I would say ironically that the rumors of US personnel held after the Korean War are probably far more likely to be true than the Chuck Norris stories about Vietnam. I think there are some reliable accounts of US Air Force pilots, most likely flyers of F-86 Sabres, that were transferred to China, then the Soviet Union and never heard from again…
I’m certainly aware of accounts of a small number of US personnell who according to the North Koreans had “elected” not to return to the US. Since the US was doing the same thing with a very large number of North Korean personnell, it was decided not to press the matter.
There were about US 30 or so defectors, one of whom returned to the United States not long ago and faced desertion charges fifty some years after the fact. Most were idealistic communists or resented the US-UN War in Korea. However, there are persistent rumors, supported by testimony, that the Soviets were desperate for information on the Sabres, and especially for anything connected to Strategic Air Command. So it’s believed that some pilots that were claimed dead may have been sent to the Soviet Union for interrogation. It’s said that some ended their lives either in the Gulag system, or they were killed outright once they outlived their usefulness…
Trying to shed some light on my grandfathers involvement in the Korean war. supposably he was injured and they flew him back state side. but he would never talk about it. i have his dog tags. but i really haven’t been able to find anything about him
I’m really not sure what we can do for you. Perhaps you could see if you could get his 201-File and some inquiries to the DOD. See if you can track down any friends. Korea was a strange war fraught with both highs and lows and I think it was probably as unpopular as the later Vietnam one. There is potential that your grandfather was caught in the ignominious defeats after victory was in near grasp after the Chinese entered the war en mass. Many did things they weren’t necessarily proud of or they witnessed wholesale obliteration of small U.S. units that was uncommon even in WWII. I recommend watching the following PBS series:
http://www.pbs.org/program/unforgettable/
[i]Unforgettable: The Korean War also goes beyond the battle stories to recount the aftermath of the war. When the peace talks finally ended and the fighting stopped, it was a generally thankless nation that greeted the returning troops. All of the veterans’ effort and sacrifice went largely unacknowledged by their fellow citizens. Though fought by an international force assembled by the United Nations, it was as if the war didn’t exist outside of Korea. As veteran Spencer Titley from the United States Army recalls, “I know no great novel written about it. And there is no poetry written. No songs. Nothing on the culture side marks the passage of Korea. It was basically over and done with and forgotten.”
“They can call it whatever they want. I think it was a war and that’s it. A lot of guys were dying or getting wounded and you can call it “the Forgotten War” or “the conflict,” but it was a war. That’s it.” — Eddie Rios, United States Marine Corps[/i]
Hi guys new to this site and have some questions that maybe y’all could help me with? My grandpa fought in the Korean war im pretty sure he was drafted? He was in the us army, infantry i believe? I have his dogtags and a picture of him thats dated 1951 in chung wan valley. Only thing is when i search for chung won i cant find anything? I dont know if they misspelled it or what? But on old war maps from then i see a place called chung wan. It would be nice to find out some info as i cant get any records since they were lost in the fire that took place.