Commentary: It’s time to remember ‘the Forgotten War’
Help share the stories of those who served the United States during the Korean War
On Monday, we as a nation honored those military veterans who died while serving their country.
This July, we want to honor those who served in what has often been called “the Forgotten War.”
July 27 is the 70th anniversary of the signing of an armistice agreement designed to end hostilities in the Korean War. As history has shown, the conflict between North and South Korea continues to simmer to this day, but the agreement allowed the U.S. and its United Nations’ allies to call an end to a war that reportedly claimed nearly 5 million lives, including countless Korean civilians and almost 40,000 Americans.
The reason the actions in Korea from 1950 to 1953 are often referred to as “the Forgotten War” seems to be the public’s relative lack of interest in it compared to World War I, World War II and the following Vietnam War.
For the readers of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News, we hope to share the stories of those who served in Korea and related war efforts before the passage of time makes that impossible.
To do that, we need your help. Please take a minute and send me an email at the address below or give me a call to share contact information for those you know who served during the Korean War, be it in the armed forces, as a nurse or doctor, or in any civilian capacity. If you have a friend or loved one who served during that time but has since died, please get in touch and we will try to share any stories they shared with you.
We also plan to mine our historic archives for stories we covered in the past and will republish those articles with any relevant updates.
All of this will come together in a special section that will be inserted in both publications on July 27, to coincide with the 70th anniversary.
As many do each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, it’s important to honor those who have served their country. This July, let’s remember the sacrifices the men and women of our region made — and at least here, we will ensure it is no longer “the Forgotten War.”
Clohessy is managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News. He can be reached at cclohessy@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251.
