THIS DATE – AT 11:32 A.M. ET:   On this date in 1950, North Korean troops, equipped by the Soviet Union, crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea.  Within days President Truman ordered air and naval support for the South Koreans.  After that came the ground troops.  The Korean War had begun.

We sometimes call it the forgotten war.  Korean War veterans, to many Americans, are curiosities.  What war was that?  When did it happen?  Isn't South Korea where Samsung is?

In fact, the Korean War, which never had the full support of the American people, was one of the most consequential foreign-policy actions in American history.  It reflected the lessons learned from World War II, which had ended only five years earlier – that aggression had to be stopped early, that nations had to combine to stop it to prevent a larger war later.

Some 37,000 Americans died in the Korean War. 

It is now 66 years later.  South Korea is a tremendous success story.  The war was bitter, with advances and reversals, with China entering and pushing back America and its allies.  It ended in an armistice in 1953, soon after Dwight Eisenhower became president.  The armistice line told the story – the invasion of South Korea had failed.  It remained an independent country.

America stayed the course after the war, through many discouraging years, when it appeared South Korea might slip into dictatorship.  Through our help, and the continued stationing of American troops in the country – they're still there today – South Korea was turned into a stable, booming American ally.

The lessons:  Aggression must be countered.  America must remain true to its allies, with the understanding that ultimate victory requires time and investment.  The stationing of American troops over a long term is crucial to victory and stability, something Field Marshal Obama ignored when he pulled all American troops out of Iraq, reversing our gains.

The Korean War began a year after NATO – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – was founded.  NATO, like South Korea, still stands.  It kept the peace in Europe and contributed to the ending of the Cold War, largely on Western terms.  

Hmm.  Long-term investments, a strong national defense, the presence of American troops, the will to win.  You think they're important?  I mean, maybe?  Will someone send a note to President Obama?

June 25, 2016