"EDITOR's NOTE: The heroic but unpublicized role of the Turkish troops during the 1950-53 Korean War is not fully acknowledged by most Western historians and public, although the Turkish Brigade named “Anatolian Lions” (composed of the 241st Infantry Regiment with three infantry battalions, a motorized artillery battalion with three artillery batteries) were awarded the highest honorable citation of the U.S. Army for saving the U.S. Eighth Army and the IX Army Corps from encirclement and the U.S. 2nd Division from total annihilation. In this legendary effort, the Turks lost 717 men and suffered 2,413 wounded representing the highest combat casualty rate of any U.N. unit engaged in Korea. Turkey was the first country after the United States to send forces to Korea on November 7, 1950 and contributed to the U.N. military efforts in Korea between 1950 and 1966. There were 5,450 Turkish troops, the third-largest contingent after the U.S. with 348,000 and Britain with 14,198.
I thought this news piece was worth sharing with you in remembrance of the Turkish Brigade for its courageous battles in the "Forgotten War".
(To read more about the Turkish Brigade)
Turkish Veteran Says He Fought for `Brother Country'
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Ahmet Hamdi Oktem
``I�m very happy to come back to my brother country which I and my comrades fought for,�� a Turkish Korean War veteran said.
Ahmet Hamdi Oktem, 76, repeatedly expressed his affection for South Korea and admiration of the economic development the country has achieved over the decades from the ashes of the war. "
More:The Korea Times : Turkish Veteran Says He Fought for `Brother Country'
