@roleerob was proud that his ancestors fought the British king and contributed to American independence. His ancestors participated in the American Civil War.
His sons participated in the war in Iraq.
Americans seem to be proud of their participation in the war.
So, I searched for wars the United States fought with China and Japan in East Asia.
▲ Map showing the main areas of the conflict and Allied landings in the Pacific, 1942–1945
The Second Sino-Japanese War between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China had been in progress since 7 July 1937, with hostilities dating back as far as 19 September 1931 with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.[13] However, it is more widely accepted[f][15] that the Pacific War itself began on 7/8 December 1941, when the Japanese invaded Thailand and attacked the British colonies of Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong as well as the United States military and naval bases in Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam, and the Philippines.[16][17][18]
The American- Japanese War broke out in 1941 when Japan raided Pearl Harbor in the United States. The American victory ended in 1945.
The war resulted in approximately 320,000 casualties in the United States and over 3 million deaths in Japan.
The United States occupied Japan's territory Saipan and Palau.
At the same time, US troops landed in South Korea, the colony of Japan, but Soviet troops occupied North Korea. The United States decided to divide Korea from the Soviet Union to avoid war with the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union, like Germany, proposed that the United States and the Soviet Union take over Japan, but the United States declined.
South Korea occupied by the United States and North Korea occupied by the Soviet Union became hostile to each other.
The possibility of the outbreak of World War III on the Korean Peninsula arises.
▲ Mao Zedong proclaiming the establishment of the PRC in 1949
Major combat in the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 with the Communist Party in control of most of mainland China, and the Kuomintang retreating offshore, reducing its territory to only Taiwan, Hainan, and their surrounding islands. On 21 September 1949, Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China with a speech at the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference[89][90][91] followed by a public proclamation and celebration in Tiananmen Square.[92] In 1950, the People's Liberation Army captured Hainan from the ROC[93] and incorporated Tibet.[94] However, remaining Kuomintang forces continued to wage an insurgency in western China throughout the 1950s.
When Mao Zedong communistized China in 1949, the aftermath of the Communist Revolution came to the Korean Peninsula. Following the Soviet Union, China's birth as the second communist empire increased the likelihood of the outbreak of World War III on the Korean Peninsula.
▲ The Korean War
The Korean War (in South Korean Korean: 한국전쟁; Hanja: 韓國戰爭; RR: Hanguk Jeonjaeng, "Korean War"; in North Korean Korean: 조국해방전쟁; Hanja: 祖國解放戰爭; MR: Choguk haebang chŏnjaeng, "Fatherland Liberation War"; 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953)[45][46][c] was a war between North Korea (with the support of China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (with the support of the United Nations, principally from the United States). The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea.[48][49][50]
At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States liberated Korea from imperial Japanese colonial control on 15 August 1945. After the war had ended, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into two zones of occupation, the Soviets administered the northern half and the Americans administered the southern half. With the border set at the 38th parallel in 1948, two sovereign states were established as a result of geopolitical tensions of the Cold War (between the Soviet Union and the United States). A socialist state was established in the north under the communist leadership of Kim Il-sung and a capitalist state in the south under the anti-communist leadership of Syngman Rhee. Both governments of the two new Korean states claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither accepted the border as permanent.
Eventually, the Korean War broke out as North Korea invaded South Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and China.
South Korea was almost destroyed by North Korea, but the war was reversed by the participation of the United States. The United States had the conquest of North Korea in front of it, but the situation was reversed by China's participation in the war.
▲ A column of the US 1st Marine Division moves through Chinese lines during its breakout from the Chosin Reservoir
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Battle of Jangjin Lake (Korean: 장진호 전투; Hanja: 長津湖戰鬪; RR: Jangjinho jeontu; MR: Changjinho chŏnt'u) was an important battle in the Korean War.[c] The name "Chosin" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation "Chōshin", instead of the Korean pronunciation.[6]
Official Chinese sources refer to this battle as the eastern part of the Second Phase Campaign (or Offensive) (Chinese: 第二次战役东线; pinyin: Dì'èrcì Zhànyì Dōngxiàn). The western half of the Second Phase Campaign resulted in a Chinese victory in the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River.
The battle took place about a month after the People's Republic of China entered the conflict and sent the People's Volunteer Army (PVA) 9th Army[d] to infiltrate the northeastern part of North Korea. On 27 November 1950, the Chinese force surprised the US X Corps commanded by Major General Edward Almond at the Chosin Reservoir area. A brutal 17-day battle in freezing weather soon followed. Between 27 November and 13 December, 30,000[1]:24 United Nations Command troops (later nicknamed "The Chosin Few") under the field command of Major General Oliver P. Smith were encircled and attacked by about 120,000[3] Chinese troops under the command of Song Shilun, who had been ordered by Mao Zedong to destroy the UN forces. The UN forces were nevertheless able to break out of the encirclement and to make a fighting withdrawal to the port of Hungnam, inflicting heavy casualties on the Chinese. US Marine units were supported in their withdrawal by the US Army's Task Force Faith to their east, which suffered heavy casualties and the full brunt of the Chinese offensive. The retreat of the US Eighth Army from northwest Korea in the aftermath of the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River and the evacuation of the X Corps from the port of Hungnam in northeast Korea marked the complete withdrawal of UN troops from North Korea.
The Chinese army first defeated the Korean army and then surrounded the US Marine Division. With 150,000 Chinese troops besieging 30,000 American troops, the worst battles have ever taken place in US Army history.
Koreans call it the Battle of Jangjin Lake (Korean: Battle of Jangjin; Hanja: 長津湖戰鬪; RR: Jangjinho jeontu; MR: Changjinho chŏnt'u).
The US military fought the Chinese red army for the first time in history. The battle took place in The Kaema Plateau, the coldest and highest plateau in Korea.
▲ The Kaema Plateau
The Kaema Plateau is a highland in North Korea. It is surrounded by the Rangrim Mountains, the Macheollyeong Mountains and the Bujeollyeong Mountains. Elevation varies between 700 and 2,000 meters and is approximately 40,000 square kilometers. The Kaema Plateau slopes downward towards the northern border of the People's Republic of China and is the largest tableland in Korea; it is often called "The roof of Korea". In North Korea, the Kaema Plateau is divided into Kaema Plateau, Jagang Plateau, and Baekmu Plateau (in Musan). Up to approximately one million years ago, the Kaema Plateau was an extension of the Manchurian plains, as such the rivers Hochon and Changjin were tributaries of Songhua River, however basalt from Baekdu Mountain accumulated in Changbai Korean Autonomous County, directing the rivers into Amnok River in modern times, consequently valleys were formed by the tributaries in the ensuing millennia. Some flat terrain still remains in some part in southeastern part of the plateau.
The US Marine Division was surrounded by 150,000 Chinese troops in the worst of circumstances, but did not give up.
People all over the world thought the US army would be surrounded by Chinese forces and wiped out.
However, They rooted out the persistent pursuit of the Chinese army and escaped.
The US Marines demonstrated their courage, ability, and fighting spirit in battle with Chinese forces.
The US military demonstrated their mercy while proving their abilities and courage in the first battle with the Chinese.
▲ Demolition charges destroy Hŭngnam port on 24 December 1950. USS Begor is in the foreground.
The Hungnam evacuation (Korean: 흥남 철수 작전; Hanja: 興南撤收作戰), code-named Christmas Cargo, also known as the Miracle of Christmas, was the evacuation of United Nations (UN) forces and North Korean civilians from the port of Hungnam, North Korea, between 15 and 24 December 1950 during the Korean War. Following the defeat of UN forces during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir (27 November to 13 December), by part of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) in the Second Phase Campaign, UN forces had retreated to Hungnam from where they were evacuated to South Korea.
One hundred thousand people who lived under the control of North Korea's communist regime followed American troops. Because they experienced the brutality of communism, they followed the US military to Heungnam.
They asked the US transport fleet to pick them up. Because they rejected communism.
Eventually, the US military throws away cargo and loads refugees.
The refugees were grateful for tears.
The Korean version of Exodus took place.
The Hungnam evacuation (Korean: Operation Heungnam withdrawal; Hanja: 興南撤收作戰) is remembered as a historical event showing American mercy.
In retrospect, the evacuation of X Corps from Hungnam had proved most spectacular as a logistical exercise. While the move could be considered a withdrawal from a hostile shore, neither PVA nor KPA forces had made any serious attempts to disrupt the operation or even to test the shrinking perimeter that protected the loading. Logistical rather than tactical matters therefore had governed the rate of the evacuation. Indeed, X Corps’ redeployment south had been a matter of how rapidly Admiral Doyle's ships could be loaded.[1]:175
A remarkable number of refugees, over 86,000, had been lifted out of Hungnam. Including those evacuated from Wonsan and Songjin, the total number of civilians taken out of northeastern Korea reached 98,100. About the same number had been left behind for lack of shipping space.[1]:174 The evacuation included 14,000 refugees who were transported on one ship, the SS Meredith Victory—the largest evacuation from land by a single ship. This was made possible by a declaration of national emergency by President Truman issued on 16 December 1950 with Presidential Proclamation No. 2914, 3 C.F.R. 99 (1953). Among the civilians evacuated and brought to the South were the future parents of incumbent South Korean President Moon Jae-in.[2][3] Five babies were born on the ships and were nicknamed Kimchi 1–5 by the U.S. sailors.[4][5]
My father served in Korea, perhaps even on one of the ships that evacuated the many Koreans that desperately sought freedom from China.
He has never spoken of it. He never will.
Very moving post, and very informative.
Thanks very much!
Did your father participate in the Korean War?
Koreans are very grateful to your father.
Thanks very much!
Ah, I see the "this person dared to go against the 'acceptable narrative' and must be shunned" bots made the jump from Steemit to here.
Damned shame.
That's kind of a harsh way of putting it, but perhaps it's not inaccurate. While we like to try and deny it (primarily out of our misplaced desire to try and make European countries feel that we're more like them, a centuries-old tendency which is thankfully beginning to fade), but America, like Catherinic Russia, ancient Sparta or Feudal Japan, is very much a martial society. We consider service in wartime to be a mark of courage and indeed elevate it to one of the highest honors that one can achieve.
With that said, the Korean War was a mess. Going into it was absolutely necessary, but we went in against China (who had maintained their standing army from WW2) and Russia (who had maintained their standing army from WW2) with a military force we had largely dissolved after WW2. In an attempt to try an compensate for this, we got the UN involved, but that became the same administrative disaster it always has been. Also, our leaders foolishly trusted that China would remember how we saved them in WW2 and not rush into battle against us, in which case we were sorely disappointed.
The biggest failure of American policy in the Korean War was a refusal to acknowledge that it was a war and declare it so. As it was, we wiped out 800,000 Chinese troops at the loss of 33,000 of our own (I don't have accurate statistics for how many Koreans died on either side of the line) and kept the Chinese empire from finishing Mao's vision of making Korea a neo-tributary, so it goes down as a "Victory" but it was not a complete one. Had we actually declared it to be a war, and not a "police action," and treated it with the same gusto we treated WW2, the Kim regime would never have taken root and Korea would be united today.
On the other hand, China would have viewed a united Korea (with American leanings) to be a constant threat for the next 70 years and would almost undoubtedly have launched some kind of campaign against Korea (probably driven by some moronic nationalism and the claims that Korea belonged to China because some ancient dynasty held it as a tributary), so maybe it is actually better that we settled for a "that side's yours and this side's mine" ending.