Korean War
Rhode Island in the Korean War, 1950-1953
In response to the North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950 and keeping with the Truman Doctrine to contain communism where it was, President Harry S. Truman ordered American forces to the Korean Peninsula as part of the United Nations intervention force. After three years of horrific conflict, the “police action” as Truman declared the conflict ended in an armistice in July 1953 with the Korean Peninsula being divided along the 38th Parallel; technically the war has never ended, and the United States continues to maintain a large presence in South Korea today.
During the war, most Rhode Islanders served in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. It was the first time the nation fought in an integrated military where Americans of all races served together.
The Rhode Island National Guard was again called up. The Headquarters 43rd Division Artillery, as well as the 103rd and 169th Field Artillery, 118th Engineers, and the 43rd Reconnaissance Company were deployed to West Germany to help maintain the uneasy peace in Europe between NATO and the Soviet Union. Also called up was the 705th Anti-Aircraft Artillery which deployed to Okinawa.
During the conflict, Corporal David B. Champagne of South Kingstown, a U.S. Marine, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. A total of 149 Rhode Islanders are known to have died in the Korean Conflict.
Our Korean War Exhibit
