Posts Tagged ‘MPVA’
Fighting and Dying in a Frozen Hell
It’s a pivotal event of the 20th century. The Battle of Chosin, or “Changjin” as it’s called in Korea, a two-week-long bloodbath pitting 30,000 US, ROK, and British troops against 120,000 Chinese soldiers, was a defining moment of the Korean War. Fighting in the winter of 1950 in bitter cold and brutal terrain, men endured…
Read MoreMen of the Merchant Marine: Unsung Heroes of the Korean War
As the elderly American, surrounded by cameras, microphones, and reporters, walked towards the memorial, two Korean men stepped forward from the crowd. As if on cue, the sea of people suddenly parted, and the three men shook hands, their warm smiles and contagious laughs drawing everyone’s attention. It was a magical moment, one that words and pictures…
Read MorePlanes, Presidents, and Presentations – A Look Back at 2017
Nearly eight months ago, on May 11, 2017, I posted my first blog. I had written an article the day before for the Korea Times, Moon Jae-in: From Geoje to Cheong Wa Dae, with my reflections on the newly elected president of South Korea, and the blog reiterated some of the points I’d mentioned in…
Read MorePhotographing Korean War Veterans – An Unfinished Mission
It was one of those days that goes above and beyond your expectations. Walking toward a restaurant last week with a Korean friend who would be my interpreter for the evening, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Neither one of us had met the man we were about to have dinner with, and although we knew…
Read MoreRemembering Chosin
It’s a pivotal event of the 20th century. An experience so monumental that it has come to represent, even encapsulate, the ongoing struggle between the forces of oppression, tyranny, and authoritarianism and those who believe in freedom, justice, and democracy. The Chosin Campaign, correctly called “Changjin” in Korea, was a defining moment in history. The two-week…
Read MoreWho Would Have Guessed?
When my cousin Alice told us she’d be coming to Seoul for her first trip to Korea, we were thrilled. After somewhat randomly agreeing that she’d arrive on June 23rd and stay until the 3rd of July, we patiently waited for the big day. We had everything planned out. Or so we thought. What we…
Read MoreHome Again, Home Again
My whirlwind trip is over. I’m back in Seoul. After traveling nearly 13,000 miles in a 3-day period, it’s good to be home! It’ll take a while for everything to sink in, but for now I’m just trying to recall the moments that made the trip such a memorable experience: talking with President Moon in…
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