Bombing Pyongyang?

While looking for a photo of Inchon this morning, I happened upon the photo above, snapped by a bombadier in October 1950. The caption: Pyongyang Bombed.

Pyongyang fell in October 1950, a month after the surprise Inchon landing. As has been the case in Iraq, the fall of the enemy capital did not mean the end of the war -- fighting continued on the Korean penninsula well into 1951, with enough US defeats to bring the recall of Gen. McArthur.

I also noted this history in the war chronology I was reading:

October 17 to December 30 -- The U.S. soldiers occupied Sinchon city and kill some 35,300 citizens or roughly a quarter of its total population of 140,000.

Imagine that: The U.S. successfully carried out a 10-week battle that resulted in massive civilian deaths; we didn't stop after a couple weeks of difficulty, criticism and navel-contemplating.

America's will to defeat Communism was strong enough to answer our doubts and fears in 1950, unlike today, when our National spirit to defeat Islamism can at best be described as wimpy. Our enemy requires much more resolve to face and defeat. It's not 1950 anymore, but it's apparent the 2006 U.S. mindset was not a successful replacement for what we last had in Korea.

Does that mean bombing Pyongyang or Tehran? Perhaps. But it certainly means at least being willing to consider doing it.

Related Tags: War on terror, Iraq, Bush, North Korea, Korean war, Islamists