I agree with everything here.

On MacArthur's MoH for fleeing the Phillipines, there actually is documentary evidence--Marshall proposed the medal in order to shield MacArthur from possible allied concerns that he had run away from the fight. Marshall did this not because he liked MacArthur but because he wanted to make sure that allies wouldn't object to MacArthur commanding in the SW Pacific.

Thanks,
Tom

Han-gook - a korean word, meaning a korean person. Not really bad, like slope, for sloping forehead.

Koreans are the most disliked by all Asians, for being greedy, loud, and selfish. Yes, I know that is politically incorrect, but just ask a Jap, Flip, or Chink if they like Koreans. But now Koreans have higher math test scores than Americans. An old Philipino joke, the Japanese travels to conquer, the Chinese travels to trade, and the Philipino travels to cock fight. Another, a bit outdated: Yankee go home, and take me with you!

Sorry for the slurs, that is the topic. But yes, racism in the US military was common until after the Vietnam war. Yet, I recall in the 1990s the CO at Clark AFB issued an informal order that officers were not to date locals. The great movie, "The Sand Pebbles" also covers this topic.

And I like South Korea, and sometimes feel anger at North Korea, but in most of the time feel disheartened with their brinkmanships.

One thing all amaze me is that, US seems to believe it is easy to build armed forces from scratch. In Israel, the first generation of IDF generals are from Jewish Brigade and armed militia(or insurgents against British rules). And in Korea, the mainstay of South Korean army comes from several sources, including Imperial Japanese Army.

There are quite a lot of untold stories about Korean War. Even TF Smith's ill-fated defense seems to have mysteries unsolved. And if you happen to be capable of reading Japanese, Sasaki Harutaka's book is really must read.

Anyway, T-34-85 soviet tanks were such devastating effect against allied forces in the first phases of Korean War. But now, South Korea has much better trained and equipped army, so I don't have to worry whether there will be another NK armor thrust to Pusan.

I agree with MG Dean in his assessment. Our recent wanton killing of Afghans by the 12 wayward soldiers of 5/2 BCT will certainly turn off many Afghans to us, as the news begins to viral. When I was a company commander in Iraq, in the pre-surge days of 2006, I made it illegal for Soldiers in my company to use the word "Hajji". Soldiers used that word as they used othe racial epithets for others in different countries. It was used as a noun, and adjective, and always in a disparaging or demeaning way. Unless Americans stop equating "America" with "White Anglo-Saxon" and start accepting that we are multi-cultural, we will not have an easy path through the current economic depression. We need to unite as a country in order to tackle our issues within and without our borders.