VFW News: Never Forget Our Hard Fought Freedom

By now the glorious 4th of July celebrations are gone for another year, but lest we never forget our hard-fought freedom and we are still fighting for it.

Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. On July 4th the signers of the Declaration of Independence asserted that all are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. With these words, our forefathers formed a new nation and put forth a vision of liberty and democracy that would forever alter history.

Think about this great act: no phones, faxes, messages, just letters sent out and meetings kept. Our U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788.

It’s often called “The Forgotten War”, but one day a year is set aside to remind Americans of those who served and died in the conflict—The Korean War, Veterans Armistice Day on July 27.

The war started on June 25, 1950, when North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and was successful for a time. South Korea and the Americans regrouped and held the communists at bay by Pusan, nearly into the Sea of Japan. U.S. troops, led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed at Inchon, far behind the North Korean line sending the communist forces into disarray.

Twenty-one countries formed a United Nations force that pushed the North Koreans back, enabling the capture of the capital at Pyongyang.

Then the Chinese entered the war. A massive Chinese Army crossed the river and surprised the U.S. and South Korean forces pushing them back to the 38th parallel at great human costs.

Two more years of bloody fighting devolved into a stalemate along the famous 38th parallel. The war ground on with air power and bombings in North Korea tearing down the infrastructure.

Finally, at 10 a.m. on July 27, 1953, two years and 17 days of negotiations finally ended three years of brutal fighting on the Korean Peninsula.

It may be called the Forgotten War, however, tucked on the National Mall, across from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, is a ghostly memorial designed to ensure that it never be forgotten. It is so awesome it is chilling the way the eyes of the soldiers seem to follow as you walk through the memorial. For those of you that haven’t visited this awe-inspiring display, I urge you to pull it up on your computer. I, myself, will not forget the faces and eyes of the soldiers when visiting the D.C. memorial.

On to the Buffalo Soldiers that is celebrated July 28th, commemorating the formation of the first regular Army regiments comprising African American soldiers in 1866. Congress established the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army after the end of the Civil War.

These soldiers protected settlers and pioneers as they moved west. When Army desertion rates were high, the Buffalo Soldiers hung tough. The Buffalo Soldiers were part of the Spanish-American War, however, they were not deployed during World War 1 or World War 11. The Army did activate both regiments and transferred service members to other units, as integration in the military began.

The Buffalo Soldiers Museum is located in Houston, TX.

Remember to cherish your freedom, never ever taking it for granted.