“FREEDOM IS NOT FREE” is inscribed on the Korean War Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
The Korean War ended JULY 27, 1953, with the armistice signed at Panmunjom.
It began three years earlier as a U.N. “police” action. The outnumbered U.S. and South Korean troops fought courageously against the Communist Chinese and North Korean troops, who were killing thousands with arms and MIG fighters supplied by the Soviet Union.
Five-star General Douglas MacArthur was Supreme U.N. Commander during the beginning of the Korean War. He made a daring landing of troops deep behind enemy lines at Inchon, then recaptured Seoul.
With temperatures sometimes forty degrees below zero, and Washington politicians limiting the use of air power against the Communists, there were nearly 140,000 American casualties:
in the defense of the Pusan Perimeter and Taego;
in the landing at Inchon and the freeing of Seoul;
in the capture of Pyongyang;
in the Yalu River where nearly a million Communist Chinese soldiers invaded;
in the Battles of Changjin Reservoir, Old Baldy, White Horse Mountain, Heartbreak Ridge, Pork Chop Hill, T-Bone Hill, and Siberia Hill.
Harry S Truman compared Communism and Democracy in his Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949:
“We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God. From this faith we will not be moved…
Communism is based on the belief that man is so weak and inadequate that he is unable to govern himself, and therefore requires the rule of strong masters.
Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with reason and justice.
Communism subjects the individual to arrest without lawful cause, punishment without trial, and forced labor as a chattel of the state. It decrees what information he shall receive, what art he shall produce, what leaders he shall follow, and what thoughts he shall think.
Democracy maintains that government is established for the benefit of the individual, and is charged with the responsibility of protecting the rights of the individual and his freedom…
These differences between Communism and Democracy do not concern the United States alone.
People everywhere are coming to realize that what is involved is material well-being, human dignity, and the right to believe in and worship God.”
On December 24, 1952, President Truman lit the National Christmas Tree, stating:
“Shepherds, in a field, heard angels singing: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’…
We turn to the old, old story of how ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’…”
Truman continued:
“Tonight, our hearts turn first of all to our brave men and women in Korea. They are fighting and suffering and even dying that we may preserve the chance of peace in the world…
Let us remember always to try to act and live in the spirit of the Prince of Peace. He bore no hate…nothing but love for all mankind. We should try as nearly as we can to follow His example. We believe that all men are truly the children of God…
As we pray for our loved ones far from home – as we pray for our men and women in Korea, and all our service men and women wherever they are – let us also pray for our enemies.
Let us pray that the spirit of God shall enter their lives and prevail in their lands…”
Truman concluded:
“Through Jesus Christ the world will yet be a better and fairer place.”
First Lady Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower stated in a conversation at the Doud home regarding their son John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower, who was serving in Korea:
“He has a mission to fulfill and God will see to it that nothing will happen to him till he fulfills it.”
William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s noble heritage.
To learn more about the author please visit William Federer
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