The Korean War—that often forgotten Cold war escalation in modern American history—in the shadow of World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War is a testament to the will of two nations to opt for a peaceful solution to a four year conflict that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and wounded many, many more.
On July 27, 1953 Lieutenant General William Harrison, Jr. and North Korean General Nam II signed an armistice with the cold-war foe to bring about an armistice, or a mutual agreement to end a military conflict, which was how the first war concluded slightly more than twenty years ago.
As often humor and drama best capture the daily struggles with the meaning of war for the famed surgical doctors of the famous 70’s and 80’s television show M*A*S*H*, starring the legendary, affable Alan Alda—this holiday is best celebrated with a sense of realism and levity, honoring those who fell victim to the devastation, but also commemorating the brave highly skilled and courageous professionals who spent years in a foreign country trying to phase out the “business” that had been doing too well.
Luckily, Los Angeles is home to many veterans from the Korean War who and their family members, and are still living, who look to the date July 27th, 1953 as the day when an actual peace treaty was finalized—as the TV show often alluded to as occurring numerous times—falsely—only to be later revoked and the war machine continuing to have its gears greased and levers pulled, mounting into something bigger than what it had been.
Here’s a recommendation to spend the day not in idle stupor, but contemplation as you remember those brave patriots who had fought for the ideals that still remain vibrant in today’s nation at peace with its neighbors.
LACMA – Korean Calligraphy Exhibit, July 27th, 2019 at 2p.m.
Spend your Saturday afternoon at the “Beyond Line: The Art of Korean Writing exhibition. On display will calligraphy depicting the “lives and legacies of writers and calligraphers will be examined through works by kings and queens, officials and scholars, painters and monks, and even slaves. The exhibition also explores Korea’s innovations in woodblock printing during the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and in movable metal type during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897).”—LACMA
For more information visit: https://www.lacma.org
