IN OUR VIEW | Korean War began 71 years ago this month

One of the questions remaining at the end of World War II was what to do about the Korean peninsula.

Ruled since 1910 by the empire of Japan, in 1945 it was decided to split Korea into two countries, divided along the 38th parallel.

The U.S. would administer the south. The Soviet Union held sway over the north.

The two Koreas were supposed to be reunited following free elections. But the elections never happened.

The Russians quickly established a communist government in North Korea. And on June 25, 1950 - 71 years ago this month - the North invaded South Korea and almost succeeded in taking the whole peninsula.

A United Nations force led by the U.S. came to South Korea's aid. And the Korean War began.

It lasted just over three years, until an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.

The Korean War was bitterly fought on the ground, in the air and on the political front. The U.S. lost more than 36,000, with more than 92,000 wounded and 8,176 missing in action. More than 7,200 U.S. soldiers were taken prisoner of war. The South Korean army lost more than 137,000.

The North Koreans lost 215,000. The Chinese anywhere between 114,000 and 400,000, depending on whose numbers you believe.

The war put two superpowers - the U.S. and China - on a collision course and raised the stakes in the Cold War for years to come.

It also pitted a U.S. president against the nation's top military hero. Defying President Harry S. Truman was one war Gen, Douglas MacArthur could not win.

It was the first "limited" war and the first where the U.N. was a major player. One could say it set the course for future conflicts including Vietnam and the first Gulf War. And one could argue endless whether that was good or bad.

But one thing that cannot be denied is the bravery and dedication to duty of the U.S. servicemen and women who served in the Korean War.

Korea is often called the forgotten war. It shouldn't be. Those who served should - and those who died - should never be forgotten by this grateful nation.

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