The Korean War Veterans Memorial honors the teamwork that saved the Republic of Korea. The Mural Wall of sandblasted
images from the war honors the teamwork between the support and combat branches of the U.S. military. The brightly
polished granite surface reflects the poncho-clad riflemen as they climb up another of Korea's endless hills toward
their objective-an independent South Korea. Their images blend together with the millions of men and women who supported
them from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine support services. When the UN Wall listing the countries that helped South
Korea in her hour of need is viewed from a distance, the names of those nations appear as if they represent the men who
stood with their American allies behind and on the front lines.
The Korean War...
The Korean War has often been referred to as the "forgotten war" because it came on the heels of World War II and was
overshadowed by the Vietnam War. Korea like Vietnam, was part of the Cold War to stop the advancement of Communism in
Southeast Asia. When the Communist troops of North Korea invaded the democratic Republic of South Korea, the United States
became involved through a promise of support given to the president of South Korea. It was feared that this tiny peninsula
would be the setting for the eruption of World War Three. When the United Nations joined forces with the United States and
the Republic of South Korea to stop the invasion, this fear was justified. North Korea not only had the support of the
Soviet Union government, but also the military support of China. The stage was set for a bloody three years. In 1945 the
United Nations established the 38th parallel as the boundary dividing North and South Korea. It was the 38th that the North
Koreans crossed to invade and unite South Korea under a Communist government. The United States entered the conflict under
an assumption that this would be like a police action to drive the North Koreans back across the 38th. The two armies
criss-crossed the dividing line several times. When the Chinese feared that their own borders were threatened, they became
involved on the side of the North Koreans. The conflict then escalated further into war. Because the Korean War only lasted
three years (1950 - 1953) it is not thought of as significant, and often not even mentioned. However, if one compares the
statistics of the Korean War (54,246) to those of Vietnam (58,226) which lasted over sixteen years, by ratio the Korean War
was far bloodier than Vietnam.
Türkiye 17 Ekim 1950 tarihinde Kore'ye General Tahsin Yazici komutasinda 5,090 kisilik bir Tugay çikardi. Çesitli
görevler alan Türk Tugayi Kore'de büyük basari göstererek, dünyanin takdirini kazanmistir. Türk tugayi, 27 Kasim-1 Aralik
tarihleri arasindaki Kunuri muharebelerinde ABD'nin 8. Ordu'sunu ve 9. Kolordu'sunu düsman çemberine girmekten, 2. Tümen'ini
de tamamen yok olmaktan kurtarmistir. Birlesmis Milletler Kuvvetleri'nin komutani General Douglas MacArthur, bu durum
karsisinda "Türk tugayi için imkansiz diye bir sey yok" demistir. Dönemin Time dergisi de 5,423 kisilik Türk tugayinin
basarilariyla tüm BM kuvvetlerine büyük moral verdigini yazmistir. Türk Tugayi Kore'de 900'den fazla sehit vermis, 200
kisi de yara almistir. Zamanla Türk tugayinin mevcudu indirilmistir. Kore'de önemli bir Türk sehitligi vardir ve Ankara'da
da 1973'de sehitlerin hatirasina bir anit yapilmistir.
