{"id":3016,"date":"2018-10-20T13:27:48","date_gmt":"2018-10-20T04:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/?p=3016"},"modified":"2019-11-08T15:38:28","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T06:38:28","slug":"general-dunford-father-korean-war-chosin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/20\/general-dunford-father-korean-war-chosin\/","title":{"rendered":"Following in His Father’s Footsteps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\"PFC\n\t

Fighting In Korea<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On the night of November 27, 1950, PFC Joe Dunford, a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) gunner, sat shivering in his foxhole at Yudam-ni, a village deep in the mountains of North Korea. It was his 20th birthday.<\/p>\n

Having already fought at the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, and Seoul, Dunford, like all the Marines in Baker Company, 1st Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, was hoping to be home by Christmas. But it didn’t happen. Later that night thousands of Chinese hit their position.<\/p>\n

The ensuing two-week-long Battle of Chosin Reservoir <\/a>would forever change the young man\u2019s life. It would also have\u00a0a lasting impact on his son.<\/p>\n

Like Father, Like Son<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sixty-five years later on October 1, 2015, Joe Dunford’s son, General Joseph F. Dunford, became the highest ranking and most senior military officer in the United States: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/p>\n

General Dunford credits his father, who finished his Marine Corps career as a sergeant and spent forty years as a Boston policeman, as his inspiration for becoming a Marine. \u201cI am still trying to get over the bar that he set many, many years ago,\u201d Dunford said in 2017 Department of Defense interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Commissioned a Marine infantry officer in 1977, General Dunford has held almost every key billet in the Marine Corps, including Battalion, Regimental, and Marine Expeditionary Force Commander and 36th<\/sup> Commandant of the Marine Corps.<\/p>\n

He also fought in Iraq for nearly two years, where he served under General James Mattis and earned his nickname \u201cFightin\u2019 Joe;\u201d and Afghanistan, where he served as Commander of UN and US Forces for 18 months.<\/p>\n

The Chosin Few<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In his current office in Washington, DC, Gen. Dunford proudly displays three pictures of men who fought at Chosin: two of his father and one of his father\u2019s company commander, Captain Ike Fenton.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is no exaggeration to say that I am a United States Marine because of the Marines who served at Chosin,\u201d Dunford told a reporter during a Chosin Few Memorial<\/a> dedication\u00a0at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in May 2017.<\/p>\n

Today we salute PFC Dunford, his son, and all the brave warriors who have fought, sacrificed, and died for America\u2019s freedom and the freedom of our allies. We honor you and thank you for your service!<\/p>\n

Semper Fi!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"Major.Gen.\n\t\tMajGen James Lukeman and Gen Joseph Dunford at the Chosin Few Memorial Dedication Ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, VA, May 4, 2017. (Photo credit: Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)\n\t

Top\/Feature picture:<\/strong> PFC Joe Dunford, USMC, during the Korean War (Photo credit: David Douglas Duncan)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t