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"Nothing is more important to national security and the making and conduct of good policy than timely, accurate, and relevant intelligence. Nothing is more critical to accurate and relevant intelligence than independent analysis."
- ADM Dennis C. Blair
"To write well express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man."
- Aristotle
"In the final choice, a soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as a prisoner's chains."
-President Dwight D. Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address, 1953
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A living legend in Korea, a true hero, and one of the most staunch proponents of the ROK/US alliance. Over the years we have been able to hear his lectures and stories recounting the start of the Korean war with him commanding the 1st ROK Division to the present day RO/US alliance relationship. I am very fond of this Stivers print which is entitled "We Go Together" (Katchi Kapshida). Think about this: Gen Paik was a general officer during the Korean War and met (and worked for) General MacArthur. How many people are alive today who served directly for General MacArthur? Certainly there are no other general officers still alive.
Korean War hero Paik Sun-yup celebrates 100th birthday | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · November 26, 2019
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams paid a visit to Paik Sun-yup, a famous Korean War hero and South Korea's first four-star general, to celebrate his 100th birthday, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
Paik, who served as corps commander and Army Chief of Staff during the 1950-53 Korean War, turned 100 in Korean age on Saturday.
Abrams visited Paik's office in Seoul on the eve of his birthday and sent a congratulatory message, according to officials.
Releasing photos of Abrams meeting with Paik in a Facebook post, USFK said Paik "is a true #WarriorLeader who continues to inspire many of us even to this day."
Born in 1920, Paik graduated from a military academy in Manchuria in 1941 and became an officer of the Manchukuo Imperial Army.
Upon the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Paik was assigned to lead the first Army infantry division. Under his leadership, the division played a critical role in deterring North Korean troops from taking over the entire South in what is known as the Battle of Tabu-dong, one of the fiercest battles of the war.
The following year, he became a two-star general to lead the Army corps. In 1952, he was named the top officer in the Army and became a four-star general the following year, the first in Korean history.
In 1959, he served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then retired from the military in 1960.
After his retirement, the general was appointed ambassador to Taiwan in 1960; to France, the Netherlands and Belgium in 1961; and to Canada in 1965. He also served as transportation minister from 1969 to 1971.
In honor of his service, South Korea created the General Paik Sun-yup Award in 2013, which has been awarded to one U.S. personnel member considered to have contributed to the nation's security and alliance.
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De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Personal Email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:
"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."
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