The Korean War Tribute

The Korean War Tribute. Dedicated to those who served. We, the Korean Veterans Tribute Committee, designed this tribute to convey to you insight into the hardships and isolation experienced by our troops. The three bronze figures represent bitter cold, extreme heat and seemingly never ending monsoons. They rest on a platform in the shape of the Korean Peninsula – a reminder of the ongoing uneasy truce. The hillside is sculpted to resemble the terraced rice paddies in Korea. , The Korean War began as a civil conflict between communist North Korea and the Republic of Korea to the south. After failed attempts to create insurgencies in South Korea, North Korea troops crossed the 38th parallel, the border between the two nations, in the early hours of June 25, 1950 and invaded South Korea. , Shortly after this event, U.S. President Harry Truman, with the support of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, ordered General of the Army Douglas MacArthur to use whatever force was necessary to aid the South Koreans. This resolution marked the first time in the UN's short history that the use of force in answer to another country's aggression was authorized. , United Nations countries participating in the Korean War , United States ★ Republic of Korea ★Canada ★United Kingdom ★Turkey ★Australia ★France ★Philippines ★New Zealand ★Thailand ★Ethiopia ★Greece ★Columbia ★Belgium ★Luxembourg ★South Africa ★ Netherlands ★ Denmark ★ India ★ Italy ★ Norway ★ Sweden , ---1950---. June . North Korea invades South Korea and captures the city of Seoul , July . Gen. Douglas MacArthur named commander of the United Nations Forces , Task Force Smith with 406 U.S. Soldiers arrive in Korea to delay the main advance of 5,000 Soldiers of the North Korean Peoples Army , August . Defense of Pusan Perimeter , ---1950---. September . U.S. Inchon landing , UN troops complete recapture of Seoul , October . U.N. forces advance into North Korea across the 38th parallel , Chinese Communists troops cross Yalu River into Korea , UN forces capture Pyonyang, the North Korean capital , ---1950---. November . First all-jet air combat in history near Sinuisu , Battle of Chosin Reservoir , Chinese forces entered the war attacking in force near Unsan with 120,000 troops , General Douglas MacArthur's final "Home by Christmas" offensive begins , Breakout from Chosin Reservoir, Koto-re , ---1951---. January . Communist forces oust United Nations forces, recapture Seoul , February . Battle of Chipyong-Ni , March . U.S. forces retake Seoul , April . President Truman appoints Gen Ridgeway as U.N. commander, replacing Gen MacArthur , ---1951---. May . Americans first jet ace of the war , July . Truce talks begin , August . Battle of Bloody Ridge , September . Battle of Heartbreak Ridge , First helicopter deployment of a combat unit , ---1952---. April . Cruiser Saint Paul engaged in gunfight , May . Raid on Agok , July . Battle for Old Baldy , August . War's largest air raid bombing, Pyongyang in 1,403 plane assault , ---1952---. September . Largest all Navy raid. A total of 144 planes from three aircraft carriers destroy the oil refinery at Aoji , October . U.S. breaks off truce talks , Battle of the Hook , December . Battle of T-Bone Hill , , ---1953---. January . 270,000 Chinese and N. Korean troops man enemy lines , March . Heaviest Naval bombardment of the war is directed at Kaesong , April . Battle of Pork Chop Hill , Truce talks resume , , ---1953---. July . Battle of Kumsong River Salient , Last Communist offensive , Final U.S. ground combat. Heavy enemy (3,000 men) attack is launched in the Berlin Complex ("Boulder City") area held by the 7th and 1st Marine Regiments. Last Marine ground actions of the war are fought on Hills 111 and 119. TF77 planes fly 538 offensive sorties and 62 defensive sorties, a record number for a single day , , United States Military Branches Serving in Korea , United States Army . United States Air Force . United States Coast Guard . United States Navy . United States Marine Corps , As General Taylor told his troops, the cease-fire did not mean that the war was over; it was a "suspension of hostilities an interruption of the shooting." And so it remains today. , Representatives of the UN and the Korean People's Army continue to meet in the Joint Security Area nicknamed "Truce Village" at Panmunjon. There has never been a formal peace treaty. Thus an armistice designed to last 90 days has endured for over 50 years. , ---1953---. July 27 . Armistice signed , Last U.S. casualties: 5 GIs killed near Ansan, NK , September . Operation Big Switch: Last of 1,597 U.S. POWs released , , Since the Civil War, we fought the bloodiest war of our history. , United Nations Forces Peak Strength: 1.2 million , United Nations Forces Casualties: 1.2 to 1.8 million , United States Forces Peak Strength: 480,000 , Casualties: 36,574 , Wounded: 103,284 , Missing in Action: 4,578 , Prisoners of War: 7,245 , , "Most people weren't even aware of where Korea was. They don't seem very concerned about it. You've got to remember that this is in the shadows of world war two. , Sometimes, it seems like the only guys who remember it are the guys who were there." , --- Joe Ohman , , "After years of constant earsplitting noise, the cease fire suddenly came with an amazing silence." , --- Gary Corey, WI , "By the time I left the Pusan Perimeter, I had learned one lesson very well. War is not like the movies. In movies, guns never overheat. Ammunition never runs out." , --- Leroy Eaton, IN , , Missing in Action , "It is one thing to die for your country. It has an ending. It is another to just disappear from the face of the earth, leaving no trace of a life that held so much promise. To be forgotten as if his life did not matter. This is not right." , --- Dan O'Keefe , , "While my tour of duty during the Conflict did not take me to Korea, I am proud to have served during that time, helping to ensure a world free from fear. I salute those men and women who did endure the fighting, the cold and miseries associated with it. I want to remember those who received wounds and those who gave their lives for the sake of a free world." , --- Bob Berglund, WI , , "This tribute is all we can give to those who served in this unforgettable conflict and to those who gave their lives in payment for the freedom we enjoy today." , --- Allen Jensen, WI , "The Korean War: Forgotten Soldiers of a Forgotten War... no longer forgotten." , --- Martin J. O'Brien