Tag: Korean War

A true hero of the Korean War Colonel Dean Hess has been honored with a memorial in Jeju:

 South Korea has set up a monument to honor a late U.S. airman for his contributions during the 1950-53 Korean War, the military said Thursday.

The monument was unveiled in a ceremony at the Jeju Aerospace Museum on the country’s southern resort island of Jeju to remember Col. Dean E. Hess, called the “father of war orphans” and trainer of South Korean pilots during the war, the Air Force said in a statement.

The monument honoring Col. Dean E. Hess (Courtesy of the Air Force) (Yonhap)

In December 1950, Col. Hess helped evacuate about 1,000 war orphans from Seoul to the southern island using 15 C-54 transport aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force. He also helped build a local orphanage for the children who lost their parents, the Air Force said.

Some 200 government and military officials, war veteran pilots and former war orphans paid tribute to the late U.S. airman.

U.S. Forces Korea Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson and Larry Hess, the eldest son of the late U.S. pilot, also took part in the ceremony, it said.  [Yonhap]

Ms. Hannah Kim has actually been highly involved with Korean War veterans issues for many years and her latest project is to interview Korean War veterans around the world:

Hannah Kim, a former spokeswoman of former U.S. representative Charles Rangel, plans to meet with Korean War veterans worldwide to collect historical data.

The 33-year-old former spokesperson plans to visit 16 countries that sent troops to Korea during the Korean War, and another five countries that gave medical support. She will travel for four months, starting this month. She plans to make video and audio recordings of those who participated in the war so young people in Korea and abroad can learn from them.

Rangel, who is also a Korean War veteran, was one of the key congressmen that helped pass many resolutions and bills related to Korea, such as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance. Rangel retired from politics last month.

“I became interested in Korean War veterans after helping Congressman Charles Rangel’s schedules related to the Korean War,” Kim said. “I thought that our generation needs to keep records of the veterans across the world while they are still alive.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but interviewing Korean War veterans from other nations outside the US that participated in the conflict should be interesting for her.  I always find it interesting to learn more about the experiences of non-US troops during the war from putting together my ongoing Heroes of the Korean War series.

Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Rudy Hernandez has unfortunately passed away at the age of 82 last week:

Cpl. Rudy Hernandez cheated death on the battlefields of Korea 62 years ago. But the Medal of Honor recipient and Fayetteville resident couldn’t live forever. The 82-year-old Hernandez died early Saturday at Womack Army Medical Center, according to friends.  [Fayetteville Observer]

Here is a summary from the article of Corporal Hernandez’s actions that day during the Korean War that led to him being recognized with a Medal of Honor after originally being pronounced dead at the scene of his combat actions:

Cpl. Hernandez was awarded the Medal of Honor in April 1952 by President Harry S. Truman in a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden.

Following the award, Cpl. Hernandez became a counselor to wounded veterans of Korean and Vietnam wars, working for the Veterans Administration.

That work, as much as his actions in Korea, has become his lasting legacy, and in August, Fort Bragg’s Warrior Transition Battalion Complex was rededicated in his name.

It was just after 2 a.m. on May 31, 1951 when Cpl. Hernandez felt the warm trickle of blood from a shrapnel wound on his head.

Cpl. Hernandez and other soldiers of Company G, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team were holed up in foxholes near the Korean town of Wontong-mi, during a North Korean assault.

From their hole, Cpl. Hernandez and another soldier watched as the enemy approached and the night erupted in artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire.

As the rest of his platoon retreated after nearly exhausting their ammunition, Cpl. Hernandez and his foxhole mate held their position and kept firing.

When he finally did leave his position, it wasn’t for retreat. Instead, Cpl. Hernandez charged the enemy armed only with a grenade and a rifle with a fixed bayonet.

His bravery single-handedly stopped the enemy advance and spurred his fellow soldiers to a counterattack.

According to the Medal of Honor citation, “The indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding courage and tenacious devotion to duty clearly demonstrated by Corporal Hernandez reflect the highest credit on himself, the infantry, and the United States Army.”

The morning after the attack, Cpl. Hernandez was pronounced dead after being found lying among the bodies of six North Korean soldiers who had been bayoneted to death.

When a soldier saw a slight movement of Cpl. Hernandez’s hand, medics began frantically trying to save his life.

A month later, Cpl. Hernandez would wake up in a South Korean hospital.

Eight weeks later, he was sent to a hospital in San Francisco where doctors replaced part of his skull.

Cpl. Hernandez couldn’t talk for months following his injuries and had to relearn to walk. Part of his body remained paralyzed for the rest of his life.  [Fayetteville Observer]

You can read more at the link.

Here is an update on the search for American Korean War POWs taken to the Soviet Union:

Pentagon officials leading efforts to recover missing American service members told their Russian counterparts in May there is no evidence that U.S. prisoners of the Korean War were brought into the Soviet Union, dismissing intelligence reports and eyewitness testimony compiled over the last two decades.

American officials made the claim during a May meeting of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, and experts say it could undermine the Defense Department’s efforts to recover further information about the more than 7,800 military personnel still unaccounted for from the Korean War of the 1950s.

Michael Linnington, who until recently directed the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, told Russian officials participating in the forum that the Pentagon has “no evidence” that missing troops ended up in the Soviet Union by way of China.

Linnington’s comments angered experts who say the move will signal to the Russians that the U.S. government is no longer interested in pursuing a lead that it has chased for decades.  [Free Beacon]

You can read more at the link, but there has been pretty convincing evidence shown over the years that Korean War POWs were taken to the Soviet Union for intelligence gathering of American aircraft technology.  The book American Trophies provides a detailed look at the evidence of these POWs being taken to the Soviet Union that is discussed in the rest of the article.

Facing the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan that honors U.N. troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, crew members of the South Korean Navy’s destroyer Wanggeon observe a minute of silence at a naval base in the port city on Nov. 11, 2016, in this photo provided by the Republic of Korea Fleet Command. Organized by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Turn Toward Busan ceremony was simultaneously held in 21 other countries that fought for the South Korean side against invading North Korea under the U.N. flag in the three-year conflict. (Yonhap)

Welcome home Corporal Minard:

Wayne Minard knew at an early age that he wanted to be a soldier.

He joined the Army when he was 17 after persuading his mother to sign his enlistment papers. His family thought he would go on to build a lifelong career in the military.

But his career as a corporal in North Korea lasted only two years.

Minard was reported missing in action on Nov. 26, 1950, the day after Chinese communist troops attacked United Nations forces and allies near the Ch’ongch’on River in North Korea, according to the Pentagon.

Minard’s unit was later ordered to withdraw. The farm boy from rural Kansas, then 19, was never seen or heard from again.

He was taken to a prison camp and starved, Bruce Stubbs, Minard’s great-nephew, told The Washington Post.

On Feb. 16, 1951, Army Cpl. Wayne Minard died, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Now, after 65 years, Minard is finally coming home. His remains will arrive in Wichita on Wednesday.

Minard’s loved ones had always thought he would never be found, his great-nephew said.

But the family saw a sliver of hope in spring 2005, when an Army recovery team learned of a North Korea burial site that contained the remains of an American soldier. Scientists had obtained DNA samples from two of Minard’s sisters, according to the Pentagon. It would take another 11 years for his remains to be positively identified.

The Pentagon released a statement in September saying that Minard was finally accounted for.

DNA tests also showed that 32 other people, including two soldiers from Minard’s unit, had been buried in that site, Stubbs said.  [Washington Post]

You can read more at the link.

For those with an interest in the Korean War, PBS is showing a high anticipated documentary about the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir tonight:

On November 1st, the PBS documentary series American Experience premieres a powerful documentary called The Battle of Chosin, one of the most important and least known battles in U.S. military history. The program will air from 9-11pm ET in most cities but, as always with PBS, check your local listings and will be available to stream from the PBS apps and website. We’ve got a video clip from the program below. [Under the Radar]

You can read more at the link.

U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks (C) offers flower at a memorial ceremony for Australian soldiers who were killed in action during the 1950-53 war during a memorial ceremony at Taepung Observatory in the South Korean border town of Yeoncheon, on Oct. 26, 2016. Australia and 15 other nations fought for South Korea against invading North Korea under the U.N. flag during the war. (Yonhap)

South Korean honor guard carrying the portrait of the late French Korean War veteran Andre Belaval and a box containing his ashes enter Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Oct. 24, 2016, followed by his bereaved family members. Belaval, who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War, died at 87 in July 2015 and left a will expressing wish to be buried in South Korea. Soldiers from France and 15 other nations fought for South Korea against invading North Korea under the U.N. flag during the war. (Yonhap)

A Hero of the Korean War, French General Ralph Monclar will be remembered during a ceremony today in Seoul:

A publication ceremony for a book featuring photos of the legendary French Gen. Ralph Monclar will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Soorim Arts Center in Dongdaemun District, central Seoul, by the Foundation for the Remembrance of the Chipyong-ni Battle (FRCB).

Raul Charles Magrin-Vernerey, who later adopted the name Ralph Monclar, was a French soldier with over 30 years of service in the armed forces.

In order to lead his soldiers in the 1950-53 Korean War, the general famously reduced his rank from that of a three-star general to lieutenant colonel to avoid a disruption in the chain of command.

The book features some 30 photos of Monclar and his personal items as well as stories on the bravery of the French battalion Monclar had commanded at the height of the war.

FRCB was founded by veteran lawyer Kim Soung-soo, 73, in 2009 to promote a campaign to raise public awareness of the contribution made by Gen. Monclar during the war.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

Further Reading:

https://www.rokdrop.net/2006/12/heroes-of-the-korean-war-ltc-ralph-monclar/