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Not
Home for Christmas: The GI's in Korea
When
the Korean War broke out in June 1950, American occupation forces
stationed in nearby Japan were quickly sent into battle. Poorly
trained and equipped for combat, these troops were immediately engaged
in a desperate attempt to delay the North Korean advance until reinforcements
could arrive from the United States. Fighting alongside South Korean
(ROK) forces in the hot Korean summer with little preparation, they
eventually held their ground at the Pusan Perimeter. Then, in mid-September
their fortunes changed for the better when the amphibious landing
at Inchon broke the supply lines of the North Korean army.
Meanwhile,
battle-hardened veterans of World War II, recalled into service,
began to bolster the American forces just as more modern weaponry
and equipment started to arrive from the United States.
In
October, General Douglas MacArthur predicted that the war would
soon end and that American troops could be going home by Christmas.
He had not foreseen the entry into the war of Chinese forces that
began in earnest in late November. The troops would not be home
for Christmas. Instead, during the bitter cold and snow of their
first Korean winter, they would be in a desperate struggle to stage
an orderly withdrawal before the advancing Chinese forces. Three
Christmases would pass before the fighting would end in Korea.
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Pfc.
Edward Wilson, 24th Infantry Division, wounded in the leg while
engaged in action, February 16, 1951. U.S. Army photograph.
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"Korea
in Black and White"
For
many years prior to the Korean War, racial segregation was the accepted
practice within the armed services. White officers usually commanded
units comprised of all black soldiers.
President
Truman and others were particularly disturbed by reports of mistreatment
of black veterans who had served ably during the Second World War.
In
one of a series of actions he took to implement the recommendations
of the President's Committee on Civil Rights, he issued Executive
Order 9981 on July 26, 1948.
The
order declared that "there shall be equality of treatment and
opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard
to race, color, religion or national origin." Truman also established
a presidential committee to oversee the desegregation of military
units.
The
Executive Order met strong resistance from elements within the military
establishment, which was slow to act. By the beginning of the Korean
War two years later, most military units remained segregated. Under
continued pressure from the Administration, though, the process
of desegregation was accelerated. By the end of the war in 1953,
90 percent of United States military units were integrated.
Sections
within the exhibit include:
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