Governor lays wreath at ceremony
Start of Korean War commemorated at LR memorial
Gov. Asa Hutchinson referred to the 38th parallel between North and South Korea as the place where forces for democracy stood tall and strong against communism.
It remains a place where those “enemies of freedom” are still resisted, he said.
On Thursday, Hutchinson and others laid a wreath at the Korean War Memorial at MacArthur Park in Little Rock during a ceremony commemorating the start of the bloody conflict that began 70 years ago to the day.
Hutchinson was joined by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn, Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Veazey and others to honor the military servicemen who fought and gave their lives for the cause of promoting and defending democracy.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded the South following the approval of Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin. They did so with 75,000 troops.
Days later, President Harry S. Truman — without seeking approval from U.S. Congress — ordered U.S. troops to join the fight alongside South Korean forces. Five years after the end of World War II, the United States was involved in another full-scale international conflict.
Rutledge noted that timeline in her speech, saying the
“fight for freedom … against Communist oppression” was started “on the heels” of World War II.
She went on to say that “courage is still demanded” when democracy is challenged by a foreign government.
Thursday’s remembrance took place on the grounds of a park that was named after one of the most celebrated military commanders in American history, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, whose career came to a dramatic end during the early stages of the Korean War.
Truman decided not to pursue a goal of a unified Korea, which enraged MacArthur, who had advocated strongly for a direct attack on China. He was relieved of duty in April 1951, after a letter he wrote criticizing Truman was read on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
MacArthur’s role in the Korean War was not mentioned during Thursday’s memorial. MacArthur was born in Little Rock.
Hutchinson still covered a lot of history in his speech.
“When U.S. leaders picked the 38th parallel as the line where the Japanese would surrender to the Americans and other allies at the end of World War II, it was a line that meant little to anyone,” he said. “But within five years, it became the line that clearly marked the boundaries between the
Koreas, North and South.”
The war’s toll was great. In all, nearly 5 million people died, including 40,000 Americans. Another 100,000 Americans were wounded, Hutchinson said.
The fighting continued until July 27, 1953, when an armistice was signed. No official peace treaty has been signed, which is why the conflict is commonly referred to as “the war that never ends,” Hutchinson said.
The two sides are still divided by a demilitarized zone that is heavily guarded and fortified. That border rests along the 38th parallel.
“We are pledging today to continue to keep watch on the horizon for the enemies of freedom and to resist them if they dare challenge us,” Hutchinson said. “To those who fought, thank you. To the families of those who died there or who are no longer with us, thank you.”