Korean War

National Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Forgotten Victory from a Forgotten War

On 13 September 2003, the citizens of Rock Island County, Illinois and Scott County, Iowa saluted their long forgotten heroes, the veterans of the Korean War. A scheduled parade was rained out, however a special ceremony was held as scheduled at the River Center in Davenport, Iowa.

The morning rain forced the organizers to cancel the much anticipated parade commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War. But nothing was going to stop the 800 plus from attending the special ceremony honoring the “Forgotten Heroes of a Forgotten Victory” at Davenport, Iowa’s River Center on 13 September 2003.

“It rained on our parade but it did not lessen our spirit or dampen our gratitude toward our veterans,” said actor, author, and Korean War veteran James McEachin, who was the guest speaker for the ceremony.

Fifty-three years ago, on 25 June 1950, eight divisions and an armored brigade of the North Korean People's Army attacked in three columns across the 38th parallel and invaded the Republic of Korea. Many of the North Korean soldiers were battle tested, having served with the Chinese and Soviet armies during World War II. The 98,000 strong South Korean Army, its combat training incomplete, and having no tanks and only 89 howitzers, was no match for the better equipped 135,000 strong North Korean Army. Aided by only a 500 man U.S. Korean Military Advisory Group, the South Korean Army was overwhelmed. Spearheaded by tanks, North Korean forces moved rapidly along the west coast of South Korea and captured Seoul. The South Korean Army fled south in disarray across the Han River toward Pusan, a major port at the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula.

On 25 June, the United Nations Security Council denounced North Korea's actions and called for a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of the North Korean Army to the 38th parallel. President Harry S. Truman directed General Douglas MacArthur to evacuate American dependents from South Korea and send ammunition to the South Korean Army. The following day, President Truman sanctioned the use of American air and naval forces below the 38th parallel. The next day, as the situation worsened, the United Nations requested its members to furnish military assistance to repel the invasion. President Truman extended the American air and naval actions to North Korea and authorized the use of U.S. Army troops to protect Pusan. General MacArthur, however, recommended committing an U.S. Army regiment in the Seoul area. President Truman agreed, and on 30 June he told General MacArthur to use all forces available to him.

Those five days would disrupt and alter the lives of many young men and boys across the country and around the world. They answered their Nations call to protect and defend the lives of another nation thousands of miles away from home. Yet, none of these heroes received the full recognition due them. They, along with the war in which they fought, drifted away in history. These unsung heroes became known as the "Forgotten Heroes in a Forgotten Victory."

Army Major General Wade McManus, commanding general for the U.S. Army Field Support Command at Rock Island Arsenal, spoke at the ceremony that honored Quad Cities area Korean War veterans who were killed in action or declared missing in action.

“We have not thanked our veterans enough, nor expressed sufficient gratitude for those who gave their lives in Korea,” he said. “Perhaps, in part, because there are no words that match the magnitude of what they sacrificed for us, but perhaps also because of our own human frailty and tendency to take things for granted.”

Major General McManus presented the Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal to 44 families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. The Republic of Korea first offered the medal to the veterans in 1951, but the U.S. military prohibited service members from wearing medals issued by foreign governments at that time. Korea renewed its original offer in 1999, and the Defense Department decided to allow veterans to wear the medal.

Raol Gomez accepted the medal in honor of his brother, Army Private First Class Joseph Gomez. “It’s real emotional. I can’t even hardly talk,” Gomez said. “It brings back memories, just like he was here again because you want him to be here. I had five brothers in the service. Joe was the only one that didn’t come back.”

Mary Beth Guy accepted the medal on behalf of her father, Air Force First Lieutenant William A. Voss. “I’m very proud of my dad. It’s neat that they’re recognizing these guys,’ she said while tightly clutching a photo of her father in uniform.

Lois Riley, who formerly was married to Voss, wiped tears away from her eyes as she recalled his demise. “He was a jet pilot,” she said. “He was missing in action for 10 days before the truce was signed. A year later, he was determined to be dead. To this day we have no knowledge of his whereabouts,” she said.

A special medal ceremony was held prior to the presentation of the Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal. The Air Medal was posthumously awarded to Air Force Airman Second Class Donald Harold Wilson for his heroic actions on 31 October 1952 in the Sea of Japan. Airman Wilson, a non-swimmer, sacrificed his life while rescuing two members of his crews from the dangerously turbulent and shark infested waters, before the aircraft sank. Airman Wilson’s brother William accepted the medal and certificate from Major General McManus.

Nearly 7 million Americans served during the Korean War, almost 37,000 of them were killed. An estimated 1.2 million Korean War veterans are still alive. Mr. McEachin said “the veterans’ contributions never should have been forgotten in the past and must never be forgotten again in the future.”

“Take pride in yourselves, Korean War veterans,” he said. “Mission accomplished. That was a job damn well done.”

The ceremony wrapped up with “TAPS” in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, followed by prayer, and a medley of military music.

The ceremony was sponsored by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Rock Island, U.S. Army Field Support Command, U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, Association of the U.S. Army, and the National Defense Industrial Association.

For the Rock Island County, Illinois and Scott County, Iowa Korean War Honor Roll, click here.

For a list of known Korean War veterans from Rock Island County, Illinois and Scott County, Iowa, click here.