Military History

North Korean Victory Day Parade Marks 60th Anniversary

July 27, 2013 /
north-korea
” As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here’s a rare look at daily life in the secretive country. See Slide Show

Many remember, what is sometimes called the “Forgotten War” , that ended sixty years ago on July 27, 1953. It would be another six years before my birth, but my father, alive and serving in the United States Marine Corp, fought in and survived the Korean War, as well as, World War ll.

Why is it that the Korean War, lasting from 1950-1953, is sometimes referred to, as the Forgotten War, despite the devastating loss of life, two million deaths for the Chinese and North Koreans and 450,360 for the U.S.-led United Nations coalition?One answer is that the other wars eclipsed it. There was World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the recent conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Korean War began at 0400 hours on Sunday, June 25, 1950. The United States, sanctioned by the United Nations, fought to contain the North Korean communist from invading the South.

An important outcome of this overlooked war, is that we learned a new definition of victory. Victory, in the form of a divided country, gave an example to follow, when we needed a way out, of our long endured quagmire, in the jungles of the Vietnam War.

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