- Joined
- Aug 9, 2010
- Location
- Coral Springs, Florida
The North Koreans fired shells into a disputed border area on one of the islands killing two South Korean marines. The South Koreans returned fire and the exchange lasted about an hour.
People may refer to the Korean War as the "Forgotten War" but it seems to me that the North Koreans want to refresh everyone's recollections. When I was 15 (1985) I visited Panmunjom which is a site on the DMZ where the armistice was signed. It was the damndest place I'll ever see. It was February, cold as can be and there was this small area of buildings with a yellow line running through it. The line ran through the buildings over the tops of tables and everything. It was the actaul boundary line.
I went into a room where they hold talks and one side of the table that the border line ran through were American soldiers and on the other were North Korean soldiers. I stepped over into North Korea for a few seconds then went back across the line.
It is nothing short of a miracle that we have not had a misunderstanding there that re-ignited the war. We were briefed before we went there and the commanding officer said they had shot and killed 3 North Koreans the night before trying to sneak up the frozen river there. I saw the Bridge of No Return 9where at the end of the War they put the prisoners of war and allowed them to cross just once (i.e pick a side) and the stump of a big tree where three Amercians were killed in the sixties as they tried to cut the tree down to clear the sight of the watchtowers.
The Cold War may be over but someone for got to send the memo to the North Koreans. Its a damn powder keg ready to blow. Even in Seoul you feel the strong military presence and photographs are prohibited on any high ridges looking down into the city. The city had lots of undergrounds malls and such and somone told me they could be used as makeshift bunkers if the North Koreans came across. This big city is only about 30 miles from the DMZ so its about the same distance as where i live to Miami.
Anyone else ever visited or been stationed there? Felt like a crazy place to me at 15.
People may refer to the Korean War as the "Forgotten War" but it seems to me that the North Koreans want to refresh everyone's recollections. When I was 15 (1985) I visited Panmunjom which is a site on the DMZ where the armistice was signed. It was the damndest place I'll ever see. It was February, cold as can be and there was this small area of buildings with a yellow line running through it. The line ran through the buildings over the tops of tables and everything. It was the actaul boundary line.
I went into a room where they hold talks and one side of the table that the border line ran through were American soldiers and on the other were North Korean soldiers. I stepped over into North Korea for a few seconds then went back across the line.
It is nothing short of a miracle that we have not had a misunderstanding there that re-ignited the war. We were briefed before we went there and the commanding officer said they had shot and killed 3 North Koreans the night before trying to sneak up the frozen river there. I saw the Bridge of No Return 9where at the end of the War they put the prisoners of war and allowed them to cross just once (i.e pick a side) and the stump of a big tree where three Amercians were killed in the sixties as they tried to cut the tree down to clear the sight of the watchtowers.
The Cold War may be over but someone for got to send the memo to the North Koreans. Its a damn powder keg ready to blow. Even in Seoul you feel the strong military presence and photographs are prohibited on any high ridges looking down into the city. The city had lots of undergrounds malls and such and somone told me they could be used as makeshift bunkers if the North Koreans came across. This big city is only about 30 miles from the DMZ so its about the same distance as where i live to Miami.
Anyone else ever visited or been stationed there? Felt like a crazy place to me at 15.