The Korean War Begins (June 25, 1950)

I'm guest-hosting over on vintage_ads for the one day event, the Korean War. There are some good ads over there if you want to take a look. :)

Today is the 66th anniversary of the start of the war on June 25, 1950.

Veterans of the Korean War in general and of this battle in particular said this movie was very accurate in its depiction of fighting in Korea. My father said that to me when we watched this film years ago. He served in Company B, 32nd Infantry.

The Bridges At Toko-Ri

This 1954 movie encapsulates the Korean War: William Holden's fighter pilot character is unhappy about being called up for Korea after serving in World War II. He'd been making headway in his civilian life like a lot of returned G.I.s and now was yanked back to fight in a war that wasn't exactly popular. What if his good luck was all used up in the last war? The prime real-life example was the Boston Red Sox' Ted Williams, who was called up for Korea after three years' service in World War II. Five prime years of his baseball career was lost to war.

Excellent jet fighter sequences and color photography with top-notch acting by Holden, Grace Kelly and Mickey Rooney.