The Korean War and American memory

The Korean War, widely perceived to be forgotten, is neither simply forgotten nor easily remembered. The variety of labels applied to its histories suggests a wide range of recollection; and, for a conflict that is supposedly forgotten, there exists a large and varied body of primary sources: dozens of novels, personal narratives, and films that reflect, remember, and in some way memorialize the American experience during that three-year period. This study attempts to assess comprehensively the efforts of those who have built written or cinematic monuments to this war. The first chapter argues that the received image of Korea as the forgotten war is paradoxical because it is inaccurate; there are simply too many cultural artifacts for that characterization to be acceptable. A consideration of the three other major American wars of this century precedes a look at the ways in which Korea has been remembered, to include the incipient Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC--a metaphor for the elusive task of remembering the war it represents. The next three chapters examine personal narratives, prose fiction, and film. In each case there is much more primary material than the war\u27s reputation allows, yet less than what a proper appreciation of the war\u27s scope and importance would suggest. Little of the work in each category exhibits significant artistic quality, but there are some novels and films that have not received the critical attention they deserve. The main body of the study concludes with the film chapter\u27s consideration of the M*A*S*H phenomenon --a chain of creativity, novel to film to television series, that itself represents the problematic task of remembering Korea. A brief conclusion asserts that the status of the war within the cultural memory remains problematic. Although the Korean War has been virtually memorialized for its very obscurity, its veterans have hardly reconciled themselves to that status. The ongoing construction of a national memorial and the continuing appearance of written products concerning the war may yet have some impact in establishing the experience more firmly in the national consciousness