The Marine I Never Knew

Childhood picture of Col. Forney

He’s one of the main reasons I’m in Korea, but he died when I was two, and our family rarely talked about him. He’s always been, in the words of Winston Churchill, “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” After spending over three years researching the man who’s made such an impact on…

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A Famous Landing and an Infamous Missile Launch

Yesterday, the 67th anniversary of the Inchon Landing, was a particularly memorable Friday.    For South Koreans, the commemoration of one of the boldest, most successful amphibious operations in military history began with a typical early-morning commute and “Americano” – the coffee drink of choice for millions of Koreans. But, as has been the case all…

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Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Eunpyeong Peace Park, Seoul

For Bill Shaw, a 29-year-old husband, father of two, and first-year doctoral student at Harvard, the answer was clear. He told his wife, two young boys, parents, and professors he’d be back soon. His studies could wait, he explained. Three months later, on September 22, 1950, US Navy Lt. William Hamilton Shaw, on patrol with…

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