The+Reasons+for+American+Involvment+and+for+the+war+in+general-p2

=Zach= =The reasons for American Involvement and the war in general= America got involved in the war to stop the spread of communism. When North and South Korea split on the 38th parallel the north became controlled by the S.U. and the south by the U.S. The war happened because North Korea wanted South Korea to be communists. America came to the aid of South Korea and tried to stop communism. Then China came to the aid of North Korea.

The leader of this war for the United Nations troops in South Korea was General Douglas MacArthur. He led the war until the end on July 27, 1953. Douglas MacArthur was a man of the military. From when he was born to when he died he was always around the U.S. military. His father commanded a unit in New Mexico where he spent many of the first years of his life. He was in more than the Korean war. He wanted to use nuclear weapons on China unlike Truman.

Harry Truman, our vice president who became president upon Roosevelt's death, was our president during the Korean war. On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces moved across the 38th parallel. The North Koreans army was spread out through out the border so General MacArthur realized that they would be weak in the middle. On October 19, 1950, UN forces found themselves confronted with masses of Chinese volunteers all along the front lines. President Truman did not want to use nuclear weapons so that the Soviet Union wouldn't get involved.

The Korean War claimed 54,000 American lives. Chinese and Korean military losses were about a million, with another million civilian deaths. The United States had atomic weapons which the Chinese or the North Koreans possessed, but using them would bring the Soviet Union into the war. Not only did China send troops to North Korea, Stalin did too.

This war was very important to history because like WWII America showed that we would not tolerate communism and again we made sure the world knew that. We were trying to make sure the Soviet Union knew that they couldn't spread communism without the U.S. saying anything about it. It was also important that the United States joined the war to help South Korea. This way we showed that we would help a country that was being forced into communism.

The Americans attempted to hold the Taejon. General Dean commanded troops on the front near Taejon, and found himself in the city when North Korean tanks attacked the city. Dean stayed in the city and helped to find North Korean tanks in the city. They would not hold the city for long. As they retreated, the North Koreans ambushed American forces. They broke out of the ambush, and a group of soldiers, led by Dean, headed South. Dean was separated from the rest of the men, and for 25 days he attempted to make it to American lines. He was finally captured, and spent the war in captivity. The southern withdrawal continued. Despite naval bombardment and aerial attacks, the North Koreans continued their advance.