Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Germ Warfare

                                         War Memorial Museum-Seoul, South Korea

The Korean War lasted from June 25, 1950-July 27,1953.  I majored in history in college, and I am a huge WWI and WWII history buff.  If you don′t know about the Korean War (also called the Forgotten War), read up on it sometime.  It is a fascinating war and period of history.  The battle went back and forth, with both sides on the verge of defeat on more than one occasion.  Seoul changed hands no less than four times (if I recall correctly, it′s been over six years since I studied about it in depth in college), and the Soviets would disguise their fighter pilots in North Korean and Chinese uniforms when they went into battle.  It was also an opportunity for American and Soviet forces to test each other in conflict without actually having to officially go to war, and gave China the chance to assert its power and influence on the world stage.  My grandfather was a veteran and was actually stationed in Daegu during the conflict.

                                          My grandfather Raul Rivera during the war

Sometimes I forget that I am living in a country that is still at war.  An armistice was signed between the two countries but never a peace treaty, so technically the war never ended (although North Korea claims it won).It′s actually extremely safe here in Busan and Korea in general, but sometimes I will see something that makes me feel a little uncomfortable.



This gas mask case is located on one of the subway stops I take to get to BJJ.  I′m not sure how you are supposed to get it open in an emergency though, since it is locked and made out of Plexiglas.




1 comment:

  1. Just a handy little gas mask case next to the vending machines huh? No biggie. And dashing grandpa you have!

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