BOTH SIDES DESCRIBE ANGUISH, HORROR
OF KOREAN WAR
LOCAL EX-SOLDIERS PROVIDE FEEILNGS, REACTIONS TO STORY OF 1950 WARTIME MASSACRE
Alvi Norris of Danville was 20 years old when he arrived in
Korea in 1950 as a U.S. soldier, prepared to fight communism. "We knew back then that communism was the
enemy of the time, which it still is," he said.
"I went to
It was a rough
place, said Norris, who served in the 25th Infantry Division. North Korean soldiers had concealed
themselves among South Korean civilians, and refugees were everywhere, he
said.
When he heard
news reports last week that hundreds of South Korean civilians had been
murdered by
Norris and
other Korean War veterans said they are angry that such damaging reports are
being publicized nearly 50 years later.
"American soldiers just don’t go around killing everybody. That’s never happened. The average American soldier has a
conscience," Norris said.
Marylon Palmer
of Danville, who served in the 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st
Marine Division during the Korean War, said he doesn’t think South Koreans
deserve an apology. "As far as giving
them money and apology for what was done over there, I don’t think they deserve
that," Palmer said. "Look at all the
American lives lost saving that country, and then they want to come and ask us
for an apology?"
The media are
trying to exploit the situation, Palmer said.
"I don’t understand why it’s coming out like this, and why the media is
putting it out, I don’t know," he said.
"The same things happened during World War II. Even the Japanese want apologies because of
the atom bomb."
Robert A. Henderson, who served as first
lieutenant in an 81mm mortar platoon in the 1st Marine Division,
said he felt saddened by the news. "We
felt we were doing something very important.
We were trying to stop communism from taking over the world," he
said. "But when I read these reports in
the newspaper, I thought, "Oh, my God, those poor soldiers."
The soldiers,
who were among the first troops sent to
North Korean
communist armies were approaching the village
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SOME KOREAN-AMERICANS INTERVIEWED ARE ANGRY; OTHERS WANT
TO MOVE ON
Kee-Su Park, 41, who came to the United States from South
Korea 10 years ago, said he had heard many stories of atrocities
Such stories,
like Thursday’s Associated Press report that said
"When I was young, I heard about those kind of behaviors by soldiers," Park said. "Killing of women and children, I heard about
a lot of these things from my parents … killing by Americans or others."
U.S. Korean War
veterans admitted at least 300 South Korean civilians were machine-gunned by
U.S. soldiers in late July 1950 beneath a bridge at Nogun-ri, according to an
AP report.
Most Koreans
and Korean Americans interviewed by The News-Gazette said they felt sad
about the past, but such incidents happened during the war – and society should
move on. "I care about it, but it’s not
like I am mad at Americans. I just feel
sad. But I think it could happen in any
war," said Daejoung Kim, a
But others said
they still feel animosity. "Soldiers
have got to behave. I am very angry
about that kind of thing," Park said. "I
feel angry toward the Americans for killing innocent people," said Seunggil
Choi, a second-year UI graduate student.
"I think they should apologize."
Although killing is part of war, Kim said he also believes South Koreans
deserve an apology. "I think there
should be some apology – an official apology to the families by the military,"
he said.
Jin-Ho Jang,
president of the UI Graduate Korean Studies Association, said he hopes the news
will not have a chilling effect on
Jang, who came
to the
Kim said that
since so much time has passed, he hopes there are no disputes between the
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