Exploring the soldier's experience of being in war, especially the Vietnam war, and how it is represented in books and media like the M*A*S*H TV show. Was the Korean soldier's experience in Vietnam similar to the United State's soldier? Is war the same for all soldiers?

Click on the Participant's name or picture to see their website project.. Read below for discussion about this idea.

HLK University	Nolfolk State University	Penn State University	Woosong University
Johan B.		Angela, Alicia, Brad	Younghae
			Kyeongouk

Discussion

Heading: Movie Project Date: 2002-04-10 14:02 From: Angela Traver Hi, everyone. I'm Angela Traver here in PA and my group is going to design a movie around the soldier's perspective in Vietnam. We are particularity interested in the American's point of view. We plan on using some clips of M*A*S*H, Quantum Leap, and a few songs and pictures. If anyone has any more ideas for us, let us know. I am working with Alicia and Brad. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. Good Luck and have a great day. Ang

Heading: RE: Movie Project Date: 2002-04-12 16:08 From: Younghae Kim Hi! I used to watch MASH TV show on AFKN when I was teen(It was 25 years ago). I still remember that some part of the show related with korea and korean were far from the truth. they were exaggerated more or less to amuse american audiences. It was comedy show.

Heading: Korean soldiers in Vietnam War Date: 2002-04-10 18:13 From: Kyeongouk Jeong There seem to be few people to remember that korean soldiers participated in the Vietnam War, too. Some of them are still suffering from the horrible experiences, like Emmett in the novel. They suffer from physical injuries, anomie, mental phobia like post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), even the guilty feeling to be survived their fellowmen. A war of their own to struggle with the past memories are not over yet.

Heading: RE: Korean soldiers in Vietnam War Date: 2002-04-12 14:10 From: Angela Traver Very interesting!! I never knew that Korean soldiers fought in the Vietnam war. It is something I shall keep in mind when I do my movie. I was planning on using M*A*S*H clips, which aren't too far off from what actually happened. So, do you think that is a good idea?

Heading: RE: Korean soldiers in Vietnam War Date: 2002-04-12 15:19 From: Kyeongouk Jeong YEs, I hope we can understand each other and learn more about the tragedies of the war through this project. As I wrote, more than three hundred thousand Korean soldiers faught in Vietnam war for eight years and recorded the highest number of killed and injured among the participant contries-America, Korea,Thailand,Philippine, Austrailia and New Zealand. Good Luck for your M*A*S*H project!

Heading: RE: Korean soldiers in Vietnam War Date: 2002-04-12 14:49 From: Jessica Seraphin Wow, it's true that when something comes close to home, it is hard to imagine another scenario. My dad never told me much about his time in the Vietnam War. I couldn't ask him too much without his crying. Wars all over the world, all the time are taking our youth, killing off their friends and expecting them to come home as men. War is a sad and dehumanizing experience for everyone - "winner,""loser," your father, or someone's father on the other side of the world.

Heading: RE: Korean soldiers in Vietnam War Date: 2002-04-12 15:38 From: Kyeongouk Jeong It is sad that there are wars and terrors around the world right at this moment. Yes, the experience of the war might totally change one's prospect of life. How can we imagine their sufferings and their nightmares as not-experienced one? I wish this process can be a better opportunity to understand your father. Good Luck!

Heading: RE: Korean soldiers in Vietnam War Date: 2002-04-12 16:37 From: Younghae Kim I feel very sorry for your father, but I think he is fortunate(!?) because he can exppress his feeling with crying. I know some korean veterans who couldn't find the way to express their feelings. They just keep drinking to death to forget. Their expriences seem too horrible to talk to anyone except their fellows like emmette. please give him my love and concern.

Heading: Korean soldiers Date: 2002-04-12 14:13 From: Angela Traver Very Interesting!! I didn't realize that Korean soldiers fought in Vietnam. I am planning on using MASH for my movie, I guess I'm not too far from the truth. Thanks for enlightening me to that fact--I'll keep it in mind.

Heading: Facts you should know about Korean soldiers in Vietnam Date: 2002-04-12 19:29 From: Denny Suh Attached file: Republic of Korea Armed Forces in Vietnam 1964.doc It is very unfornuate that the media failed to mention and inform the crucial involvement of Koreans during the Vietnamese War. Born in Canada, I never heard about Korea's involvement until I started to live here in Korea. Here is some important information we know about Korea's involvement in the Vietnamese War! This was taken from: http://orbat.com/site/data/historical/korea/rokinvietnam.html Love and Peace!
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At the request of the United States, President Park Chung Hee of the Republic of Korea agreed to send military units into Vietnam, despite opposition of both in Assembly and among the populace. In exchange, United States agreed to provide additional military funds to Korea to modernize its armed forces, totaling about a billion dollars. Republic Of Korean Army unitsÕ Area of Responsibility were southern half of the II Corp. The Marine Corps units were deployed on the I Corp alongside with US Marines. Initially, the AK47-equipped Vietcong and NVA outgunned Korean soldiers, since they were armed with World War II-era weaponry. But soon they received more modern weapons from United States military. Koreans quickly learned pidgin Vietnamese language; for fear that most Vietnamese translators are and was spies for Vietcong and NVA. Koreans also had better field intelligence than their American counterparts. Koreans did counterinsurgency operations so well that American commanders felt Korean AOR is the safest. This is further supported when Vietcong documents captured after Tet Offensive warns their compatriots to never engage Koreans until full victory is certain. In fact, it is often the NVA and Vietcong who were ambushed by Koreans and not vice versa. Koreans used deadly hand-to-hand combat equally as destructive fire control. Total of 300,000 Koreans served in Vietnam, with its actual strength throughout the year was around 45,000. About 4,000 never came back to home alive, with tens of thousands more suffering physical and psychological trauma. Many who fought were equally confused about the war as was with Americans. War also affected the war deeper in Korea than was at United States, one out 200 Koreans were sent to Vietnam, in oppose to 1 in 300 in United States. This was further aggravated with knowledge that they are fighting against fellow Asians who want to expel what Vietnamese saw was foreign invasion. Fighting in a different environment and living in strange culture led to indifferences among Koreans towards Vietnamese. About 4,000 Vietnamese had died by atrocities committed by Korean soldiers. Officers and men of the Capital Division were the best, received the best and fought well in Vietnam War. They boasted that they have a kill ratio of 1 to 17 and they do not exaggerate their body counts. Men of the 9th Infantry didnÕt have same caliber as the Capital, but they achieved equal accomplishment in combat. From the creation, Korean Marines were the elite. In Korean War they earned the nickname "Invincible Marines," by foreign press after a Marine squad wiped out a Communist battalion. In Vietnam, they earned the new nickname "Devil Fighters," had a kill ratio of 1 to 25. Vietnam War was a boon to Korean economy, as construction contracts and other markets were poured currency into Korean wallet. It could be seen in same light with Japan reignited its industry during Korean War. North Korea also sends its own personals to aid their fellow ideological comrades in North Vietnam. About a hundred pilots and psychological warfare unit fought in Vietnam.

Heading: RE: Facts you should know about Korean soldiers in Vietnam Date: 2002-04-15 14:11 From: Angela Traver Denny, Wow, I am astonished at those statistics. . .300,000 Koreans in Vietnam. The things you never learn in your history classes! That information is so valuable. What amazes me is that Vietnam is rarely discussed in high schools. I had Advanced Placement American History in tenth grade, and we stopped our year at the 1980s, but did not cover Vietnam in detail. Maybe that is why it interests me so much--I never learned about it. So, my group members and I have put together a movie about Vietnam as well as teaching unit on the subject so that we have some ideas for teaching such an ignored topic to our future classes. well, I have to go now.

Heading: How did Agent Orange affect The Vietnam Soldier Date: 2002-04-19 08:46 From: Younghae Kim The Vietnam soldier, Mr. Lee’s story I interviewed a Korean Veteran of the Vietnam War for this project. He was in his early 60s and here is what he told during the interview: When it was 1968, he was sent to Vietnam war. He was 26 years old at the time, young, vivid, ambitious, strong, good-looking and good-hearted soldier like ordinary young men of that age. He had no real combat experience even though he had served in Korean army for 5 years as a career soldier, but he was posted at front line in QuiNhon, South Vietnam as an armed tank driver right after finishing 7 day’s field training in the jungle. Since then he fought almost every day and night and slept curled up and ate watching his fellows falling down. He was too panic to sleep for a few weeks because he could be killed by Viet Cong any moment. However, finally he couldn’t help falling to sleep on the pancho in the mud even in a downpour when they had a break. He kept fighting until he got wounded on his right eye by the penetration of bomb’s fragment during the worst fighting. All of his unit members were killed. He was moved to hospital stuck in the middle of his fellow’s dead bodies. After operation for artificial eye he was discharged from the service. From the moment his life totally began to deteriorate physically, mentally and socially. He lost not only his eye, but also his self-image, self-identity, self-role, self-confidence. He became alcoholic and terribly violent. He described the moment of violent fit “ In the middle of doing something, all of sudden, I became blank and felt like I was in the jungle and then madness and rage took over me. It wasn’t me. Something inside of me became crazy and violent”. He still has insomnia, nightmare, cold sweat, palpitation, nervous breakdown now even after 35 years. He was very nervous, agitated, perspired, hard to talk about his feeling during the interview. He in under the medication for high blood pressure, liver cirrhosis, skin problem, prostate ca.. When he was asked about whether he was affected by the side effect of Agent Orange even though he seemed to suffer with Agent Orange, he said “ NO!!! I never heard about it at the time “. On the other hand, other document says that Agent Orange was sprayed over the area of QuiNhon from 1967 to 1975. He said “ No more war whatsoever. It was too horrible and miserable for both. I was unfortunate personally, but I feel sorry for people of Vietnam because we failed to keep the democracy of Vietnam “. “ It wasn’t my choice to join the Vietnam war, but also It wasn’t my country’s war. Powerful and leading country, USA, asked Korea to join the war. We felt helpless about situation when we were sent to Vietnam. I heard there were some runaway soldiers who tried to smuggle into Japan” “ My life was just hell!! But I am very lucky to have a faithful and tolerant wife, otherwise I wouldn’t exit any more long time ago. Now I try to satisfy and grateful what I have now “.

Here are website which you can take a glimpse how they suffer with the side effect of Agent Orange. 1. http:// dioxin.peacenet.co.kr/agent/f-agent.htm
2. http://www.Vietnamwar.co.kr/news3.htm

Heading: Role of Korean soldiers Date: 2002-04-19 09:05 From: Sesub So The enormous contribution which your country has made towards a free future for South Vietnam is tangible proof that both the confidence and assistance America placed in Free Korea 17 years ago was the wisest of investments. - Richard Nixon 17 Dec 1967 - What would happen of six hundred thousand Koreans were exclusively conducting the Vietnam war? only fifty thausand Koreans repelled the enemy from their strategic responsibility area just overnight during the enemy's Tet offensive ...... The central coast area which Viet Cong had been occupying since their anti-French war is now completely under Koreans's control. - Evansille Journal, U.S.A- March,1966