Reflections

As we ring in the New Year lets’ take time to remember how we got to this point and the price we as a country have paid for the right to survive.  At my age of 72 I remember many New Years and the fears and excitement we faced as the years opened.  1948; We were just getting over the 2^nd World War and in the process of rebuilding our economy.  The war had left many families decimated with the loss of so many sons, daughters, husbands and wives.  By this time the Russians and their dictator Stalin had shown their true colors and we were at the beginning of the so called Cold War.  The land grab by the Soviets and the crushing of the spirit of so many in the eastern bloc was prevalent on the minds of Americans.  These poor people had just been through a war to regain their freedom and now found themselves in the yoke of another tyrant.  A war weary America could do nothing to stop the spread of the Soviets influence and went about rebuilding their own infrastructure and our industry was being reconstructed for peace.  

At the other end of the spectrum the Chinese Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai shek was deeply involved in a civil war with the Communists.   1949;  The Nationalist Government in China capitulated and the country was taken over by the Communists.  This emboldened the North Koreans a Communist government to begin to build their armies as a threat to their southern neighbors.  The Selective Service was on the mind of young American men after the age of 18 as there was noise of a potential war in the Korean Peninsula.  The general feeling was if the spread of Communism was not stopped it would spread through the Far East, it was called the domino theory.  The general feeling of most young men at the time was that war was inevitable at sometime in their lives and most were either drafted as 1A’s or enlisted after high school.  The few who went to college were exempted from the draft with a lower rating in the draft.  1950;  President Truman had negotiated a protection treaty with the United Nations, South Koreans and the Nationalist Chinese who had reinstated their government on the island of Taiwan. 

The North Koreans made their surprise move on June 25^th 1950 sending their army across the 38^th parallel in what many felt was a move sponsored by the Soviets and Stalin for world domination.  The United States reacted by sending General MacArthur with his Occupation force from Japan to counter the attack.  The Chinese Communist who we had just helped defeat the Japanese in their brutal conquest of China sent masses of troops in support of the North Koreans changing the entire scope of what was being called a Police Action.  This was the beginning of what has been called the Korean War.  It was also the first politically charged war where the Generals were not allowed to actually run the war but were always under the scrutiny of the United Nations and Washington as well as the press.  President Truman relieved MacArthur in a move that sent shock waves through the military.  This was also the first war fought under the auspices of the United Nations as they were the ones that had drawn the arbitrary line at the 38^th parallel initially dividing the country.  The U.N. set the rules of engagement something that Mac Arthur could not abide by.  1951; The North substantially supported by the Chinese and the Russians were about to take Soul the capital when our Marine forces landed at Inchon and after days turning to weeks of hard fighting drove them back.  

The South Korean Army was ill equipped to battle the Soviet Tanks and Migs of the North Koreans alone.  Few of their army had even seen a tank before, let alone a jet fighter.  Many believed this was a test by the Soviets to see if the United States had the resolve to fight another war.  1951 &1952 The war drug on and America’s youth were continually sent to fight what the United Nations considered a Police Action in Korea.  The Russians and Chinese having veto power in the U.N. blocked any attempt to escalate the participation saying it was basically a Civil War.  While the governments were in the middle of negotiations for a settlement of the dispute we continued to fight with heavy losses, a lesson we failed to take note of and seem to repeat in the Vietnam action.  1953;  Our troops came home less 35,000 of our finest young men and women.  1954-1967 we actually had a peaceful period with the exception of the cold war that seem to perpetuate our lives daily.  As a kid growing up in the 50’s it was just an understanding that we were going to end up in a hot war with Russia and we seem to understand and accept that fact.   1968;  The U.N. put us in the middle of another war, this one definitely a political fiasco.  The rules of engagement were once again dictated by politicians not the generals on the line.  This war divided our nation, a situation that has remained until this day.  We have those who believe that there are no borders in the world and we should all be under a one world government.  These people are called Progressives and feel that we Americans have been the aggressor throughout history.  They  have done their best to tame America to the level of Europe.  For those of us who lived through WWII, Cold War, Korea, Vietnam and the 2 gulf wars, this is a slap in the face.  We are not warmongers as we have been called, I don’t know a soul whoever has ever wanted a war.  We just want to have the freedom to win when our politicians get us into a conflict.  

The United States is a land of laws, laws that are made by our Legislative Branch and defended by our Judicial system.  The Executive branch of government is there to defend the Constitution and protect the citizens of the States from foreign enemies.  The present system of government, Executive, Legislative and Judicial seem to think that they have the power to ignore the Constitution and the rights of Americans and decide what’s good for us.  We are not subjects of a Kingdom but rather freedom loving Americans who have fought and died for the God given rights we hold so dear.  Beware of a government that offers to give you what is already yours.  It may seem free but it has a price, the cost is the rights that we have fought for and carry a cost of 100’s of Thousands of lives.

Peace comes from strength not political talk, peace happens when our enemies fear our might not our negotiating prowess.  Let's go into 2014 with an attitude of strength and defeat those who would weaken our resolve as a country.  God Bless America...