The First and Only Time

It’s only happened once. And the chances of it happening again are slim to none. When North Korean soldiers and T-34 tanks attacked across the 38^th parallel on June 25, 1950, and stormed into Seoul three days later, the United Nations wasted no time in taking a stand. With the adoption of Security Council Resolution 84 and US President Harry Truman’s firm commitment to stopping Communist aggression, combat troops were sent to the Republic of Korea.

In an unprecedented act of unity and determination the world had stood up to a Communist tyrant. As John Foster Dulles told Truman on the first day of the North Korean invasion, “To sit by while Korea is overrun by unprovoked armed attack would start a disastrous chain of events . . .” Thankfully, Truman and the UN agreed.

A Strange Twist of Fate

But what’s frequently forgotten in this dramatic narrative is that Resolution 84 should never have passed. In a strange twist of fate, or as some would say, an act of divine intervention, the Soviet Union, a veto-wielding country adamantly opposed to Korean intervention, was not present at the vote.

The USSR, upset about China not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, had, in a move they and the Chinese would always regret, boycotted the session.

Today, it’s sobering to think about how different things would be on the Korean peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and around the world if the Russians had derailed the vote. Since its inception in 1945, the UN has been involved in numerous “peacekeeping” missions, but remarkably, the Korean War is the only time it has sent troops into combat.

From 1950-1953, ROK and UN combat forces from the United States and fifteen other countries fought Soviet-trained and equipped North Korean soldiers and Chinese troops, or “volunteers” as Mao called them, in a brutal and deadly conflict that killed millions of civilians and combatants. The death toll and destruction on both sides of the 38^th parallel was appalling.

US Marines fighting in Seoul. (Photo credit: US Marine Corp Archives)

The Price of Freedom

A year ago this week, I visited the United Nations Peace Memorial Hall and nearby United Nations Memorial Cemetery, the only UN cemetery in the world, to pay tribute to the men who gave their lives to defend Korea. Located in Busan, South Korea, the museum and burial grounds are a stark reminder of the price of freedom.

Walking amongst the cemetery’s graves, flags, and memorials, I was reminded of how close Korea had come to losing its freedom. I also thought of the young men who had died and been laid to rest in a foreign land so many years ago.

So, on July Fourth, as we remember our Founding Fathers, men who risked their reputations and lives by signing a document that would usher in an era of American freedom and governance “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” it is altogether fitting and proper that we also recognize the men and women throughout our history who have fought and died to keep the United States and its allies free from tyranny.

The words written in bold white letters at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC say it all, “Freedom Is Not Free.”

Semper Fidelis!