After the end of World War II, the 38th parallel latitude line became the division in Korea, splitting the tiny, East Asian peninsula into what we know today as North Korea and South Korea (Pierpaoli, Paul Jr., 1). In 1948, the Republic of Korea was established in South Korea, while in North Korea, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea took hold. The Soviet Union occupied the Northern half of Korea, and the United States occupied the Southern half. The government 's’ contrasting aspirations for their different halves of the country soon caused tension between the North and the South (“Korean War.” 1).
On the 25th of June, 1950, the Soviet forces in North Korea launched an attack on South Korea. This marked the beginning of the …show more content…
military service by providing them with many challenges and giving them the opportunity to progress in the area of military experience. The war allowed the Air Force to become one of the more prominent and well-known parts of the US military. Severe budget cuts and “the economizing of the late 1940’s, led by congressional pressures to balance the budget” led to the shrinking of the USAF’s “79,000 planes and 2.3 million people” (Head, “U.S. Air Force” 1). This lack of money restricted the size and strength of the USAF. Without a substantial budget, they were unable to upgrade their planes, jets, and weapons which left them at a disadvantage during war. At the beginning of the 1950’s, the year the Korean War began, the United States Air Force was significantly smaller and weaker than other components of the United States military, and it was dwarfed in comparison to the forces in North Korea at the time. In fact it had not reached three years old when it was called to aid in the war (Head, “U.S. Air Force” 1). Aside from the Government’s desire to decrease its budget and the fact that it was still a very new branch, the United States Air Force was faced with another obstacle in the War. When pitted against the massive North Korean forces, its small size, due to lack of money and thanks to increased budget cuts, became painfully …show more content…
The Korean War was the first “limited war” of the age. This meant both sides of the fight despite the desire for conflict and the need to end the war, were careful to limit the physical fighting in order to avoid the use of nuclear weapons (Pierpaoli 4). However, after President Truman was replaced with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the goal that was originally shared by both sides was threatened. On several occasions, Eisenhower threatened to use nuclear weapons if it meant ending the war. Instead of carrying through with these threats however, an armistice agreement was signed (“Korean War.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 1). The Korean War could have ended with the use of nuclear weaponry, and although it would have put a rapid stop to the war and produced the desired effect of flushing out the communists, it would have cost many innocent people their lives and also would have forced the country to pay the price for such drastic choices further on down the
On the 25th of June, 1950, the Soviet forces in North Korea launched an attack on South Korea. This marked the beginning of the …show more content…
military service by providing them with many challenges and giving them the opportunity to progress in the area of military experience. The war allowed the Air Force to become one of the more prominent and well-known parts of the US military. Severe budget cuts and “the economizing of the late 1940’s, led by congressional pressures to balance the budget” led to the shrinking of the USAF’s “79,000 planes and 2.3 million people” (Head, “U.S. Air Force” 1). This lack of money restricted the size and strength of the USAF. Without a substantial budget, they were unable to upgrade their planes, jets, and weapons which left them at a disadvantage during war. At the beginning of the 1950’s, the year the Korean War began, the United States Air Force was significantly smaller and weaker than other components of the United States military, and it was dwarfed in comparison to the forces in North Korea at the time. In fact it had not reached three years old when it was called to aid in the war (Head, “U.S. Air Force” 1). Aside from the Government’s desire to decrease its budget and the fact that it was still a very new branch, the United States Air Force was faced with another obstacle in the War. When pitted against the massive North Korean forces, its small size, due to lack of money and thanks to increased budget cuts, became painfully …show more content…
The Korean War was the first “limited war” of the age. This meant both sides of the fight despite the desire for conflict and the need to end the war, were careful to limit the physical fighting in order to avoid the use of nuclear weapons (Pierpaoli 4). However, after President Truman was replaced with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the goal that was originally shared by both sides was threatened. On several occasions, Eisenhower threatened to use nuclear weapons if it meant ending the war. Instead of carrying through with these threats however, an armistice agreement was signed (“Korean War.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 1). The Korean War could have ended with the use of nuclear weaponry, and although it would have put a rapid stop to the war and produced the desired effect of flushing out the communists, it would have cost many innocent people their lives and also would have forced the country to pay the price for such drastic choices further on down the