Korean War Incident

I do wish you would cease calling the 1950 incident in the Korean War a “massacre” (Oct. 4).

Ask anyone in his or her right mind if it were preferable to remain idle and be killed by North Korean infiltrators armed with grenades and burp guns, who were using civilians as shields. A dead American soldier could not help free South Korea.

How about placing the real blame where it belongs? President Harry Truman pounded the military to nearly zero in 1949 and simultaneously made formal announcement that the U.S. would not defend South Korea (or Taiwan). North Korea cheerfully accepted the invitation to invade. Truman then threw untrained occupation personnel into combat, in which many died.

And now the press is caterwauling about the desperate acts of brave men giving their lives because Truman blundered.

PAUL FINCH

U.S. Marines, 1947-’52

Sherman Oaks

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The American people should not be surprised at reports of cruelty by American soldiers during the Korean War, the war in Vietnam and World War II. While these acts do not compare in any way with the atrocities committed by the Germans and Japanese measured by numbers of incidents, nevertheless, they did occur.

During World War II in Italy, we had captured four German soldiers. I ordered one of my men to take them back to battalion headquarters, about five miles to the rear. He returned five minutes later without the prisoners. When questioned, he explained, without remorse, that he was too tired to walk back the five miles, and so, I quote, “I killed them.”

In another incident, we were off the lines for a rest and were taking target practice at an improvised firing range. In the distance, a lone farmer was tending to his crop, when I saw him suddenly drop. A fellow platoon member shouted, “I got him.” Most of my platoon members were disgusted by these unprovoked acts of cowardice and cruelty.

MARVIN HAAS

Banning