The Korean War

Sometimes known as the "Forgotten War," the Korean War was a military conflict fought on the Korean Peninsula in the early 1950s (1950-1953 armistice). It marked the first major armed conflict of the Cold War involving the world's superpowers as well as the United Nations. Never fully resolved, it is still felt in heated actions and words on the Korean Peninsula today.

During the war many Kansans served as soldiers, sailors, airmen, medical staff, military chaplains and in other capacities. Casualties were heavy. Over 400 Kansas military personnel lost their lives with many more sustaining serious injuries.

There has been an increased interest in the Korean War within the past decade. Memorials, monuments and ceremonies have honored the men and women who participated in this conflict. Below are links to some Kansas information as well as a few general sites on the War and its aftermath.

Kansas Casualties in the Korean War, 1950-53
Kansas State Historical Society
http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-casualties-in-the-korean-war-1950-53/15802
Kansas Adjutant General's Department
http://www.accesskansas.org/kskoreanwar/ksvets/kscasualties.html

Military Records: Korean War
http://www.kshs.org/p/military-records-korean-war/11194
(Kansas State Historical Society)

Kansas Memory
Military - Wars - Korean War
http://www.kansasmemory.org/category/1159
Military - Wars - Cold War
http://www.kansasmemory.org/category/1156
(Check out original source material at the Kansas State Historical Society's Kansas Memory website)

Korean War Commemoration, 1953-2003
http://www.accesskansas.org/kskoreanwar/index.html
(Kansas Adjutant General's Department)

Cool Things: Korean War Anniversary
http://www.kshs.org/p/cool-things-korean-war-anniversary/10219
(Kansas State Historical Society)

Kansas Korean War Memorials in Kansas
(Korean War Veterans Association)
http://www.kwva.org/memorials/ks/p_mem_ks.htm

Korean War Memorial, Wichita, Kansas
pictures http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/memorials/ks/index.htm

Korean War Memorial, University of Kansas
http://www.buildings.ku.edu/markers_memorials.shtml

Northeast Kansas Korean War Memorial, Topeka
http://www.simemorials.com/our_projects/topeka_kansas.htm

Korean War Memorial, Overland Park
http://www.siveteranmemorials.com/siprojects/si_projects_overland_park.htm
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=36725

Korean Vietnam War Memorial, Kansas City, Kansas
http://www.wycokck.org/Dept.aspx?id=16232&banner=15284

Kansas Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients
http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/kansas-congressional-medal-of-honor-recipients/11698
(Kansas State Historical Society. Includes information on Stanley T. Adams who served during the Korean War)

Korean War Service Medal Information
http://www.accesskansas.org/kskoreanwar/ksvets/servicemedal.html
(Kansas Adjutant General's Department)

Emil Kapaun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Kapaun
(Kapaun, a Roman Catholic priest and US Army chaplain, was born near Pilsen, Kansas, and died a prisoner of war in Korea in 1951. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in Korea and is being promoted for both the Medal of Honor as well as canonization within the Roman Catholic Church)

Harry S. Truman Library & Museum
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/index.php
(Truman was president during much of the Korean War. The Presidential Museum and Library, located in Independence, Missouri, has a wealth of information on the Korean War during his administration. Do a search for Korean or Korea in the upper left search box to get an idea of what is available there. Or search the National Archives search page for the library's holdings)

Center for the Study of the Korean War
http://www.koreanwarcenter.org/
(Located in Independence, Missouri)

Dwight D. Eisenhower Library & Museum
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/
(President Eisenhower worked to achieve an armistice in 1953. The Presidential Library and Museum, located in Abilene, Kansas, also has information on the Korean War during his administration. Search the National Archives search page for the library's holdings)

Korean War Educator
http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/home.htm

Korean War National Museum
http://www.theforgottenvictory.org/

United States Forces Korea
http://www.usfk.mil/usfk/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
(Official page on the current presence of U.S. Military in South Korea)

60th Anniversary of the Korean War
http://www.usfk.mil/usfk/hot-topic.the.60th.anniversary.of.the.korean.war.471
(United States Forces Korea)

Korean War Historical Information
http://www.history.army.mil/reference/Korea/kw-remem.htm
(U.S. Army Website)

Timeline of Korean War
Wichita Eagle
http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/03/1081944/timeline-of-the-korean-war.html
US Army Website
http://www.history.army.mil/reference/Korea/kw-chrono.htm

Korean War Images
http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/03/1082697/korean-war-images.html
(Wichita Eagle)

Understanding Is Better Than Remembering: The Korean War, 1945-1954, by Allan Millett
http://www.k-state.edu/history/specialevents/Eisenhowerlecture/eisenhower7.htm
(The Dwight D. Eisenhower Lectures in War & Peace, no. 7 -- Kansas State University, 1995)

Material on Korea and the Korean War found in the Topeka Libraries ATLAS Catalog:

KOREAN WAR
KOREA

Article by: Bill Sowers
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