Why is the Korean War being referred to as “The Forgotten War”?
- Jinx
Which war?
The Korean War has the stigma of being a war that no one won, has never ended, and was not nearly as glamorous as World War II nor as tragic as Vietnam.
Americans like wars they win. Alternatively, they study up about wars that produced a lot of social change (Civil War, Vietnam). Korea provided no victory and did little to change the country’s foreign policy or social structure.
What Bob T said is very true, but for us that lived thru it I’m really not sure that it is forgotten, it is more “unknown” to say everyone under the age of 40.
If you’ve never been to Washington, D.C. you might not even know that there is a Korean War Veterans Memorial near the famous Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is completely different from “the wall”, but in its own way very impressive. What has upset many is that there is not a Memorial for the Veterans of WWII (one is being built).
I would also add that U.S. History classes usually don’t cover the Korean War in much detail. But that’s the way curricula have been set up for years.
History teachers fall behind and then in the last two weeks you get lessons like this "We won World War II, we had a draw in Korea, JFK got shot, there was a civil rights movement, MLK and RFK shot, we got upset over Vietnam, Nixon resigned, and then …
CLASS DIMISSED!
See you next fall!"
And don’t forget that there were other countries , such as the UK and Australia fighting alongside the US in what was in fact a UN force. Even though several Victoria Crosses were awarded for gallantry and many British troops were killed or taken prisoner people just seem to have forgotten about it here in the UK.
Think MASH
Ask a few people; “Which war?” Most often given answer is bound to be Vietnam.
I have nothing to add except lengthy and quite boring explanations towards why no one wants to remember… it’s along story, I forget why…
Sparc