Traveling the Globe to Interview Korean War Veterans, ‘Like Weaving a Great Quilt’

Global Atlanta ^ | June 16, 2018 | Phil Bolton

[GonzoII]

For years now, Hannah Y. Kim has been focused on July 27 — the date that she would like to see a peace treaty signed with North Korea officially recognizing the end of the Korean War.

The Korean War unofficially ended on July 27, 1953, when a negotiated agreement was signed in Panmunjon, a village north of the 38th parallel separating North and South Korea – after three years of bloody fighting, which claimed almost 37,000 American lives and 100,000 wounded.

The death and casualty count for North and South Korean soldiers has been reported at more than 217,000 South Koreans and 406,000 North Koreans. More than half a million Chinese soldiers reportedly were killed. And more than 1.5 million civilians from both North and South Korea reportedly died during the war.

The signatories at Panmunjon included a U.S. Army lieutenant general, a senior delegate of the United Nations and a North Korean general. The agreement took 158 meetings over two years and 17 days. Eighteen official copies of the final document were printed, but none signed by any of the government officials from any of the countries that participated in the war.

A sense of incompletion has hung over the results of that July 27th date since no official declaration of peace was finalized. The Korean War Armistice Agreement continues to serve as an example of an armistice that has not been followed by a peace treaty.

Today, almost a full 65 years later, the lack of a final peace agreement once again becomes a contentious issue and a bargaining chip in negotiations concerning the Korean peninsula’s future.

[GonzoII]

FULL TITLE: Traveling the Globe to Interview Korean War Veterans, ‘Like Weaving a Great Quilt’ on Behalf of Peace

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I did a series of veteran interviews for our local paper’s november 11th edition last year. One Lt. Colonel had been shot down over NK as an enlisted crew chief aboard a medium bomber.

He was held in a POW camp for over two years, survived and returned stateside. His first move was to reinlist in the Air Force.

[GonzoII]

"His first move was to reinlist in the Air Force."

Glad he was on our side...there can't be that many Korean War vets left I would think..

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The guy was given his choice of any air base he wanted—he chose an air rescue slot in Florida and enjoyed that service.
His C.O. approached him with the idea of taking pilot training and he accepted and passed the exams. He began dating a young woman while in flight school and got married and his Lieutenant's commission that same day. He flew refueling tankers and did a stint at Beal AFB, home of the SR-71. His final assignment was in the IG's office. He and a crew would make unannounced inspections of air bases. "We all had to live by the same rules," he said.