The Chosin Reservior campaign is one of the finest moments in American military history. Marines from the 1st Marine Division, and an attached regiment of Army troops (the 31st Infantry Regiment), fought their way out of being surrounded by a much larger Communist Chinese force of ten divisions in the midst of mountainous terrain in the early stages of the winter of 1950-1951. These 15,000 American fighting men did not only manage to take out two Chinese Communist divisions – they managed to evacuate 98,000 refugees. Three thousand fell at Chosin, and the rest were either wounded or suffered permanent frostbite injuries. 

—–

However, in what can only be described as a shocking oversight, no effort was made to collect the first-hand stories of the American soldiers who took part in this battle on film – even though the Marine Corps helped Paramount film the 1952 movie Retreat, Hell! in 1952. Former Marine Brian Iglesias, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom whose service included the fighting in Ramadi, has stepped in to fill the void, with a superb documentary, Chosin. 

Iglesias and fellow Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Anton Sattler’s eight-month road trip in 2009 was done on a shoestring. Iglesias and Sattler, both decorated for heroism in combat while serving in Iraq, interviewed over 180 of the “Chosin Few.” While Chosin is a great start in getting the story out- in a very real sense, it has just begun to tell the tales from this incredible campaign.  (more…)

Friday, June 25th, marked the sixtieth anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Coming just five years after the end of World War II, the fighting would last three years and cost the lives of 34,000 Americans, 17,000 soldiers from other UN nations, and several million Koreans and Chinese — both military and civilian.

—–

You would think with such serious statistics and the pain, suffering, sacrifice and drama they imply, that Hollywood would have been drawn to the Korean War as a setting for a bevy of war movies. But sadly there are only a few films that tackle the subject. Still, some notables do stand out.  So if you are looking for a way to honor the veterans of what has been called “the forgotten war” (apparently by Hollywood, as well), I hope you’ll look back at the previous chapters of this series in which I humbly presented my five favorite Korean War films, starting with the most recent one produced.

My thoughts on the war and its meaning (especially since my dad fought there) can be found at Big Government. Here at BH my interest was in Hollywood’s treatment of the subject matter as expressed through the motion picture medium.  (more…)

If you’ve seen Superman: The Movie (1978), you surely remember the character of Perry White, the tough-as-nails editor of The Daily Planet. Played pitch-perfect by actor Jackie Cooper, he’s one of the comedic highlights of the picture. “I want the name of this flying whatchamacallit to go with the Daily Planet like bacon and eggs! Franks and beans! Death and taxes! Politics and corruption!”

Cooper delivers his one-liners in a Preston Sturges staccato that helps give the 1970s film a pleasant 1930s gloss, bridging the gap between comic book and movie. But if, like me, you were just a kid when you saw Superman, you may not have known that here was an actor who, fifty years earlier, was one of the most popular and recognizable in the world, courtesy of a little picture called The Champ. (more…)

Polish American Walt Kowalski, played to anti-hero perfection by Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, stands against corruption and lawlessness and wins. But not before sacrificing his life. Kowalski is a Korean War veteran and retired auto worker living outside of Detroit. He is old and tired, and just wants to be left alone after the death of his wife. But fate and duty had other ideas. He carries a long held guilt over killing a surrendering soldier in the Korean War. His death redeems, not just his soul, but the soul of his town.

Events lead Kowalski to resist a local takeover by a Hmong youth gang. The Hmong are an ethnic Southeast Asian people, primarily from Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. In real life Michigan, they are among the fastest growing immigrants. Many Hmong people emigrated from South Vietnam after Democrats shamelessly withdrew monetary support from South Vietnam in 1974. The Paris Peace Agreements thus became toothless and North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam. “Boat people” fled Vietnam and the insane, murderous Pol Pot created the Cambodian Killing Fields. (more…)

Our Heroes are everywhere.  They pass by us at the market. They work for us. They walk our streets. I’m talking about the men and women of our Armed Forces who serve and have served our country ably, courageously and without acclaim. We all know one such individual.  They don’t talk much about it, except with hesitation and humility.  And they believe that their unbelievably difficult sacrifices have been forgotten.

Letter of Appreciation [click to enlarge]

And they live across from us.   One such Hero is Adolph Arujo who served in the Korean war as a medic in the 2nd Infantry Division in the Punchbowl.  This area had some of the fiercest fighting of the war such as Heartbreak Ridge.

We have never spoken in detail about the War nor will we.  Courtesy of Hollywood movies, I can imagine the devastation of a friend’s horrible death at your side. I can imagine the onslaught of an attack and gut-bending fear that does not deter one from duty. I can imagine the alienation between a soldier and civilian life. But, of course, I’m still just imagining and not living this role. My words are wholly insufficient. Their valor, courage and service is far too incomprehensible in my experience. (more…)