The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and an Armistice was signed on July 27, 1953 ending the bodily conflict.
During that time, the real struggle was never about the operate of this hill or that hill. Rather, it was about the system of national self-determination and of relaxation from oppression. Valiantly, American soldiers, along with comrades in arms from South Korea and eighteen other nations secured the relaxation of millions of South Korean civilians from Communist oppression.
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From June 1950 through June 1951, the Korean War was characterized as opposing armies sweeping up and down the distance of the Korean peninsula, and the war, also known as the Korean Conflict, was described as chaotic and very bloody. However, this war of movement virtually ended on July 10, 1951 when representatives from the warring parties met to negotiate an end to the war. While the two important parties to the conflict, [the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (Rok or South Korea)], were more than willing to fight to the death, their supporters, specifically [the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union on the one hand, and the United States and the United Nations (Un) on the other side] were not.
Twelve months of bloody fighting had convinced Mao Tse-tung, Joseph V. Stalin, and Harry S. Truman that it was no longer in their respective national interests to try and win a total victory in Korea. The costs in terms of men and material were too great, as were the risks that the friction might escalate into a wider global conflagration. Nevertheless, it took two more years for the bloody Korean friction to come to an end through an business transaction to disagree with no side easily "winning." Although many focus on the first year of the Korean Conflict, bloody fighting persisted throughout and half of our dead were killed after truce talks began at Panmunjom. The last two months of the war have been described as the most horrific of the whole Conflict.
Fortunately, however, an Armistice was signed on July 27, 1953 which ended the fighting in Korea, but it did not truly end the war. It reflected the realization by all parties that neither side had whether the will or the means to strength the other to bow to its political agenda. Hence the warring parties agreed to disagree, stop shooting, and to change the war from the battlefield to the diplomatic field.
Consequently, the Armistice (a cease fire) was just that in this case - a temporary cease fire - and not a treaty of peace. As a result, the friction has prolonged with sporadic incidents and border clashes for half a century. The inability of the two sides to resolve their differences has meant that North and South Korea, along with their allies, have had to remain on a war footing along the inter-Korean border ever since. Fifty years after the North Korean invasion, Communist and United Nations soldiers still glare at each other over the demilitarized zone established in July 1953. Together with the South Koreans, U.S. Army troops continue to make up the bulk of the Un contingent in Korea. We have two troops bases in South Korea - Kunsan Air Base and Osan Air Base. The burdens of protecting South Korea from the threat of renewed Communist aggression over the past half-century have been great for the United States. Billions of dollars have been spent and some additional lives have been lost, the latter as a follow of sporadic Communist violations of the cease fire. Yet, by standing unswervingly behind its commitments, the United States in general, and the millions of men and women of the United States armed troops who have served their country in Korea since 1953 in particular, have guaranteed that the sacrifices made by thousands of other American fighting men while the Korean War were not made in vain.
Recently, however, on October 10, 2010, I watched parts of the televised coverage of a gigantic troops parade in Pyongyang held to mark the 65th anniversary of North Korea's ruling party. The official news agency said the parade showed "the will and might of Songun Korea to wipe out the enemy." The hardware was accompanied by slogans such as "Defeat the U.S. Military. U.S. Soldiers are the Korean People's Army's enemy." Additionally, North Korea reportedly has over a million active duty troops personnel at the ready. It was unnerving to see the size of just part of their army and the discipline it displayed at the parade. As a Vietnam-era veteran myself, I understand that discipline.
So, it is understandable why the United States hastily rushed to the aid of the South Koreans in this most recent attack where four South Koreans died as a follow of North Korea shelling Yeonpyeong Island. The troops command in Pyongyang warned the South to halt troops drills in the area, agreeing to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters, albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the small island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean troops installations and a small civilian population. The United States deployed an aircraft carrier to the Yellow Sea for joint troops maneuvers with South Korea. As a result, China has called for a "lowering of the temperature" to avoid an escalation of things.
In reality however, Kim Jong-il, the North Korean President has been itching for a fight. He has approximately been in the streets calling the U.S. On, and we must never forget the Korean's willingness to fight to the death. Today, the danger lies in the distinction of mindsets. Americans, when attacked, retaliate significantly and then that's the end of it, but other cultures do not operate that way. The fight is not over until "they" win. And the North Koreans were known to be quite brutal while the Korean Conflict.
As with any war, the lives of the soldiers who fought in the Korean friction changed forever. This new encounter is important to me because men like my father, who was said to be a good man before he went to Korea returned home and was never the same. North Korea's murderous acts and just war in general affected him deeply. He became an alcoholic and deserted his family. This adds to my concerns about other families that may be affected by today's conflict.
These factors interrogate America's realization that the Armistice naturally afforded North Korea time to regroup. This generation of Americans must put in order itself for a distinct type of enemy - an enemy who has been oppressed with nothing to lose. Clearly, North Korea never forgot and their intent has all the time been to bring it to us again on someone else day. Unfortunately for the United States, it appears that day may be upon us. Timing is everything, and in spite of the strong American spirit to prevail we must unify. A new Korean friction could do more than shut down our government like some politicians seem to be trying to accomplish lately. It could be the catalyst of our countries' downfall. Currently, with factors against us like Iraq, Afghanistan, maintaining homeland security, a weak cheaper and our indebtedness to China, a new war is the last thing we need.
The Bible teaches us to watch for events of this nature as a precursor to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Believers in Christ, we are to look up because our redemption is at hand. Nevertheless, until that time, regardless of who the President is, All Americans need to come together; and, right now, prayer is of the essence.
Suggested Reading:
To educate yourself additional on the Korean war and the mindset of this enemy read "Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's most Untold Story--The Epic Stand of the Marines of George Company" written by Patrick K. O'Donnell. Click here to passage book details.
References:
Years of Stalemate
The Korean Conflict: Sign of the Times Pointing to the Return of the Lord Jesus ChristSee Also : todays world news headlines
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