Korean War Stories

Rating:
Summary: The Korean war from the perspective of those who fought it
Review: The best line in this video is near the end, where a veteran of that war says, "The Korean War is not a forgotten war, it is a forgotten victory." Absolutely true, but a point few people in the United States seem to understand. In the age of nuclear weapons, total victory in the Korean War, as measured by Korean unification under the leadership of the United Nations, was not possible. That was something that General Douglas MacArthur never seemed to understand, which cost him his command and much of his historical legacy. The problem is that the people in the United States generally do not understand the principle of limited war for limited gains. In the end, it turned out to be a tremendous victory, the policy of containment was the correct one, as communism self-destructed, overcome by the internal contradictions. Modern commentators are fond of saying that President Ronald Reagan won the cold war, which is not true. Harry Truman, a vastly under-appreciated president, made the decision to go to war and stop the spread of communism. He understood that a stalemate was a victory, as communism will either succeed everywhere or nowhere. The free Europe we know today germinated from a seed planted in Korea.
By far, the best part of this tape is the personal comments from celebrity veterans of the war. Until I viewed it, I did not know that baseball great Ted Williams was the wingman of astronaut and Senator John Glenn. I also did not know that singer Willie Nelson is also a veteran of the Korean War. Their comments and the footage take you back to a time where the world had changed and the bulk of the free population had not yet caught up.
Finally, one of the most telling moments that will ever exist in historical videos occurs near the end of the tape. A doctor, returning from Korea, arrives a few minutes before nine in the evening. He is all primed to be welcomed home and talk about his experiences. However, when nine o'clock arrives, he is told that "I Love Lucy" is about to come on, so the attention shifts to the television. Understandably, he is angered and leaves the premises, remaining angry for two years. However, no story more accurately describes the situation of that time. The advent of television has led to a short attention span, and the American public finds it difficult to accept partial results.
This tape is an excellent recapitulation of that era, where there was a seismic shift in political perceptions around the world. The free countries stood their ground and fought against communist aggression, pushing it back to the point where it started. However, this victory was only clear decades later, and there was an enormous cost in blood and treasure. Nevertheless, it was no doubt much less than it would have been had the communists won in Korea.