The Korean War

The Korean War… Seasons to Remember

An insightful Overview

This presentation is designed to educate and inform about America’s involvement in the Korean Conflict and to provide a retrospective of what has historically been called “The Forgotten War”. This effort is dedicated to all the men and women who served in the Korean War, and most importantly to my father and his unit , The 2nd Infantry; to them we owe our deepest respect, admiration and gratitude. - Raul Alvarez, Jr.

My Father’s Battalion

2 Infantry nd 82 AAA Battalion nd

THE KOREAN WAR 1950-1953

On June 25, 1950, the young Cold War suddenly turned hot, bloody and expensive.

Communistic North Korea mercilessly invaded Democratic South

Within a few days, this invasion brought about a United Nations' "police action" against

The 2nd Infantry Division was quickly alerted for movement to the Far East Command.

The Division arrived in Korea, via Pusan on rd July 23 , becoming the first unit to reach Korea directly from the United States.

While there were no illusions that the task would be easy, nobody expected that this violent conflict would continue for more than three years.

The first big test came when the North Koreans struck in a desperate human wave th attack on August 30 .

In the 16 day battle that followed, the Division's clerks, bandsmen, technical and supply personnel, joined in the fight to defend against the attackers.

Shortly thereafter, the 2nd Infantry Division was the first unit to break out of the Pusan perimeter, and they led the Eighth Army drive to the Manchurian border.

Now on the offensive, U.N. forces began a naval assault by pushing the North Koreans out of South Korea by capturing the stronghold of Inchon.

America saw the need to keep pushing to the South Korean capital of Seoul. The Korean Augmentation to the United States Army program was established.

These valiant soldiers made up of 2nd Infantry Division troops, known since simply as “KATUSA”, helped turn the tide of the war for American forces.

They were within fifty miles of the Manchurian border when Chinese forces entered the fight.

Fighting around Kunu-ri cost the Division nearly one third of its strength, but it cost the enemy many times more and the way was kept open.

The 2nd Infantry Division finally blunted the Chinese winter offensive on January 31, 1951 at Chosin.

The 2nd Infantry Division led the Allied push north towards the North Korean border.

The Allied forces continued their military advancement into North Korea, close to the Chinese border. Surprisingly, China allied with North Korea, crossed their border and

A military force in the millions, by their sheer number the Chinese and North Koreans successfully began pushing the Allies back.

By the middle of 1951, the front lines had stabilized near where the war started twelve months earlier.

Negotiations began amid hopes that an early truce could be arranged. But this took two more frustrating years, during which the contending forces

What followed were alternating periods of combat and rest, with the Division participating in the such battles as…Bloody Ridge, Heartbreak Ridge, The Outposts, and Old Baldy.

On July 27,1953, with a new regime in the USSR and the blunting of a final Communist offensive, negotiations concluded and

Finally, on April 9,1953, the Division was moved to a rear area and on August 20, 1954, four years after its last unit arrived in Korea, the 2nd Infantry Division was alerted for redeployment to the United States.

Lines were drawn… but not without a cost…

The Cost of "THE FORGOTTEN WAR" 33,741 U.S. Dead 23,615 Killed In Action 92,134 U.S. Wounded**  4,820 U.S. Missing In Action (Declared Dead) 7,245 Prisoners Of War 2,847 Died in POW Camps 389 POWs known to have been alive after all U.S. POWs supposedly returned home. **Lightly wounded who were treated and released back to duty are not included in these figures. Source: http://www.korean-war.com/USUnits.html