Korean War Memorial

The primary reason United States forces are stationed in Korea is continue the support of the alliance established to prevent communist aggression by north Korea against the peace and freedom-loving people of South Korea (you'll hear almost those exact words at briefings and before exercises to clarify who the bad and good guys are). Since the Korean War doesn't get as much "play" like World War II and Vietnam does, it's pretty common to hear the Korean War described as the "Forgotten War." Contrast the clear end to World War II when the Japanese signed the peace treaty on the deck of the USS Missouri to the continued armistice in Korea along with the difference in the way American culture viewed the Korean War and Vietnam War, and it's easy to see why many people don't have many "defining" thoughts on the Korean War.

Living in Korea provides a stark contrast to the relative unknown war understood back in the states. For one, many survivors of refugee camps and veterans of the war are still living and unlike the United States which seems to have major conflicts each generation, the Korean War is the "big event" in their national history. We've been able to see examples of the impact of the war as we've visited different cultural centers around Seoul.

The National Museum of the Korean War is right by the base we're stationed and has an overwhelming amount of information and exhibits. We saw some of the tanks and planes used in the conflict and the museum is set up so kids can go inside most of the displays. We were also able to better see how the war impacted the people of Korea; I guess the best way to imagine their view of the conflict is to think what it would be like if after the Civil War a border was drawn across the United States that you couldn't cross with families split since then based on living above or below the Mason-Dixon line.