U.S. veterans return to South Korea to remember fallen comrades
As a bugler plays they remember their young selves
At a commemoration service their feelings are mixed
One summed up: The war was pain in the ass but it did prevent communism spreading in Asia
(CNN) —
For many U.S. veterans it’s a trip they thought they’d never take; returning to South Korea, the land where so many of their brothers-in-arms lost their lives.
A mist hangs in the surrounding hills of the South Korean National Cemetery as dozens of returning veterans gather to honor the dead.
It’s a difficult but necessary journey for most of them as they commemorate the 60th anniversary of the armistice that stopped the fighting in the Korea War.
“I was in the Pork Chop Hill in July 1953 and I remember the sounds of artillery and fighting. That is not something that you will forget. I never intended to come back to Korea. It’s not like I didn’t like the country but just didn’t need to see it,” says U.S. veteran Danny Peters.
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
An American soldier comforts a comrade during the Korean War, circa 1950. Click through to see more scenes from the Korean War.
PHOTO:
Landov
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
A woman and child wander among debris in Pyongyang, North Korea, after an air raid by U.S. planes, circa 1950. The war began on June 25, 1950, when the North Korean People's Army crossed the 38th parallel and easily overwhelmed South Korean forces in a surprise attack.
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Keystone/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
An American soldier walks around the rubble of Hamhung, North Korea, in an undated photo. On June 30, 1950, President Harry S. Truman ordered American troops into the fighting.
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stringer/afp/getty images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung, left, signs a document in Seoul, South Korea, in an undated photo. The armistice ending the war was signed in July 1953, and its terms included the creation of the Demilitarized Zone.
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stringer/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
A U.S. Army chaplain prays by injured soldiers at a combat field hospital in August 1950.
PHOTO:
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
U.S. Marines attack Hagaru-ri, North Korea, in December 1950.
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Fotosearch/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
An abandoned girl cries in the streets of Incheon, South Korea, in September 1950.
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STRinger/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
An American soldier searches a foxhole for enemies in February 1951.
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Fotosearch/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, center, head of the U.N. Command in the Korean War, and other military personnel observe shelling in Incheon from the USS Mount McKinley in September 1950.
PHOTO:
Landov
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
The 187th U.S. Airborne Regimental Combat Team conducts a practice jump in South Korea, circa 1951.
PHOTO:
PA Photos/LANDOV
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
North Korean prisoners of war make baskets on the floor of a storage barn at a prison, circa 1951.
PHOTO:
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
Marines use a flamethrower in April 1951.
PHOTO:
stringer/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
The USS Missouri bombards Chongjin, North Korea, circa May 1951.
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Central Press/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
U.S. Marines duck for cover in a bunker as a shell explodes in April 1952.
PHOTO:
Keystone/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
Actress Marilyn Monroe entertains troops, circa 1952.
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MPI/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Scenes from the Korean War
Scenes from the Korean War —
U.S. troops emerge from helicopters onto an open field, circa 1953.
PHOTO:
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
Photos: North Korea 60 years later —
Fireworks explode above the Pyongyang skyline on Saturday, July 27. North Korea mounted its largest military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War, displaying its long-range missiles at a ceremony presided over by leader Kim Jong Un.
PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
Photos: North Korea 60 years later —
Portraits of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are displayed on Pyongyang buildings on July 27.
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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
Photos: North Korea 60 years later —
A couple walks through Kim Il Sung Square after a parade in Pyongyang on July 27.
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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un waves to spectators and participants during a military parade on July 27, in Pyongang.
PHOTO:
Wong Maye-E/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
North Korean veterans wave to Kim Jong Un during the parade on July 27.
PHOTO:
David Guttenfelder/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Tractors pull weapon-bearing wagons during the parade on July 27.
PHOTO:
David Guttenfelder/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Women participating in the parade wave as they pass Kim Jong Un on July 27.
PHOTO:
David Guttenfelder/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Ninety-minute performances, like this one on Friday, July 26, will be repeated throughout the festival, which runs until September 9.
PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
Photos: North Korea 60 years later —
A performer jumps from a catapult during an Arrirang Festival at the Rungnado May Day Stadium on July 26. Arrirang performances feature 100,000 participants in a 90-minute display of gymnastics, dance, acrobatics and dramatic performance.
PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, applauds before the Arirang Festival at the 150,000-seat Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on July 26.
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Ed JonesEd Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
The finale of the performance features fireworks and an intricate display on the field.
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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Adding to the showmanship of the performances is a backdrop created by thousands of people holding up pages from a booklet; the backdrop changes as the participants turn the pages in sequence.
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KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
The festival draws large crowds throughout its run.
PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Dancers perform during the festival on July 26.
PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Dancers with flower props create a sea of color and movement on July 26.
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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
A woman sits next to models of military weapons at a festival for the "Kimilsungia" and "Kimjongilia" flowers, named after the country's late leaders, on Wednesday, July 24, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The exhibition was held to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement that ended the fighting on July 27, 1953.
PHOTO:
David Guttenfelder/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
The North Korean military band leads an international peace march at the Three Charters for National Reunification Memorial Tower in Pyongyang on July 24. This was the first war in which the United Nations played a role and the first to battle with jet aircraft.
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Jon Chol Jin/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
A mosaic of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is on display at an exhibition in Pyongyang on July 24.
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Wong Maye-E/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Veterans of the Korean War wave at the crowd as they leave by bus after arriving at the Pyongyang railway station Tuesday, July 23.
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Jon Chol Jin/ap
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
A North Korean soldier explains the history of the armistice agreement between North and South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone on Monday, July 22. The demilitarized zone separates the two Koreas and remains one of the most tense borders in the world.
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Wong Maye-E/ap
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Women jump through hula hoops during the opening night of the annual Arirang Festival, or "mass games," at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium on Monday, July 22.
PHOTO:
David Guttenfelder/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
North Korean dancers perform during the Arirang Festival in Pyongyang on July 22. This year's performance was timed to debut for the 60th anniversary on July 27 and features new scenes focusing on leader Kim Jong Un's directives.
PHOTO:
Wong Maye-E/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
At dusk, the setting sunlight is reflected on the Taedong River in Pyongyang on Sunday, July 21.
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David Guttenfelder/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Children skate around the Kim Il Sung Square on July 21 in downtown Pyongyang.
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Wong Maye-E/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
People dine in a restaurant at the Koryo hotel on July 21 in downtown Pyongyang.
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Wong Maye-E/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
People pose for photos near a display model of an octopus as they visit a dolphin show facility at an amusement park in Pyongyang on Sunday, June 23.
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Alexander F. Yuan/ap
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
Men and women dance in front of the Monument to the Party Founding in Pyongyang on Wednesday, June 19. The performance celebrates the day the late North Korean leader Kim Jung Il began his work at the central committee of the communist nation's ruling Workers' Party in 1964.
PHOTO:
Alexander F. Yuan/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
A man reads a newspaper on a public display at Puhung subway station in Pyongyang on Tuesday, June 18. Some stations are more elaborate than others and foreign visitors are usually only allowed to take one stop, from Puhung station to Yonggwang.
PHOTO:
Alexander F. Yuan/AP
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on Thursday, March 7. Kim is the youngest son of Kim Jong Il and came into power after his fathers death in 2011.
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KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
A nurse comforts a baby at a nursery inside Pyongyang Maternity Hospital in Pyongyang on Wednesday, February 20.
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David Guttenfelder/ap
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
North Korean traffic officers gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects in Pyongyang on Saturday, February 16. North Koreans turned out to commemorate what would have been the 71st birthday of Kim, who died on December 17, 2011.
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David Guttenfelder/ap
Photos: Photos: North Korea 60 years later
North Korea 60 years later —
A national meeting marks the anniversary of the birth of the late leader Kim Jong II at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on Saturday, February 16.
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KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Almost two million Korean civilians lost their lives during the war as well as more than 200,000 South Koreans and about 36,000 American soldiers by the time the ceasefire was declared in 1953.
A lone bugler plays taps as men in their 80s, many dressed in military regalia complete with medals and ribbons, march towards an altar of incense and flowers to honor the dead. Some veterans now need canes and wheelchairs to help them complete the 40-meter stretch.
Sixty years on, they aren’t the strapping teenagers they once were, the years show in the wrinkles crisscrossing their faces but the memories are still fresh.
“The Korean War was very dangerous and I lost a lot of friends,” says veteran Daniel Arthur. “I remember all the battles I was in. I lost a lot of friends and saw a lot of people wounded.”
For infantryman Philip DiMenno it’s a journey he wanted to share with his two daughters, son and granddaughter. For him, it was about closing a chapter in his life, but for his children it was a chance to understand what the war was like.
It’s DiMenno’s first time back since he left the peninsula in 1954. Long gone are the dirt roads and huts. Asphalt and high-rises have taken their place. But the memories of a young, scared 18-year-old rush back among the tombstones.
“I wanted to do the real thing. When I’m saying do the real thing that was just a figure of talk at that time, because in all fairness I was a very, very scared kid and I had a lot of fear in me,” says DiMenno.
The lively 81-year-old widower’s memory doesn’t fail as he recalls in descriptive detail to his family the two years he spent in South Korea.
“To be with him here now… I can see a huge difference in his emotions and how trying to gather everything that happened it’s unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable,” says DiMenno’s granddaughter, Sara Zepezauer.
His daughter, Renee DiMenno-Zepezauer, added: “The great connection and almost a closure for my father to see a country in such despair and to see a country again with such prosperity.”
The thought of the war has brought up mixed emotions from the veterans. Some of them express anger, sorrow and fear but most come to the same general conclusion.
“It (the Korean War) was pain in the ass. It disrupted a lot of lives of the Americans and lives of the Koreans. At the time, you always wondered if it was worth it. To think about it now, it accomplished a lot to the region and the world’s order.”
“Don’t tell the veterans that the war was nonsense,” says DiMenno with a sense of defiance and pride. “It stopped the spread of communism in Asia.”
The ceremony honoring the dead doesn’t last long, less than a half hour. The veterans salute the memorial, pour incense into a smoldering pot flanked by two giant statues and say their silent prayers. But for DiMenno it can’t last long enough.
“We were never told to cry and it makes you cry because we are the survivors. We are just a little patch of what we did. Sure we survived for our country. The people who died should have these honors.”
