Korea The Forgotten War
General Eisenhower helped clear the way by strongly recommending that
women become a part of the U.S. Military. He was backed by several other
senior officers who had worked with women during WWII and had nothing
but praise for their efforts. On the 12th of June, then President Harry
Truman signed on the dotted line, putting Public Law 625, The Women's
Armed Services Act of 1948 in to effect. A law that today would be
laughed out of town, it was so full of loopholes and strange parameters.
But it opened the door for dedicated women to serve their country in
peace time. One thing it did not do, that is often misinterpreted, is create
separate women's branches, corps or forces. The only unit to retain that
distinction was the WAC. The rest of the women in the other branches of
service were, for all intents, but not every purpose, fully integrated. Or so
the law implied. It just didn't happen that way.
Two years later, in June of 1950, as the overall numbers for women in the
military dropped to a post war low, the North Korean Communists crossed
the 38th parallel, starting what is now remembered as The Forgotten War.
Over fifty thousand American lives were lost over a country we had never
heard of before, in a conflict termed a limited war. President Truman
ordered troops into South Korea and within a few days the Army Nurse
Corps was also there. To many of you the word MASH means a long
running hit television program from the '70s. To the hundreds of women
who served in Korea at the real Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, it was no
party. To the hundreds of women who flew air evacuation, caring for the
wounded during every bumpy air mile, it was no luxury flight.
Air Evac Flight
During the Korean era over 120, 000 women were on active duty. In
addition to the nurses actually in Korea, many women served at support
units nearby, in Japan and other far eastern countries. Yet in researching
women in war, and surfing the Internet for more information, it appears
that the women who served during this campaign have become as
forgotten as the war itself. Many of the web pages highlighting the Korean
Conflict fail to mention them. We know they were there.
In time of danger and not before
Women were added to the corps
With the danger over and all well righted
War is forgotten and the women slighted.
women become a part of the U.S. Military. He was backed by several other
senior officers who had worked with women during WWII and had nothing
but praise for their efforts. On the 12th of June, then President Harry
Truman signed on the dotted line, putting Public Law 625, The Women's
Armed Services Act of 1948 in to effect. A law that today would be
laughed out of town, it was so full of loopholes and strange parameters.
But it opened the door for dedicated women to serve their country in
peace time. One thing it did not do, that is often misinterpreted, is create
separate women's branches, corps or forces. The only unit to retain that
distinction was the WAC. The rest of the women in the other branches of
service were, for all intents, but not every purpose, fully integrated. Or so
the law implied. It just didn't happen that way.
Two years later, in June of 1950, as the overall numbers for women in the
military dropped to a post war low, the North Korean Communists crossed
the 38th parallel, starting what is now remembered as The Forgotten War.
Over fifty thousand American lives were lost over a country we had never
heard of before, in a conflict termed a limited war. President Truman
ordered troops into South Korea and within a few days the Army Nurse
Corps was also there. To many of you the word MASH means a long
running hit television program from the '70s. To the hundreds of women
who served in Korea at the real Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, it was no
party. To the hundreds of women who flew air evacuation, caring for the
wounded during every bumpy air mile, it was no luxury flight.
Air Evac Flight
During the Korean era over 120, 000 women were on active duty. In
addition to the nurses actually in Korea, many women served at support
units nearby, in Japan and other far eastern countries. Yet in researching
women in war, and surfing the Internet for more information, it appears
that the women who served during this campaign have become as
forgotten as the war itself. Many of the web pages highlighting the Korean
Conflict fail to mention them. We know they were there.
In time of danger and not before
Women were added to the corps
With the danger over and all well righted
War is forgotten and the women slighted.
The pilots of the United States Air Force were heavily outnumbered and
flew an airplane that in many ways was inferior to the MiG-15s flown by
their Communist adversaries. Nor could they pursue the MiGs into their
sanctuaries beyond the Yalu River. Nonetheless, they built up an
impressive combat record. They included old hands from World War Two
like Gabby Gabreski, John Bolt, and Bud Mahurin; newcomers like Hal
Fischer and Pete Fernandez; and future astronauts like John Glenn, Buzz
Aldrin, and Wally Schirra. Forty American fighter pilots achieved the
coveted status of ace in Korea. While USAF pilots dominated the ranks of
'aces', Navy and Marine aviators also carried out much of the
unglamorous, but deadly bombing and ground-attack missions of the
conflict.
flew an airplane that in many ways was inferior to the MiG-15s flown by
their Communist adversaries. Nor could they pursue the MiGs into their
sanctuaries beyond the Yalu River. Nonetheless, they built up an
impressive combat record. They included old hands from World War Two
like Gabby Gabreski, John Bolt, and Bud Mahurin; newcomers like Hal
Fischer and Pete Fernandez; and future astronauts like John Glenn, Buzz
Aldrin, and Wally Schirra. Forty American fighter pilots achieved the
coveted status of ace in Korea. While USAF pilots dominated the ranks of
'aces', Navy and Marine aviators also carried out much of the
unglamorous, but deadly bombing and ground-attack missions of the
conflict.
| The United States and Korea In the quarter century before the Japanese take-over, the United States showed a mild interest in Korea and made some effort to support Korean independence, at least in principle. In 1882, an American naval officer, Commodore Robert W. Shufeldt, negotiated a commercial treaty with the Korean Emperor. The result of four years' effort, this treaty was achieved through the reluctant good offices of the Chinese Government. It provided for exchange of diplomatic representatives, protection of navigation and of United States citizens, extraterritoriality, and trade under a most-favored nation clause. The treaty could have given the United States overriding influence in Korea. But when the Emperor sought an American foreign affairs adviser and Army military advisers, the United States moved slowly. The matter dragged on for several years. The American representative in Korea repeatedly appealed to Washington for action. Although requested in 1884, military advisers reached Korea only in 1888. The United States treated Korea casually in the late 19th century. Its only significance lay in the effect it had upon relationships with other major powers in the Far East. According to one authority, the Korean Government was in the position of an incompetent defective not yet committed to guardianship. The United States was her only disinterested friend-but had no intention of becoming her guardian. When the Japanese took over Korea, the United States made no objection. President Theodore Roosevelt remarked, We cannot possibly interfere for the Koreans against Japan. ... They could not strike one blow in their own defense. On 29 July 1905, Secretary of War William H. Taft negotiated a secret agreed memorandum with the Japanese Prime Minister. The United States approved Japan's suzerainty over Korea in return for its pledge not to interfere with American interests in the Philippine Islands. The Korean Emperor's appeal to the United States for help under the good offices& clauses of the Shufeldt Treaty fell on deaf ears. Korea 1945 When World War II began, Korea was regarded by the Allies as a victim of, not a party to, Japanese aggression. One of the earliest signs that the Allied Powers were concerned about Korea appeared in a joint statement by the United States, China, and Great Britain in December 1943, after the Cairo Conference, which said "The aforesaid three great powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent." Sharp differences between north and south had traditionally been part of the Korean scene. South Koreans considered their northern neighbors crude and culturally backward. North Koreans viewed southerners as lazy schemers. During the Japanese occupation Koreans in the north had been much less tractable than those in the south. Differences in farming accounted for some of the social differences in the two zones. A dry-field type of farming in the north opposed a rice-culture area in the south to produce marked variations in points of view. In the south were more small farms and a high tenancy rate, while in the north larger farms and more owner-farmers prevailed. Those differences the 38th Parallel promised to exacerbate. |
Korean Service Medal and Ribbon
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