Milford chronicle., 1951-10-19
HAS KOREA BECOME THE
FORGOTTEN" WAR?

Has Korea become the forgotten" war?
Will it go on indefinitely, with its heavy cas-
ualtleS, and with little or no chance for us
to win decisive victory?
Those SOmber questions are raised in sn
article in late issue of u. S. News and
World Report. The magazine said: "Korea,
halt-forgotten, is receding in the minds of
many to the status of an experimental war
one being fought back and forth for the pur-
pose of testing men, weapons, materials and
methods, on continuing basis. No effort is
being made or planned to win clear mill
tary victory. New u. S. ground forces,
which could help drive the enemy out of
Korea, are being sent to Europe. u. S. bomb
ers, which could seriously weaken the enemy
by bombing his bases outside of Korea, are
still kept below the Yalu. T. S., faced with
third-rate enemy, has fought for Is months
with no prospect of a military victory in
sight"
The Korean casualties have been enor-
nous. During those first Is months we suf-
fered more than $4,000 killed, about $4,000
wounded, and nearly 1900 missing. Our
allies took heavy losses too. What has hap
pened to the civilian population of South
Korea is beyond description. The fighting.
the cold, hunger and disease have been an
INC llncredlble toll; The cities and the villages
have been razed and burned. t<ffs -: :
On the credit side, as credits 90 in war
Korea has enabled us to build up a mag
nltcent army and to school it in new and
often revolutionary tactics. Everyone who
mas seen this army has had only the highest
praise for it, from General Ridgway'S high
command down to the last private in a frOz-
en- foxhole. Morale is magnificent, and the
troops fighting qualities, both as individ-
ualS and in units, are superb. And Korea
mas LED to the development of vastly imprOv-
e0 tT901fIOn9I II &c oil \
ent from the dreadful early days, when a
handful OF ill-equipped, inadequately-tra
ed troops attempted the impossible and were
all but wiped out.
Korea has also taught the military some
vital facts of modern war. AS an example.
U. s. News observes, "Air power of the
latest type is turning out to be of limited
effectiveness against a determined enemy.
large U. s. force without real opposition
mas been unable to block enemy supply lines.
Railroads, after more than year of bomb
ing, are still running in North Korea. Re
cent ar battles indicate, too, that jet planes
are very difficult to shoot down-an inn
portant lesson for U. S. air defense"
The situation has been further compli
Gated, IN the grimmeSt possible way, by the
announcement that the Russians have ex-
ploded another atomic bomb, probably in
the Siberian VastneSs. This has once again
ASsAOON CAAS AOCOCAO4l VI WAECucE Jl6 maj OeS-
tiny OF unhappy Korea is that she will be a
testing ground for atomic weapons. High
American authorities have been talking in
very general terms of new weapons. apDar-
emily suitable for use by and against ground
troops, which may be just in the Ofing. No
one has said whether these weapons use
atomic energy, or whether they are Of a diff
ferent character. So far, however. none
seem 9I1 70 nave e, made their appearance on the
battlefield. The men in Korea are fighting
with the conventional arms which have de-
clded every war since gunpOwder was in
vented.
One word of optimism came from Cen
eral Bradley, when he returned from Korea
early in October. He said, without elabor-
atlng, that there was a chance for a JJN
military victory. In the meantime, to quote
U. S. News again, "Men are dying at an
increasing rate in the war almost forgotten
at home, with no end in sight"
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
The whole cost of our defense effort is
not measured by the sum of approximately
S57 billion in the appropriation bill passed
by the Senate and sent to the President.
However, this sum, part of it to be spent
during this fiscal year and part next year.
breaks the record for a peacetime military
appropriation. 1t is equal to about $3.50 per
capita, or almost exactly One-fourth of the
estimated average income in 1949. Dollars
are not in themselves wealth. We cannot eat
them or wear thnno m. y,oo1ro oY,+o,,oob;Ioo -.