It also was also the day Kim II Sung ordered North Korea to invade South Korea. While an armistice was declared July 27, 1953, the Korean War never really ended.
"That was the reason for the attack, because it was on a Sunday," said Don Guard, Leesburg, during an interview June 8. South Korea had become almost a total Christian country and North Korea knew most of its citizens would be in church.
"It was a complete surprise, for one thing. We had just finished the worst war we had in '45," Guard said. The U.S. military had been cut down to almost nothing and was ill-prepared for another war. When the Army 2nd Infantry Division was shoved onto the Pusan Perimeter, it fought like tigers but had bad equipment and their training had lapsed, he said. Pusan was the only place the military had a foothold.The North Korean troops were well fed, well trained, well led and well indoctrinated, Guard said. They were told it would be a cake walk. When the American soldiers beat the North Koreans for the first time, however, they realized it would be a bit more difficult, Guard said.
When North Korea invaded South Korea, Guard said he had just returned back to Elwood from China to complete his education. He was in a Marine Reserve unit, and he was immediately activated and sent to Fort Pendleton. In October 1950, he was sent in to Korea as a corporal.
By Thanksgiving 1950, Guard said the American military had let its guard down. Permafrost was 14 inches deep, and temperatures dipped below minus degrees with wind chill.
On Nov. 28, the Chinese hit and clobbered the U.S. forces, Guard said.
Guard said because of the cold, when a grenade blew him out of his fox hole, he didn't die because the cold froze his blood, but it did mess his back up.
Guard, 82, had served in World War II, and would later serve in Vietnam. He served 24 years in the service, entering on his 17th birthday March 5, 1945, and retiring July 31, 1969, as a 1st sergeant of the Marines.
Guard served in Korea from October 1950 to December 1951.
"I was 22 in Korea and I was the old man. Everyone else was 18 or 19," he said.
The terrain in Korea is very hilly, Guard said. Sometimes young American soldiers would pass out or die of a heart attack climbing the hills.
"I have never regretted a day I served in the service," said Guard.
One of the differences between the Korean and Vietnam wars was the cold weather in Korea. In Korea, the American military also didn't have the right equipment and its clothing was wrong. While there was no public support for the Vietnam War, the Korean War at the time was just an inconvenience for everyone, Guard said.
During Korea, Guard said the military was totally integrated. He said that was a good thing because it opened up a lot of opportunities for soldiers who previously couldn't make use of them because of their race.
Guard said he liked a quote from David Shoup, the four-star Commandant of the Marine Corps at the time and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He said there was no black soldier, no white soldier, only Marine Corp green.
Guard said he also is proud that women in the military now are about as equal as men. He said he thinks women do a great job in the service.
The Korean War was never actually declared a war, Guard said, but was "hostilities." Now, however, it is more recognized as a war, even though that's actually a misnomer.
The Korean peninsula is still undergoing hostilities. There are about 38,000 U.S. troops along the 38th parallel that is the border between the two Koreas. Guard said they are living a tight rope there because if Kim II Sung wants to invade South Korea, he can attack at any point now.
People often refer to the Korean War as "The Forgotten War", Guard said. Those who served don't dwell on it, but they don't want people to forget it either.
"If the public can change its attitude about the Korean War and make it the Not Forgotten War, it would please a lot of us, I'm sure," Guard said.
During the Korean War, Guard said an estimated 58,000 American lives were lost, in addition to the men who went missing in action.
"A lot of times people allow what is happening now to push what happened in the past aside, which I understand," said Guard.
"It's important to remember that the attack (on South Korea) came when we were weak," said Guard later. "We had never been that weak. It was just by the determination of a few that we were able to stop the attack.
"The only way to be strong is to stay stronger. The only way to be safe is to be prepared."
