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The Reasons For American Involvement In The War BY: NICKI

After WWII, the USA and the Soviet Union became involved in Korea after WWII. The USA first got into South Korea via the United Nations. The USA decided that isolating ourselves after World Wars didn't prevent us from another war. So the USA chose to become involved. The USA and the Soviet Union split Korea in half at the 38th parallel, the Soviet Union controlled the north and the USA controlled the south. On May 10th, 1948, the United Nations Temporary Commission set up the Republic of Korea, also known as South Korea. The leader of the new government in South Korea was Syngman Rhee. The North, which was opposed to uniting with South Korea, set up a government of their own called the Democratic Peoples Republic. On September 9th, 1948, Chinese communist leader Kim Il Sung came into power. Sung's main goal wasn't to spread communism throughout Korea, but to reunite North and South Korea as one country. Sung pushed his army over the 38th parallel to capture Seoul thus starting a war. American president Harry Truman sent American troops over to help fight with the South Koreans to show that Americans help and protect their allies during times of war.

In the Korean War, the primary fighting forces were the North Koreans and the South Koreans. The ally of the North was the Soviet Union, and the ally of the South was the United States. The war started when North Koreans crossed over the 38th parallel. The invasion of Seoul began on June 25th, 1950, and the city was official captured on June 28th, 1950. The invasion of Seoul was a surprise to the South Koreans, and that is why the invasion took only three days.

By October 1st, the South Koreans had pushed their way back over the 38th parallel. Many battles had occurred during this time, including one called the Battle of Inchon. Fighting continued until July 27, 1953 when a cease-fire was called. North Korea signed an armistice, but South Korea refused to sign although they agreed to obey the treaty. The war is important because of the heavy involvement of the USA and the number of soldiers we sent to help. Since we became involved in South Korea after WWII, helping the South Koreans became part of our duties. We helped them remain an independent nation from North Korea and its communism.

One important battle of the war was the Battle of Osan. It occurred on July 5th, 1950. This was the first American-North Korean battle of the war. The army unit, Task Force Smith, was named after Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Smith. Task Force Smith didn't have very good weapons. They used WWII equipment. On July 1st, Smith led his army towards Osan. Smith was ordered to block the road from Suwon to Osan. This was difficult because Task Force Smith was ill-prepared.

On July 5th, North Korean tanks barreled down the road towards Task Force Smith. Task Force Smith fought back, but couldn't keep the North Korean's from barging in. The Battle Of Osan resulted in the deaths of approximately 175 Americans. The North Koreans had an advantage because they had high-quality weapons and were ready for battle.

America played an important role in the Korean War. Since the USA took part in South Korea's creation, we wanted to defend them. Also, the USA was a member of the UN, and the UN was also a major force in fighting. The US sent many troops over and they helped fight for the South Korean's freedom from communism and from becoming one nation with North Korea. We, as students, still learn about the Korean War because the US helped out their allies, like all nations should. We won the war and I believe that the South Koreans involved in the war still thank us today for helping them keep their freedom.



Sites:

Carey Jr., Charles W., ed. __Living Through the Korean War__. Farmington Hills: Thomas Glae, 2006.

Flint, Roy K. "Korean War." //Grolier Multimedia Enclopedia//. 2007. Grolier Online. 8 Feb. 2007 <[|http://gme.grolier.com.ezproxy.cooklib.org:2048/cgi-bin?article?assetid=0162680-0>.]

Gardner, Lloyd C. "Korean War." //World Book Online Refernce Center.// 2007. [Highland Middle School. Febreaury 8th, 2007] [|.

"Battle of Osan." __Answer.Com__. 2007. 11 Feb. 2007 [|http://www.answers.com/topic/battle-of-osan.]