world reacts to the aggressive actions of the North. This time, things are a little different. Unlike in 1950, the Chinese are now perturbed with North Korea rather than seeing them as their Communist brethren. China has more in common, culturally and economically, with the capitalist South than with North.Will the U.N. be the pulpit for South Korea or will they take matters into their own hands?
For several years now, Kim Jong Il and North Korea have been fighting a propaganda war. Stories of hunger, malnutrition, starvation, droughts, and nuclear weapons seep out of the country. What happens inside the borders of North Korea is a mystery to most. Recent images of nuclear facilities, Kim Jong Il’s son, missile tests, and cartoons are not easing tensions any time soon. Historically, Kim Jong Il may be batty. He may have weapons. He may be stupid enough to try to use them. Whether anything will be effective will be another matter.
How President Obama will react is another story altogether…if the U.S. even does anything.
Here is an excellent video on the first conflict.
Here is the Dogfight series…Also very good!
National Geographic Special