Korean War Veterans

* Re “Vets Still Conflicted Over Korea,” Jan. 19: I fully sympathize with those U.S. veterans who are still suffering from the traumatic experiences of the Korean War. As a young South Korean Army officer in that terrible war, I myself had comparably abominable experiences and had to undergo many years of anguish from heavy drinking and uncontrollable temper.

The North Korean and Chinese casualties in that war were much heavier than the American and South Korean ones, and there are perhaps many more North Korean and Chinese veterans of the Korean War who have been struggling with similar symptoms.

The U.S. intervened in the Korean civil war in order to protect South Korea’s freedom from North Korean attack. That mission was accomplished in only three months. The U.S. then opted to invade North Korea in its abortive attempt to exterminate North Korea, thereby extending the war for three years. Had it not done so, there would have been no Chosin or like fiascoes for U.S. veterans, not to mention the misfortunes inflicted on North Korean and Chinese soldiers.

HWAL-WOONG LEE

Granada Hills

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* I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your article on the Korean War and the interviews taken from those vets. I really hope this will help some of those who have forgotten and enlighten some of the recent veterans, including Vietnam veterans who tend to whine about the difficulties that they experienced from combat situations. The statistics that you provided should help anyone understand that our losses were higher for any engagement with enemy forces in a three-year period since that time.

As Arthur W. Wilson stated in his interview, we came home and kept our mouths shut, but these days when we reflect on those days the tears come easily.

IRV SPECTOR

Los Angeles