Remembering the Forgotten War: Korean veterans and the power of public memory

As we commemorate World War I, I am struck by how very little most people know about Korea or many of the other smaller scale conflicts in which Britain and the other Commonwealth countries have participated. It brings up important questions as to why we choose to commemorate one war over another. While the scale of WWI is staggering, servicemen who fought in Korea suffered no less than their predecessors. For over three years, they endured, ‘privations of almost Crimean proportions.’ [1] Moreover, they faced hand-to-hand combat and terrifying nightly assaults by the enemy. Be that as it may, Korea came at a time when the West was weary of war and was downplayed by both politicians and the media as a ‘police action.’ This had long-term consequences for all concerned.

In a 2005 study of Australian veterans conducted at Monash University, the authors concluded that veterans of the Korean War were, ‘five to six times more likely to meet the criteria for PTSD’ than men of a similar age and, ‘one and half times more likely to meet the criteria for current hazardous alcohol consumption.’  [2] While many factors contribute to these figures, one is left to wonder what role the lack of public support and commemoration has played over the years. Across the Commonwealth, there was little government support for ex-servicemen in terms of either pensions or counselling. Local veterans’ groups were also frequently unwelcoming. Upon applying for a home loan, one Canadian veteran was even told, ‘Korea was no war...Here’s fifty cents. That’s all you’re getting.’ [3] The first Commonwealth memorials to the war weren’t erected until the late 1990s.

Korean War veterans are an uncomfortable reminder of the power of public recognition or the lack of it. No matter how advanced medical care may become, how society responds to returning servicemen is pivotal in how veterans process their experiences and reconcile themselves to grief. Mercifully, fewer and fewer of us have direct experience of war. However, this does not mean that we don’t play a role or have an impact upon those who fight on our behalf. The military and members of the public are increasingly connected through television, social media and other forms of communication. As we welcome home a new generation of veterans, we need to think carefully both about what we choose to commemorate and praise and what we choose to ignore and forget. While Korea may be the ‘forgotten war,’ it is a reminder for us all.