Interesting post by David Price over at Dean’s World concerning the loss of life during the Korean war. Today the Republic of Korea is an amazing success story, but was the cost too high? Since naysayers like Howard Dean contend we are in an “unwinable” war in Iraq, that we should attribute the 2100 American lives to Bush’s folly and simply leave the Iraqis to whatever the fates dictate, it appears that for many the value of freedom in the 21st century has is no longer worth the effort. Mr. Price notes:

Given that those opposing the war believe the much smaller price paid so far in Iraq is already too high, it’s reasonable to assume they certainly don’t believe Iraqi freedom and democracy is worth 53,000 American casualties and 3 million lives overall. So, assuming they don’t think Iraqis somehow deserve freedom less than Koreans, do they think (all else being equal) we should have allowed S Korea to fall to the North, and saved the vast majority of those lives lost in the war to keep the South free? It’s hard to logically reconcile any other position, esp. given the prevailing view that the subsequent Vietnam War was a terrible mistake, as opposed to a noble cause similar to the Korean War that was tragically left unfinished.

Obviously the state of war itself is never a good thing for anyone involved. But wars are always a contest between different camps that have different reasons for violently resisting the other camp’s right to rule a group of people and different plans for how to conduct post-victory rule of those people, some of which reasons and plans are terribly immoral and oppressive of those people and some of which are not. It seems to me that history has shown going to war against repressive regimes for the purpose of defending or advancing freedom is rarely wrong.

I think he’s right on the mark. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently heard Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the 8th Army commander, Lt. General Campbell, draw comparisons between what we did for Korea over 50 years ago and what we are attempting in Iraq. I certainly think that is a more apt comparison than Howard Dean’s attempt to paint Iraq as another Vietnam.

Like most Americans, I never thought much about Korea one way or the other until I moved here. South Korea is an amazing place and an incredible success story. The people are thriving in a free society. And compared to the living hell that is North Korea, it is an abject lesson in the value of democracy. So, I would love to hear someone explain that the lives expended in defense of the Korean people were not worth the achievement. And while you are at it, tell me why the Iraqis are unworthy of the chance to live as a free people.

find the cost of freedom
buried in the ground
mother earth will swallow you
lay your body down…
—David Crosby

Oh yeah, a commenter at Dean’s World talked about the rampant anti-Americanism in South Korea. Said soldiers can’t walk the street without fear of getting jumped. Bullshit. Yeah, there are some people here who want us gone, but they are a small minority. I have been made to feel very welcome in this country and in 11 months have only had one incident with a Korean telling me to go home. At least that’s what I assumed he was saying, but my Korean is poor and he was drunk. I will note again that the pro-U.S. rallies draw far more people than the anti-America groups can muster.

I along with millions of Koreans live 30 miles from a monster with a 3 million man army who wants nukes. Yeah, our presence here is still worthwhile and thinking Koreans know that.