31. A FIGHT TO REMAIN FREE

(Author Unknown)

The conflict in Korea had lasted three years, one month, and two days. It had destroyed Korean homes, fields, and factories, wrecked the nation’s economy, and threatened the populace with famine and disease. It had consumed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers from nations all over the face of the. globe. Many had died who a short time before had known Korea only as an exotic place name on a map. The signing of the armistice brought an end to the shooting; it did not bring an end to the ideological war. “We have won an armistice on a single battleground,” said President Eisenhower as the Panmunjom negotiators reached agreement, “not peace in the world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our quest.” Despite the failure to settle the issue in Korea, the United States and its partners in the fight against aggression had gained some insight into the manner of foe that opposed them. They learned that the communist adversary would use every means at his command to gain an advantage, both political and military; that he was willing, as in his use of human-sea tactics, to expend his soldiers’ lives prodigally in order to offset superior fire power. And, most important, they learned that the enemy, though powerful, was not invulnerable. The countries that fought under the flag of the United Nations to prevent the conquest of South Korea had demonstrated their ability to put aside differences and act in concert against common enemy. That nations of highly diverse cultural, religious, and racial background were willing to place their forces under a single command, in this case the United States, was evidence that free men could rise above national pride in their never-ending fight to remain free.