US Military Brings Christmas Cheer to Korean Children Back in 1954

Here is an article by a ROK Drop favorite and historian Robert Neff about how a US military unit in 1954 brought Christmas cheer to a group of Korean kids in post-war Korea:

For a soldier, Christmas is one of the hardest seasons to be away from family and friends but the military does its best, not only for its service members but also for the local community, to provide holiday cheer.

Through the lens of Corporal Marburger’s camera, we get a glimpse of what Christmas was like for an engineer unit and a group of Korean children in Seoul in 1954. 

Santa Claus’ arrival naturally drew a large crowd of children. For many of them, this was their first encounter with the jolly old man. Some were thrilled but others seemed terrified. 

Korea Times

You can read the whole thing and view many more historical pictures at the link.

However, I would imagine seeing a big fat foreigner dressed in red trying to grab you would be a pretty traumatic experience for a young Korean kid back then.

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ChickenHead
ChickenHead
5 years ago

“US MILITARY BRINGS CHRISTMAS CHEER TO KOREAN CHILDREN BACK IN 1954”

The terrified crying child receiving Christmas Cheer was mentioned in an after action report which historian credit with the development of future military doctrine such as We Had to Destroy the Village to Save It.

setnaffa
setnaffa
5 years ago

GI, a big fat foreigner dressed in red trying to grab me would be a pretty traumatic experience for me, too… I’ve always been wary of folks with pipes… Especially the “Donald where’s your trousers” type…

https://tinyurl.com/ybaox6qk

Liz
Liz
5 years ago

Is that the best photo they could get? 😳

Ole Tanker
Ole Tanker
5 years ago

At least Santa is “In Character”. He has a pipe,

Mcgeehee
Mcgeehee
5 years ago

She wasn’t scared until she realized Santa smelled of stale cigarettes and peach Oscar.

setnaffa
setnaffa
5 years ago

The Kim Sisters history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoHKHIDJ_x0

They were just 13, 12 and 11 years old in 1954…

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