Customer Reviews

From Pusan to Panmunjom (An Ausa Book)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I FIND GEN PAIK'S ACCOUNT OF THE KOREAN WAR TO BE REFRESHING AND ACCURATE. ONE MUST NEVER FORGET THE STATUS OF THE ROK ARMY AT THE ONSET OF THE KOREAN WAR. HIS LEADERSHIP AND COURAGE SET AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL ROK AND UN SOLDIERS. I GRANT YOU, THE BOOK IS SOMEWHAT 'HAZY' AT TIMES AND OFTEN APPEARS ROK 'SELF SERVING', BUT THAT IS REALLY NOT THE CASE WHEN ONE CONSIDERS HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE CULTURE (TRANSLATION) IN WHICH HE WRITES. IT IS TRUELY A REMARKABLE ACCOUNT OF A GREAT WARRIOR. IT NEEDS TO BE RE-PUBLISHED SO THAT ALL CAN GREATLY APPRECIATE THE TREMENDOUS SACFICES MADE BY THE GENERAL AND FOR THAT MATTER THE KOREAN PEOPLE. I HAVE READ THE BOOK NO LESS THAN 5 TIMES, OFTEN MARKING PASSAGES, AND EACH TIME I FIND A NEW UNDERSTANDING FOR A GREAT PEOPLE AND A GREAT WARRIOR. POULIOT

The book is a believable account by ROK's finest general in the Republic's history, albeit somewhat embellished. I, myself, am a Korean but can cut through the crap, when I smell one. The memoir's contension that the ROK troops have stood and fought despite the insurmountable odds are seriously challenged by the Americans who fought with them.</p>
During the Korean Conflict, the ROK fighting units were, all too often, substandard, poorly-led by inexperienced, underaged incompetents, thus, undisciplined and cowardly. The ROK troops suffered from pathological fear of the NK tanks and the Chinese volunteers, and thus relied heavily on the American firepower to do the fighting for them. (General, your men never could "decimate" the Chinese alone!) The only exception to the South Korean rule were the 1st ROK Division commanded by the author himself, and the ROK Marine Regiment.</p>
In any event, the exploits of the General and his division is well documented. I was quite frankly amazed with his superb English. The author's well-written account is somewhat believable, but the highly-exaggerated tales of the "ROK fighting prowess," prevents this memoir from earning five stars.</P>

Taken in context and compared against all that has been written about the Korean War, GEN Paik provides his personal account of Korea's fight against the Communist North. GEN Paik explains the difficulty his newly freed country has fighting their brothers, winning and then having the Chinese weigh in against them. He looks at his experiences with the U.S. officers and enlisted who shed their blood along side their Korean comrades and helped to preserve a free country in the South. GEN Paik discusses the troubles his new found Army (50 years old this Oct 1998) adapting to modern equipment and tactics after being under the rule of Imperial Japan. A must read if you are truely interested in Korea and the Korean War. This book is an excellent read and a wonderful new look at the Korean War.