If you've been reading this for long, or if you've seen me on other internet fora of any description, you are probably aware that I'm a retired US Army senior NCO, and you may be aware that I was a Korean linguist. This means that, in my slightly more than 20 years of service, I spent about 9 of this years on the Korean peninsula. So this was kind of a big frackin' deal, and I've always marked it before, but not this time. (Well, OK, one day late this time.) Combination of going full-throttle at work, plus lots of chores at home, plus...
Anyway.
When the Russians released previously secret Kremlin documents of the USSR, it was revealed that what pretty much everyone who wasn't a full-on sell-out to the commies knew all along was true: Kim Il Sung went to Joe Stalin and said "I have this plan" and Stalin said "Sure, why, go for it!"
The commies, of course, insist that the USA and ROK attacked them, first.
The Soviet Union, of course, was outraged that the US would suggest that the United Nations should take action against this egregious violation of international something-or-or-other, and walked out of the Security Council meeting. In what I can only regret as an entirely uncharacteristic taking advantage of an opponent's unforced error, the US got the UN to vote in favor of taking action.
The USSR never missed another meeting*.
Most member nations sent what would be considered "token" forces, a battalion at a time. OTOH, a brigade or a battalion for a country the size of Columbia or Ethiopia is a fairly large contingent, especially for what is a moral cause.
Speaking of the Ethiopians, S.L.A. Marshal said that, despite the reputation of the Turkish Brigade, the Ethiopian Menelek battalions were the best UN troops, bar none. He reported watching a squad or so climb out of their trenches at high noon, saunter across No Man's Land, enter the Chinese trenches, and then run back with prisoners, without losing a man.
I have a few photos on the computer, my last "visit" was pre-affordable digital camera
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| The "Brothers Memorial" at the Korean War Museum |
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Last year's post, with links to previous posts.
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*Actually, I believe they boycotted quite a few immediately afterward, in hopes that they could get other nations to take their position, that any action without them was illegal. Even the French didn't fall for it...
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