1 Alexander Haig was on MacArthur's staff in Korea

2 May the families of heroes be comforted ...

3 So was me Pa, but only at the very outer circle.  Very cold place in Winter...

4

Many of us know about the Korean war from watching M*A*S*H.

 

I yield to no man in my detestation of that smug pussy Alan Alda. If I'd been his CO, he'd have been scrubbing latrines every waking hour he wasn't working, officer or no. I'd have made his life a living hell.

5 My father was in the Navy, but he was on the Atlantic side for most of his tour.

6 The two things my father remembers most from his first tour in Korea was meeting Walton Walker only days before the general was killed, and the cold.

7 My uncle (by marriage) fought in Korea with the North Dakota National Guard. Got his commission the old fashioned way. Survived his wounds and got to come home and grow old.

8

Had the honor and privelige of speaking with General Ray Davis USMC on several occasions before he passed. He still teared up over all the dead at Chosin Reservoir. He was a great American!

 

9 My dad was a WWII & Korean war fighter pilot.  I heard many of his tales about their exploits in their Sabre Jets.  Nothing like the hell the men on the ground faced.  Bless them all.

10 Wasn't M*A*S*H that war show about how the Vietnam War would have been if it were fought in Korea in the early 1950s?

11

See "This Kind of War" by Fehrenbach.  Bang-up history of the Korean War and the circumstances leading up to it.

Rumor had it that, after it had gone not so well for the Norks, an Indian dipplemat said the Norks felt they'd been mistreated. After all, hadn't Dean Acheson said Korea was outside our sphere of interest?

A good discussion of a military establishment in a liberal democracy, and a prescient use of "jihad".

12 In Western Massachusetts there is a hippie newspaper called the Valley Advocate. Many years ago one of their contributors, Michael True, wrote long essays about how the USA started the Korean War. I wonder how many idiots believed it and how many now work in the White House.

13 Mash was a decent show at first, but as Alda took it further and further left it began to stink. By the end it was unwatchable.

14 1 Alexander Haig was on MacArthur's staff in Korea Posted by: SantaRosaStan at May 28, 2012 08:35 PM (Dll6b) Confidentially... So was I!

15 Alexander Haig was on MacArthur's staff in Korea On any other day, that's good for 150 homoerotic comments at AoSHQ.

16 By the way, the Korean War isn't over, there is just an truce, not a treaty ending hostilities. My Dad got called up to deploy to Korea during the Pueblo incident when I was a pup and our family live at Clark AB in the PI.

17 M*A*S*H was fine up until someone convinced Alda he was a comedic genius. No episode that calls Hotlips "Margret" is worth a squirt of dog piss.

18 Off, sock

19 Not just Alda, BJ sucked too. still does.

20 My Dad was 36 years in the Army. Fought in N. Africa, Sicily and up Italy. MIA for 8 months in Korea, wounded while escaping the ChiComs.

21 2 May the families of heroes be comforted ...

Posted by: Adriane at May 28, 2012 08:35 PM (NgwbY)

Arrgh!  Take it easy with the "'H' word!"

22 And Hayes apology sucked

23 yes, generals have staffs ( no homoerotic meanings hidden or intended )


MacArthur had a very big staff........

24

I'm not all that impressed with the UK's most beautiful face.  Sure, it's technically perfect, but it lacks any character.

Give me a girl with healthy skin and one freaky facial feature any day.

 

 

As far as Korea goes, my granddad was there.  He fought.  But mostly, he played trumpet in the Army band.

 

In his later years, he was a dead ringer for Colonel Potter.

25 And Hayes apology sucked

Posted by: Nevergiveup at May 28, 2012 08:59 PM (05RcU)

Was it the "I apologize if anyone was offended" kind of mealy-mouthed bullshit?

26 What memorial is that?

27 10 Wasn't M*A*S*H that war show about how the Vietnam War would have been if it were fought in Korea in the early 1950s?

Posted by: Minuteman at May 28, 2012 08:46 PM (qs9G3)

 

Yep, darn tootin'

28 "On Sunday, in discussing the uses of the word 'hero' to describe those members of the armed forces who have given their lives, I don't think I lived up to the standards of rigor, respect and empathy for those affected by the issues we discuss that I've set for myself," Hayes says in a written statement. "I am deeply sorry for that." Hayes continues: As many have rightly pointed out, it's very easy for me, a TV host, to opine about the people who fight our wars, having never dodged a bullet or guarded a post or walked a mile in their boots. Of course, that is true of the overwhelming majority of our nation's citizens as a whole. One of the points made during Sunday's show was just how removed most Americans are from the wars we fight, how small a percentage of our population is asked to shoulder the entire burden and how easy it becomes to never read the names of those who are wounded and fight and die, to not ask questions about the direction of our strategy in Afghanistan, and to assuage our own collective guilt about this disconnect with a pro-forma ritual that we observe briefly before returning to our barbecues. But in seeking to discuss the civilian-military divide and the social distance between those who fight and those who don't, I ended up reinforcing it, conforming to a stereotype of a removed pundit whose views are not anchored in the very real and very wrenching experience of this long decade of war. And for that I am truly sorry. It's all liberal intellectual bullshit and not even good bullshit

29 And Hayes apology sucked


Was it a "Sorry if I offended anyone" apology?


He needs to listen to a few stories of sacrifice.

30 Being a product of multiple public schools, I knew next-to-nothing about the Korean War, other than there was a North and South Korea like there was a North and South Vietnam a few years later. Then my father (38 years in the USAF; 5 as a pharmacy tech, 20 so far as a Chaplain, ANG and Reserves in between) got orders for Osan AB, ROK in 2001. We lived there for two years, and that was where I truly embraced the military culture and educated myself on the Land of the Morning Calm. The two years in Korea were the most enjoyable of my pre-college youth. I've tried to get through Halberstam's book many times, but the early chapters spend so much time building up and then tearing down Douglas MacArthur (a man with many faults, yes, but COME ON) that I put it down out of sheer boredom. It's still on my to-do list.

31 My Dad was a Marine in Korea, and lived in a fox hole for something like a year. Because of that, he would never camp. I will always love him for that simple fact. (Shibumi's Dad is gone and she misses him terribly.

Another great book on Korea is The Coldesst War by James Brady.

32 DaveA - Korean War Monument in D.C.

33 My Uncle fought in the Korean war. Came home with a bunch of medals. Not even my Father knows what they were for. My Uncle just would not talk about it. Instead he would just be himself and be the funniest person in the room. Watched the YouTube video of the little girl in the blue dress play il Silencio on the trumpet. God bless all of those who have and are serving.

34 27 What memorial is that? Posted by: DaveA at May 28, 2012 09:02 PM (NqmTy) The Korean War Memorial in Washington, right next to the Lincoln Memorial. It's designed to look like they are wading thru rice paddies. Very affecting.

35 The Hayes apology:

On Sunday, in discussing the uses of the word "hero" to describe those members of the armed forces who have given their lives, I don't think I lived up to the standards of rigor, respect and empathy for those affected by the issues we discuss that I've set for myself. I am deeply sorry for that.

As many have rightly pointed out, it's very easy for me, a TV host, to opine about the people who fight our wars, having never dodged a bullet or guarded a post or walked a mile in their boots. Of course, that is true of the overwhelming majority of our nation's citizens as a whole. One of the points made during Sunday's show was just how removed most Americans are from the wars we fight, how small a percentage of our population is asked to shoulder the entire burden and how easy it becomes to never read the names of those who are wounded and fight and die, to not ask questions about the direction of our strategy in Afghanistan, and to assuage our own collective guilt about this disconnect with a pro-forma ritual that we observe briefly before returning to our barbecues.

But in seeking to discuss the civilian-military divide and the social distance between those who fight and those who don't, I ended up reinforcing it, conforming to a stereotype of a removed pundit whose views are not anchored in the very real and very wrenching experience of this long decade of war. And for that I am truly sorry.

So the first thing he says is to praise himself for his high standards, then admit he didn't live up to them, but the finish with, neither do most of us, so who are you to judge?  What a pathetic little man.

36 DaveA, sent you an email with my apologies. Mea culpa.

37 Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt) is a communist. Back in the eigthties he went on the college lecture circuit to promote it. Says it's never been tried right.

38 One of my friends Dad was a PFC caught up in that Chosin mess...he and a couple buddies cross countried it out of there on their own. He would tell us stories of how he would get promoted and then get busted. Made it sound like a bad habit. Stayed out of trouble when he drove the bosses jeep. Got eminent domained out of his ranch property by Ranch Seco nuke plant. Became a market owner instead. Hard drinking no nonsense fella right up to his end about 20 years ago.

39 As an Army veteran, I can assure Hayes that no one would have wanted him sashaying anywhere in our boots. He's a whiny entitled pussy, and would have been more of an unbearable burden than any military tasking. As to his disingenous point about burden shouldering, those of us that served chose to shoulder that burden, and we never asked anyone else to do it that couldn't or wouldn't. That's what makes the American military so effective; it's made up of men and women that choose of their own free will to assume the sacrifices of service. Hayes tries to dodge scorn by pointing out that Americans often treat Memorial Day as any other holiday, as if he has placed flowers on veterans' graves all these years. Soldiers know who has their back at home, and I doubt this guy ever made the list.

40 Thanks MCPO, Hadn't seen it with snow on.  Really appropriate, unlike any lame joke I'd make about trying to get to the National Mall in a snowstorm.

41 I hate MSNBC

42 It's all liberal intellectual bullshit and not even good bullshit


I think it's not bad, as bullshit goes, but seemed to be very lacking in humility.

43 The Corner at NRO propses the following as the Best American Generals: 1. Washington. Won our Independence. 2. Eisenhower. Saved the World. 3. Patton. The most brilliant tactician in our history. 4. Grant. Saved the Country. I would quibble that Grant should precede Patton, but otherwise I agree. I would put Sherman at Number 5.

44

Why talk about this ancient history?!  Barry won in 2008! Hope and Change 2012!

45 As to his disingenous point about burden shouldering, those of us that served chose to shoulder that burden, and we never asked anyone else to do it that couldn't or wouldn't. That's what makes the American military so effective; it's made up of men and women that choose of their own free will to assume the sacrifices of service. Hayes tries to dodge scorn by pointing out that Americans often treat Memorial Day as any other holiday, as if he has placed flowers on veterans' graves all these years. Soldiers know who has their back at home, and I doubt this guy ever made the list. Posted by: UGAdawg at May 28, 2012 09:11 PM (WYOrt) Really well said

46 It's all liberal intellectual bullshit and not even good bullshit

Posted by: Nevergiveup at May 28, 2012 09:03 PM (05RcU)

Thats even worse than "I apologize if anyone was offended." That is straight out "I apologize that you ignorant troglodytes are unable to understand my nuanced, deeply intellectual insights."

47 Thats even worse than "I apologize if anyone was offended." That is straight out "I apologize that you ignorant troglodytes are unable to understand my nuanced, deeply intellectual insights." Posted by: cm9000 at May 28, 2012 09:14 PM (lzvtR) Yes, that's pretty much as I read it.

48 Some Memorial Day videos for you:

10 year old Heather Martin sings 'When Are You Coming Home' about her brother

http://tinyurl.com/29o2vr

The True Meaning of Memorial Dayhttp://tinyurl.com/5koq82

President Bush Breaks Down While Presenting Medal of Honor http://tinyurl.com/6p6smfg

marine's final salute
http://tinyurl.com/7edscok

Taps history told by John Wayne http://tinyurl.com/38wnh7a

Welcoming Home a Hero - Fallen Marine LCpl Brandon Lara http://tinyurl.com/cqs5hty

Awesome song well worth your time. Bring tissues!:  "When You Come Home" is by: Cloud Nine  

http://tinyurl.com/c4cuasq

49 I would put Sherman at Number 5.

Posted by: CoolCzech at May 28, 2012 09:12 PM (niZvt)

So would I.  He's one of my Greats! (Grand father that is)

50 Miss Hayes first takes a dump on a grave then washes it off with piss. All better now.

51 My Daddy fought in Korea. Purple Heart and some little pins with what look like oak leaves and acorns on then. He never spoke about Korea, ever, and my Daddy was a heckuva story teller. The only thing I ever heard him say was that it was cold and that he lost some good buddies.

God bless and keep every last one of our fallen warriors....and all who have served and are serving now. There really aren't sufficient words to express the gratitude the entire world owes all y'all.

52 "The Coldest Winter" was a good book, but, IMHO, he gave short shrift to naval actions, the air war, the fate of POWs/MIAs.... Other than that, not a bad read.

53 Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney chose Veterans Day to proclaim to the American people his conviction that the world is a dangerous place, and the United States must remain its most formidable military power. "The world is not safe," Romney told veterans on Memorial Day. He was joined by Senator John McCain, in a speech to honor the veterans of America's wars. The United States now has two paths forward, Romney said. He called one "the pathway to Europe," suggesting Europe had acquiesced to geopolitical threats. "To shrink our military smaller and smaller to pay for our social needs." The other path, Romney said, is "to commit to preserve America as the strongest military in the world, second to none, with no comparable power anywhere in the world." I'm gonna go with that second option

54

A few other great Generals in the history of the US Army:

 

George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army (WWII): picked all the major commanders of the Army during WWII, including Eisenhower and Bradley.  Masterminded the organization, training and logistics of the Army that lead to our ultimate victory.  Almost universally respected by the rest of the command officers of WWII (except MacArthur who was a legend in his own mind, and didn't like Marshall at all).

 

Creighton Abrams: Lead an armored regiment  (as a light colonel) of the 4th Armored Div. in WWII, and was in the lead element that reach Bastogne in December 1944.  Salvaged a lot of the mess in Viet Nam after Westmoreland left, and would have gotten more credit for achieving a lasting piece if only....

 

Curtis LeMay:  Masterminded a lot of the strategic bombing of Germany and Japan in WWII.  Organized the Strategic Air Command after WWII and at the beginning of the Cold War.  Hated universally by the Left, a real hardass, who succeeded in keeping the peace through deterrence.

55 My dad (still alive) was a soldier in Korea during the war. I don't believe he ever saw combat, but he built roads there and in Guam for a few years.

56 Ya might want to an Admiral or 2 on that list. I'll go with Nimitz who had to manage he War in the Pacific at the same time he had to deal with McCarthur?

57 I'm not all that impressed with the UK's most beautiful face. Sure, it's technically perfect, but it lacks any character. Give me a girl with healthy skin and one freaky facial feature any day. Or as I like to think of it, beauty isn't perfection, beauty comes from a harmony of flaws.

58 Curtis LeMay wasn't the general in Dr. Strangelove supposed to be modeled after General LeMay? Posted by: chemjeff at May 28, 2012 09:34 PM (7FadD) United States Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper

59 The Ms. worked at the design firm that designed the Korean War Memorial. Got seats at the dedication of the memorial and got to see my first President up close (Bush Sr.) Still have the hat, t-shirt and pin that they handed out (had two sets, gave one to my Dad that participated in the Korean War. Got them back all too soon when he was posted to the Great US Air Force Base In The Sky).

60 Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller (June 26, 1898 – October 11, 1971) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Puller is the most decorated U.S. Marine in history, and the only Marine to be awarded five Navy Crosses. During his career, he fought guerrillas in Haiti and Nicaragua, and participated in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II and the Korean War. Puller retired from the Marine Corps in 1955, spending the rest of his life in Virginia.

61 MacArthur ( in the Pacific and at Inchon )


Patton ( everywhere )


J.E.B. Stuart ( until he died )


Sheridan   ( vastly underrated )


Walton Walker   ( died too soon, and the credit went to Ridgeway ) 

62

My grandfather served under Pershing in Mexico and then in Europe in WWI, "the war to end all wars".  But then almost one million men served under Pershing in Europe, so that's not too unique.  My grandfather (who I never knew) served in the "Rainbow" Division  (42nd), 166th Battalion.

 

Pershing was one tough nut, and was really Hell on wheels.  Yeah, he was great soldier.

63 Pop was too young for Korea, did several tours in Vietnam, mostly on the carriers at Yankee Station. Did one tour on the ground at Da Nang just in time for Tet. NEVER talked about that one, the sea tours he didn't have a problem talking about.

64 forget Ike:  He did what Marshall told him to do, after Marshall plucked him from Relative Obscurity from the 4th ID.  After encountering Marshall, Ike went from one to five stars very quickly


( before that, Ike made his bones as MacArthur's Chief of Staff )

65 67 MacArthur ( in the Pacific and at Inchon )

Agree, but not #1.  McArthur was brilliant.  Nimitz wanted a hard slog campaign through the islands in his theater, but McArthur was smart and went the island hopping route that ended up saving untold thousands of lives. 

He could also be a first class jerk, and that was what ultimately destroyed him.  Truman did the right thing.

66 The British girl is very pretty.  When she opened her mouth, the spell was broken.

67 Give me Tomorrow was also very good

68 Brigadier General Frederick Joseph Karch (August 9, 1917 - May 23, 2009) was United States Marine Corps officer who served during World War II and the Vietnam War, particularly notable in the latter for leading the Marine Corps onto Nam O Beach at the beginning of large scale US involvement in Vietnam. From February until September 1943 he served as Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 14th Marines, and served for the remainder of the war as Operations Officer of the 14th Marines. Karch was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star during the Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima campaigns.[1] [edit] My Father's CO on Iwo Jima. Used to send me letters from Vietnam signed "Uncle Fred"

69 70 forget Ike

Here I disagree.  Ike was great, not as a tactician, but as a logistician and the kind of diplomatic general who was absolutely indispensable to a multinational effort like that in WWII.   Different skill sets, but both critically important. 

70 Ike was an exceptional 'diplomatic general', but so were Bradley and Beedle


I wasn't putting the generals ( as battlefield commanders ) in order.  Trying to do that would be few-tile...

71 US commandos parachuted into N. Korea: report

US and South Korean special forces have been parachuting into North Korea to gather intelligence about underground military installations, a US officer has said in comments carried in US media.
http://tinyurl.com/cpqcmba

72 Hey how about the General that ran the Vietnam War that LBJ fellow and his incarnation General obama who is ruining, er I mean running the Afghanistan War?

73 I used to look up to MASH's Hawkeye for his smartass attitude and sarcasm. But then I turned 17.

74 I went and saw my Father today. He was a Medic during the Korean War. He never spoke about the war unless someone asked, and then it would be short. He now suffers from Dementia, but still remembers his children and his service. I am so thankful that my lineage is full of warriors who were more than willing (Uncle KIA in WWII) to place Country above self. My Husband Army, my son Marines.. Memorial Day is so very special. God Bless America.

75 My Dad is also a Korean Navy veteran. The ship he served on, the Midway, is now a museum in San Diego.

76 yes I know it's Bedell but everyone called him 'Beedle'

77 Used to know a guy who was a P51 pilot in WWII (we ate at the same lunch counter for several years). Told me a harrowing story about the one time he flew against one of the German Me262 jets. He was outmatched, but could hold his own....until his guns jammed. So the only way to get out of the furball was to dive out. His dive was so intense that he couldn't pull out, with the plane practically shaking itself into pieces as he fought the controls. Finally pulled out at around 500 ft and barely made it back to friendly territory.

78 Obama should start 'Tuesday Morning Breakfasts' to win the Afghan war


( for you young 'uns, a Veet-nam reference )


ask the Brits how many Afghan wars it takes to screw in a light bulb...

79 Um, hello? General Lee? I mean come on. That was one cool car.

80

75

Agree.  Amateurs, it is said, talk tactics.  Professionals talk logistics.

81 Clutch, Debbie  everyone who is sharing their stories....... thank you!

82 My grandad flew biplanes in WW I. He told me once that people would be surprised at how bad some of our pilots were back then. He said young cadets survived air sorties and then crashed on landing all the time.

83 The Korean War was were the term "Bug Out" came from. In the early days, our troops would break and run at the first sight of enemy troops and especially tanks - T-34-85's. This was because the units were starved for equipment and only had 2.36" bazookas which bounced off the T-34's armor. A great book is "http://www.amazon.com/The-Pusan-perimeter-Korea-1950/dp/0880292253"

84 General Lee? I mean come on. That was one cool car.

Posted by: teej at May 28, 2012 09:52 PM (sbimF)

But the General Grant won the race.

as for talking tactics, strategy, and logistics, good generals speak all three languages

85

Debbie, God bless you and your family.

 

I watched the end of "Band of Brother" this evening, and it ends with the late Dick Winters recounting the question asked of him by his grandson.

"Granpa, were you a hero in WWII?"

"No, but I served in a company of heroes." - Dick Winters

 

I wonder if Chris Hayes could understand that?

86 By the way remember FOX ran with some bullshit story about obama doing well amongst Veterans? I didn't buy that for a second. Veterans Give Romney Big Lead Over Obama Veterans responsible for Romney's advantage among men overall by Frank Newport PRINCETON, NJ -- U.S. veterans, about 13% of the adult population and consisting mostly of older men, support Mitt Romney over Barack Obama for president by 58% to 34%, while nonveterans give Obama a four-percentage-point edge.

87 didn't , George C. Marshall, let China fall to the commies?

88

Just watched Chosin...incredible.  Thank you for the recommendation.  All those ole' bad asses reminded me of my grandpa.  He was a WWII vet -- had to eat frozen potatos out of the ground in the Battle of the Bulge.  

This country obviously still produces men of this caliber, but I fear their percentage as to the general population is much smaller. 

89

I just watched a documentary last night about how a number of U.S. and British F-86 pilots were likely transferred to the Soviet Union... and never returned.

 

They may have languished, forgotten, in Soviet gulags for years or even decades.

 

Just the thought of what those brave men went through is enough to make you sick to your stomach.  And angry, yes, still very angry, at Communism and everyone who ever promoted it in any way.

90 Tammy, the 'oak leaves' you saw are rank insignia for majors and lt. colonels. 


In the US military, with its fine sense  of irony, silver outranks gold

91 Generals serve at the behest of Presidents, and has there ever been a President in the past that would have had the courage to make the GUTSY CALL. Never, it was truly Unprecedented.

92 Grandpa was in Korea, was a great man. My grandmother claims he was so nervous before leaving he wouldn't eat. She had to practically stuff the food down his throat, "He wasn't going to defeat the commies looking like that" she always said.

93 Marshall was Sec of War / Defense after WWII. -- Harry Truman was Pres


China was not ours to lose.

94 My Pop joined the National Guard to help pay for college and broke his grandmother's heart (she was a Wobblie and considered the NG nothing but strikebreakers). When the Norks invaded his unit was called up and he spent the war as a forward artillery observer. Still with us at 82. God bless you, and thank you for your service, Master Sergeant!

95 The only good episode of MASH was the...movie.

96 Besides fast expensive cars, mafioso's, fine wine, pasta, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida......what the fuck good are Italians?

97 Besides fast expensive cars, mafioso's, fine wine, pasta, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida......what the fuck good are Italians?

Posted by: Samuel Adams at May 28, 2012 10:01 PM (ZOf1l)

Pizza?

98 88 My father's uncles were in WWI. One was a airplane mechanic. He went to "Fabric School" in Texas (Many biplanes were canvas). He went on to fight in the Argonne and might've been gassed. Ended up at Walter Reed and tried to bail. Died of TB I think. Even my great aunt was in the Red Cross in WWI. Have some framed hundred-year old pics.

99 Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida

Dude, update your Rolodex to at least the late '90s.

100

I honestly don't think it was within George Marshall's ability to bestow China on anyone.

Not to be too sarcastic, but China was embroiled in a Civil War that lasted years, interrupted by the Japanese invasion.  We were ostensibly allied to the Nationalist / Kuomintag party government, but they were lethargic and lazy in governance.  There was literally nothing we could have done to control the destiny of China.  Bringing a million man American Army into China would  not have changed the course of the way of history, as tragic and cruel as it was.

101 Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida Dude, update your Rolodex to at least the late '90s. Posted by: Monica Bellucci at May 28, 2012 10:03 PM (2jxG1) Appollonia

102 Marshall was Sec of War / Defense after WWII. -- Harry Truman was Pres China was not ours to lose. Posted by: SantaRosaStan at May 28, 2012 10:00 PM (Dll6b) I'll have to look, but pretty sure Marshall didn't back the noncommunists and negotiated like a monkey with a cueball

103 @105 - Don't do it Samuel. Still have Ingrid and Audrey as hole cards.

104

Marshall was Secretary of State after he retired from the Army (under Truman).  He had the "Marshall Plan" drafted by his staff as a way to re-finance Europe and prevent the West from coming under the heal of the Russians as did the occupied East Europe.

And yes, his reputation was quite sullied by the notion that he "lost" China in 1949.

105 My dad fought at Chosin, and was injured at Hagiru-Ri by a grenade. They strapped him to a tank and he rode that out while they ... advanced to the rear.

106 Monica Bellucci is damn hot but lost my respect when she signed that list of artists supporting Polanski.

107 And Cappucine showing.

108 And yes, his reputation was quite sullied by the notion that he "lost" China in 1949. Posted by: Reader C.J. Burch writes..... at May 28, 2012 10:07 PM (sJTmU) Well, it was the least we could do

109 Dude, update your Rolodex to at least the late '90s.


Yeah....whatever.
http://tinyurl.com/d8nbrx4
http://tinyurl.com/d8nbrx4

110 It's taken about 2 hours to play not yet 3 inning in LA--LA/Yankees. Gonna be a long night

111 Carla Bruni


although Sophia L. in 'Boy on A Dolphin' was of a highly stimulating nature

112 The sad fact is, by 1950 we didn't have the willpower to overthrow the communist regime in Pyong Yang. How on Earth would we have forced our will on the Chinese?

113 Sorry, tinyurl fucked it up. Here's Sophia.

http://tinyurl.com/7xy9kop

114 Many of us know about the Korean war from watching M*A*S*H.




I hated that show. I wanted an episode where the Chinese over ran the camp and slaughter every douche bag one of them. I hated the movie too. Sod them all

115 I give up, not even drunk yet. Sophia was really hot, trust me.

116

My uncle, Marine Cpl. Richard Patillo took his fatal sniper bullet on his second tour in Korea leading a machine gun squad.  They say he went back so someone with a family wouldn't have to. 

117 although Sophia L. in 'Boy on A Dolphin' was of a highly stimulating nature

Posted by: SantaRosaStan at May 28, 2012 10:11 PM (Dll6b)

Major boner material at the time.

118 Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida Weren't they members of the Borgia clan, circa 1400?

119 Besides fast expensive cars, mafioso's, fine wine, pasta, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida......what the fuck good are Italians?

Posted by: Samuel Adams at May 28, 2012 10:01 PM (ZOf1l)

What have the Romans Italians ever done for us?

120 The sad fact is, by 1950 we didn't have the willpower to overthrow the communist regime in Pyong Yang. How on Earth would we have forced our will on the Chinese?


We were fucked going in. If we had gone into China it would have been WW3. We saved the South and they are an economic powerhouse thanks to us.

121 In light of the fact that I have never served in the military, I have to side with Mark Twain..."The coldest winter I ever spent, was a summer in San Francisco."  I have pics of me bundled in every piece of clothing I brought on our camping trip - to Pt. Reyes, in July.   Froze my ass off.  Even our dog checked out and it in our van each night. 

122 What have the Romans Italians ever done for us?

Posted by: TheQuietMan at May 28, 2012 10:15 PM (5A+LB)

Virna Lisi?

123 I actually put in for a year controlled tour to Korea, thought I would enjoy it. But after hearing my friends talk about how fucking cold it got there, maybe I'm glad I didn't.

124 What have the Romans Italians ever done for us? Posted by: TheQuietMan at May 28, 2012 10:15 PM (5A+LB) Well basically they like us

125 " Besides fast expensive cars, mafioso's, fine wine, pasta, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida......what the fuck good are Italians?"

Ducati!

126 Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt) is a communist. Back in the eigthties he went on the college lecture circuit to promote it. Says it's never been tried right.

Posted by: Wm T Sherman at May 28, 2012 09:11 PM (8hBZi)

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> Heh.... You'd think these "smartest  people in the room" would have figured out a long time ago that they hitched their wagon to a failed mid-19th Century economic theory.  The Road to Serfdom gives a good explanation of the development of socialism/communism and why it is always doomed to fail.

127

And yes, his reputation was quite sullied by the notion that he "lost" China in 1949.

 

But we now know that was through the actions of Democrats communist traitors, such as Owen Lattimore.

128

e sad fact is, by 1950 we didn't have the willpower to overthrow the communist regime in Pyong Yang. How on Earth would we have forced our will on the Chinese?

 

Yet another reason that I hope the Rosenbergs' executions were singularly painful.

129 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

130 I actually know someone featured in Chosen - Joe from Cleveland. We talk alot since we have family by marriage and because I was in the Marines as well. He does a lot of talks at local schools about the Korean war and the Chosen Resivoir. Great guy and very humble.

131 i wish that i wasnt so late to this thread... i have a few things to say or ask.

132 My Dad came "this close" to dying in Korea. Massive head wound. Shrapnel in lots of other places. He was flown to Tokyo where Japan's best brain surgeon at the time saved his life. He's 82 now. A hero forever thank you very much MSNBC.

133

Great American generals? Nathanael Greene, Daniel Morgan, Anthony Wayne, George Rogers Clark (brother of William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame).

 Other leaders of note: Francis Marion, William Richardson Davie, John Eager Howard, and a bunch of others.

134

one is about flags... a big flag that i found.. a dang big nice flag that i found years ago.

 

135 Besides fast expensive cars, mafioso's, fine wine, pasta, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida......what the fuck good are Italians? Posted by: Samuel Adams at May 28, 2012 10:01 PM (ZOf1l) Always got a laugh out of the old joke: why do the Italians always lose wars? Their supply officers order ziti instead of shells.

136 I see I am not the only one who never liked the MASH show because it put a political, liberal, Vietnam slant on the Korean war.  My brother was in the Navy and was on landed spy missions, (early Seals?) in that war. I am still pissed we gave up VietNam and so many subsequently died as a result.  We had it won until the unhonorable Kronkite declared we didn't.  The liberals always seem to hate it when we win.

137 I found a 4 1/2 X 9 1/2 flag blowing across a field about 20 years ago...........  One that is sawn togeather.... All the stripes are sawn and the Stars are sawn on it. A rope with a ring on top but the bottom ring is gone.

138 Found it in the middle of nowhere and keep it folded up and put away but for this day every year. I have tryed to find the owener but never have.

139 @96 No, Stan, that's all wrong. Oak leaf clusters signify multiple "awards" of the same decoration. You get the Distinguished Service Cross, for instance, and then if you get it again, you get a bronze oak leaf on the ribbon. Then another. Get past four (that's five awards), and you trade in the bronzes for a silver oak leaf cluster. It has nothing to do with rank.

It's the wrong day to talk about it, but when I was in junior high school, we read "In Every War But One," about POW collaboration. It stirred  a shit-storm that resulted in "Manchurian Candidate," our almost SF level of fear of communist interrogators, SERE training, and the off-my-lawn viewpoint of WWII vets toward all younger soldiers.

And if you really want to liven things up at the Legion hall, just mention the Lost Division. My dad and four of my five uncles (the baby ended up a career colonel) were in WWII, and agreed that there was a normal distribution of craven shitheels in the US armed forces at that time.   
 

140 My father was in Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.  Fought in Inchon and Chosin.  I had best call the old soldier up and say, "Hiya, Pa!"  Of course I'll have to scream it since he lost a lot of his hearing in Korea. 

141 That is the best war memorial in DC. Freedom isn't free.

142 Reposting a comment I made on a topic below this one. Seems more relevant here.
******************************************************
About that Chosin thing...

Just a bit of relevant trivia.

At the outbreak of the Korean War, the USMC had been reduced to two half battalions on each coast of the US, plus stripped down ship detachment units and depot guard detachments.

The "Fire Brigade" that was sent to Korea was made up of those battalions combined together along with all that could be scraped loose from the various detachments, as well as any non felony brig bound Marines.

The rest of the division was made up of Marines that came back to the colors on their own transportation dime and "Summer Reserves".

The USMC wasn't allowed a regular reserve. So, they created a Summer Reserve. This was made up of young men who wanted to join the Corps and were waiting for an open slot. They received no pay and no training other than some units of the Summer Reserve would be allowed to tour armory depots and get some exposure to artillery and how it works.

The only organized training those men got when the summons went out to them was a day or two on the rifle range. The remainder of their training was whatever lectures or demonstrations could be provided while aboard ship in rout to Korea.

The percentage of Summer Reserve Marines in the regiments varied between 12%-25%.

It wasn't much better in the USMC air wing either.

Two good books to read that cover this period, the perfidy of the POTUS admins involved and the effects of same are:

First to Fight. An Insiders' View of the US Marines by Victor H. Krulak (Gen, USMC ret)
and
Last Stand of Fox Company by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin.

Last Stand is the true story of Fox Co. 2/7 stand at Toktong Pass which held open the MSR for the forward forces at the Chosin Resevior.

Fox Co held that pass open for 6 days while under assault from a regiment plus of PDRChina forces.

The book is a narrative built around and including first hand input from the surviving Marines and goes into some detail on the Summer Reserve Marines in that outfit.

Of course, the Marines being the Marines... after the war, those Summer Reservists still had to go through Boot Camp if they wanted to stay in the Corps.

Semper Fi, all y'all.
Never Forget. Never Forgive.

143

A former Elder from my church passed away recently. As long as I've known him (over 10 years) he'd never mentioned being in Korea. I'd often wondered about what happened to his chewed up ear. At his funeral, the story was told that he'd spent the night in a minefield covered in snow with 4 other guys. When they finally decided they were going to freeze to death or get blown up they started trying to move. He stepped on a mine, blew off part of his ass and a chunk of his ear, a week later he was back in the field.

Total badass and I never knew it.

144 If anyone ever questions whether US servicemen and women are heroes, point them to the difference between South Korea and North Korea. If it weren't for the US military and the heroes who served and died in it, there would only be North Korea.

145

Since the ceasefire in 1953 over 300 Americans have been killed at the DMZ by the North Koreans. Not many people know about that.

The North Koreans are the most brainwashed people on the face of the earth.

146 I have read all the comments and no one mentioned "Frozen Chosin", which is what I knew it as.  Didn't serve there; it was before my time, but that was how it was presented to me when I DID serve.