Ill-Fated Cadets? The history of Young Cadets Who Became Soldiers Fighting on the Frontline of Battle during the Korean War

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce readers to some of the most important events in the history of the Korea Military Academy. The 539 KMA cadets fought the early battles of the Korean War, and nearly one-third of them were killed in action. In earlier days, such unprecedented sacrifices made by the young cadets had been recognized, but not enough information was available to carry the story on to the next generation. Knowing nothing is worse than knowing a little. In the course of time, the story of these young cadets’ earlier battles has been into oblivion. The result was a bitter legacy of resentment and anger amongst many cadet-veterans who believed that their devotions to the country have been so easily by the KMA alumni and the Army. The paper therefore collects the stories of the KMA cadets’ battles during the Korean war, and see what the circumstances were in which the cadets entered the war. The paper takes an issue with the biased term “ill-fated cadets,” which has long been used to describe those young cadet-veterans, is inappropriate, and explores if this re-examination tells us anything about how their untold history has formed the background and context for the development of the KMA.

Keywords: The Korea Military Academy, the Korean War, cadets’ battles, General James A. Van Fleet.