| Today, the world keeps a watchful eye on North Korea and those who once again would plunge Korea into chaos
and ruin for the same geo-political reasons as existed in the 1950s. Some 43 years after the bitterly-fought
Korean War, the United States maintains 37,000 troops in Korea as part of a "sacred promise" to defend South
Korea. Too much blood was spilled in Korea in the 1950s, and too many young men, and a small number of women,
died in "The Land of the Morning Calm," to ever allow war to raise its ugly head there again—regardless of the
source of any future threats. And we must be VIGILANT to ensure that our politicians do everything in their
power to honor the commitment we made to the South Korean people, in terms of blood and sacrifice, so many years
ago to defend them from Communism. Most of all, we must NEVER FORGET those who died in the Korean War to uphold
that sacred commitment!
The Korean War veteran can take great individual PRIDE in the fact that the military victory that he or she
helped to achieve in the 1950s enabled the South Korean people to escape the yoke of Communist tyranny and
oppression, unlike their countrymen in the North. Your sacrifices provided a shining example of courage for
freedom-loving peoples everywhere!
Looking back, one may ask if the Korean War was worth the expenditure of so many lives and broken bodies? For
those who believe in FREEDOM and LIBERTY, the obvious answer is "Yes," for the reasons mentioned above—and they
agree with John Toland, who concluded in his book In Mortal Combat that "those who fought and died in that war
did not fight and die in vain."
Hell does freeze over. It froze over in Korea in the 1950s—but, none of us want to see Americans involved
there in another political war ever again. If America’s sons and daughters are sent off to fight the Communists
in Korea in the future, hopefully it will be for the right reasons and, hopefully, it will be a total victory.
Thanks to Korean War veterans everywhere, South Korea today is a modern, progressive industrial nation that
enjoys high standards of social and economic development—a nation that looks forward to an enlightened
unification of the Korean peninsula—one which will free the people of North Korea from the shackles of Communism
going into the next century. Success does not come without problems, however.
If a peaceful and amenable re-unification and reintegration of the North and South under a democratic market
regime does not occur soon, South Korea faces the possibility of another conflict with its Communist adversary
in the north. In the meantime, the current rapid industrialization of china poses a real economic threat to
South Korea’s developing industrial capacity and overseas markets. Furthermore, to the detriment of South
Korea’s industrial base, there are signs that Japan and Russia are taking real steps to take economic advantage
of North Korea’s un-realized untapped labor force.
Thus, the need for an enlightened re-unification is urgent. Unless the North and the South close in political
and economic union, the future seems uncertain. The game can be played out peacefully if the will exists.
Although North Korea’s future may develop along democratic lines in the future, the country today, under
Communism, remains an economic and political basket case. The government and people of North Korea are living in
a time frame of 50 years ago, and some of the scenes that recently have been witnessed in the North have been
compared to a pre-1940 feudal monarchy. Food shortages abound and starvation stalks the land.
Incredibly, there still are forces within the world body who are divided on the issue of whether Korea should
be re-unified under free market Capitalism or militant Communism. And for some, war still is not out of the
question. Of late, there have been armed transgressions into the DMZ and other hostile advances by the North. To
complicate matters, North Korea is making overtures to several countries to help them with their nuclear
programs.
Hopefully, the ruling elite of North Korea and their backers are aware of the fact that they have no chance
anymore of winning a war in Korea because of the realities of the current international situation. Today, the
technological and military preparedness of the U.S. and South Korea is vastly different than it was in the
1950s—and much more deadly--unless, of course, it is not used and South Korea is allowed to fall.
Cooler heads must prevail, though, for the re-convergence of the two countries into a unified country by
peaceful means is a must. For the truly enlightened, one of the world’s last vestiges of the Cold War must be
discarded as the nations of the world move into the 21st century!
The role that the United States is playing, and will play in the future to meet North Korea’s needs, will
prove to be of paramount importance in charting the course of Korean history. Preferably, both Koreas need to
regard economic interaction with each other as an investment in a prosperous and secure future, and reconcile
their adversarial differences. In the final analysis, re-unification will not be possible unless there is a
joint effort to enter into serious discussions on a rational political and economic program of reintegration—one
based on a system of labor division based on Capitalist, not Communist, market principles.
FIGURE 4
[KWE Note: Because the original document was so faded, Lynnita Brown of the Korean War
Educator typed the text onto the website rather than scanning the document.]
Headquarters, 1st Marines
1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force,
c/o Fleet Post Office, San Francisco, California
REGIMENTAL MEMO: 14 June 1951
: Operations of this regiment since June 1
NUMBER 40-51:
1. The Regimental commander wishes to express to all hands of the regiment and to attached and supporting
elements, his boundless admiration and heartfelt congratulations for their conduct of the operations of the
past two weeks.
2. The missions you have been called upon to accomplish during that period have been very difficult. Added
to the rugged terrain has been a dogged and fanatic resistance from a competent, resourceful and heavily-armed
enemy estimated to have been, at the very least, three regiments in strength. You have attacked him in his
prepared positions in very rugged terrain and you have never been stopped. Even considerable losses have not
turned you from your objectives, nor shaken your morale. And the losses you have inflicted on the enemy have
been tremendous. You have counted many hundreds of dead in the various positions taken in spite of the enemy’s
propensity for burying his own dead, so that is most probably only a small part of his casualties. His wounded
will probably die, ours won’t.
3. In accomplishing this you have demonstrated professional skill of the highest order. You have used
ground and cover with consummate skill, as I have personally observed; you have used your organic supporting
arms very intelligently; you have used your attached supporting arms, including air, tanks and artillery, to
their maximum potential. You have used patience, common sense, and good judgment in regulating the speed of
your advances; and, when time was of the essence, you have used sheer guts and determination to close with the
enemy and destroy or rout him with grenades, bayonets, clubbed rifles and even with bare hands on at least one
occasion.
4. I have never in my life been so proud as I am to be permitted to command this regiment. I have been here
less than a month to date, so can take no credit for your professional ability. That was taught to you and
learned by you through bitter experience long ago. I have served in infantry with the 5th Marines as an
enlisted man in the First World War, and as a junior officer in the Nicaraguan Campaign. I have supported a
lot of infantry regiments while I was an artillery man before and during the Second World War. It is my
carefully considered opinion that this is the best regiment of infantry that I have ever seen. I am glad to be
allowed to join your club.
5. A lot of comrades, officers and men, have died or been injured in this "police action." I fear that
more, very probably, will be before it is over. But you are making traditions of valor and professional skill
that will rank alongside of, or outrank, the achievements of Marines of the First World War, the Second World
War, and all our minor campaigns. And I urge you all to believe, whether or not you are, or have been,
religiously inclined, that in this struggle for decency among men, we are fighting on the side of the Lord.
The Communists who oppose us are fighting to deny His existence.
6. There are those, of course, who hardly can be called friends of the Marine Corps. The well earned fame
of our Division has become such a by word at home and abroad that some people would like nothing better than
to see us drop the ball just once. As long as you carry on the way you have done the past nine months,
particularly the last two weeks, they never will.
7. This memorandum is written to tell you how one old Marine, who isn’t about to fade away as long as he
can serve with men like you, feels about you young Marines.
8. I think you are grand. Thank you for all your most gallant and effective work.
(signed)
W.S. Brown
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps
Commanding
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AN EXTRA VALUE
"An extra value that comes from the listing of the names of our buddies is that memories of long ago
return. Sometimes it arouses in our minds others whom we may have temporarily forgotten. Being separated in
time and place is very different from being separated in heart and mind. The remembrance of comrades of their
past ought to generate thoughts for their good. If they have died it is easy to think a prayer for their
eternal rest. If they still live a prayer that they may remain well and prosperous. A lot of thoughts can
occur in a few seconds. Keep your buddies/comrades in your heart and mind always. Never forget them. If we
forget, who will remember them or us."
Rev. George M. Rinkowski
Eight U.S. Cavalry Regiment Association
Saber November-December 1996
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