A closer look at the battle of Unsan

Every week I spend hours reading articles and scanning web sites for subjects for this column. Too often I end up writing about notable events and people who popular history have forgotten. One "forgotten" event is the Korean War.

The Korean War was not a declared war. The U.S. fought the war as part of a United Nations force fighting to prevent the communist North Korean forces from taking over democratic South Korea. The surprise attack by North Korea drove the South Korean (ROK) military, along with the supporting U.S. force, south towards the end of the Korean peninsula. The counterattack drove the attackers back and continued approaching the border with Communist China. The war suddenly changed when tens of thousands of Chinese troops, in a massive force, attacked, surrounded, and destroyed some U.S. and Korean units in Korea, driving many others back in a hasty retreat.

One of these battle sites took place at Unsan, North Korea where ROK and U.S. 8th cavalry units had set up a position. On Oct. 30, 1950, the U.S. and ROK troops were forced to begin a retreat. The Chinese assault had been so sudden and strong that by Nov. 2 the 8th Cavalry and 3rd Battalion was surrounded and cut off. The 8th Cavalry was forced to retreat and leave the 3rd Battalion to try to escape. A relief force from the 5th Cavalry was ordered to abandon that mission and leave the 3rd Battalion. It was said that the relief mission would be suicidal, and it was said that the 3rd Battalion and 8th Cavalry would need to try to escape on their own. The fierce fighting continued and as the U.S. troops ran out of ammunition, the fighting became hand-to-hand with the Chinese bayoneting the U.S. troops who tried to surrender. The Battle of Unsan was just one example of many vicious battles in this war.

The desperate battles moved down through Korea and then back up north as the U.N. forces counterattacked. This "small" war had some of the most intense fighting U.S. forces had ever seen. The Korean War took place in the shadow of the largest war the world had seen, but it was not "small" for those fighting it.

Those who fought in Korea have largely been forgotten by their country and ignored in U.S. military history. The veterans of this war are as brave and tough as any who have worn the uniform.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.