Korean Conflict
June 27,1950 to July 27, 1953
The Korean War has been widely considered America's "forgotten war" with little
known by the general public about its causes or its action, except
that is was waged to fight communism. There are no official statistics
of the actual number of Jackson County citizens who served in the
Korean War. Statewide statistics indicate that 132,00 people served
from Wisconsin with over 5,000 casualties; and it is equally clear
that many Jackson County men and women served in the military during
the Korean War, but no one knows exactly how many. What is known is
that local citizens answered the call once again and served bravely
in all military branches. Young men from Jackson County were standing
in the face of the Chinese when they crossed the Yalu River. They
were manning tanks, walking patrols, refueling jets, and sailing Korean
waters. Men and women were treating wounded, saving lives, and transporting
honored dead. Many Jackson County veterans of World War II returned
to serve again in harm's way, and some of them gave their lives in
the second effort. A few local boys also discovered the horrors of
Korean prison camps. Here at home there may have been less understanding
of the politics of this war than there had been in the fight against
the Japanese and the Nazis; but the fear of international communism
was very real, and faith in America was never higher. The war effort
was supported for those reasons, and they were enough. When the news
of the cease-fire was received it was met with relief and great pride
in the contributions of the new generation of Jackson County Veterans.