Greece must promote its Korean War legacy

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – The Greek flag flies prominently outside the Korean War Memorial in South Korea’s bustling capital. Inside the huge complex, video screens list the Greek soldiers who gave their lives as part of the United Nations to rebuff first North Korean and then Chinese invaders.

The Greek participation was not simply symbolic. Athens initially offered a brigade, but the United States suggested a smaller deployment so Greece could keep watch on NATO’s southern flank. Greek leaders wanted to participate, though, and contributed a battalion of soldiers and the Royal Hellenic Air Force flew seven C-47 Dakota aircraft, conducted almost 3,000 missions, and provided crucial air support during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The Greek battalion fought under the American 1st Cavalry Division, one of the US Army’s most storied units. All told, 10,255 Greeks fought in Korea, and almost 200 died there. Many wounded Americans owe their lives to Greek pilots who evacuated them under fire.

Too often today, American and NATO’s diplomatic discourse forgets the Greek contribution to the Korean War. It would be easy to blame Washington’s historical amnesia, but that is lazy. The explanation for America’s lack of appreciation for Greece’s sacrifice lies as much in Athens as it does in Washington.

Turkey and its American partisans use the Turkish contribution to the Korean War to advocate for strong ties and deference to Turkey on F-16s and other weaponry despite President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s erratic behavior. Turkey sacrificed with blood for freedom, the logic goes, and so holding Turkey to account for its current behavior would betray that sacrifice.

There is seldom a visit by a prominent Turkish official or bilateral controversy in which Turkey’s participation in Korea goes unmentioned. When Erdogan visited the White House in 2017, President Donald Trump declared, “Turkish soldiers fought bravely alongside of American soldiers in the Korean War, and we haven’t forgotten what they did.” When Joe Biden was still a candidate for president, for example, he criticized Erdogan. Turkey’s state broadcaster warned Biden and his team to “embrace their relationship with Turkey as they did in the Korean War.”

Likewise, Michael Doran, a scholar at the Hudson Institute, and perhaps Washington’s most enthusiastic voice for a US-Turkey partnership, argued at a 2019 conference that Turkey’s Korean War history was reason enough to ditch the anti-Islamic State partnership the United States had established with Syrian Kurds.

Greece sent almost 50 percent more troops than did Turkey. Take away the military band Turkey includes in its contingent and Greece’s relative contribution is even greater

Turkey’s partisans seldom mention Greece’s participation in Korea. It is a dishonest omission, but understandable. They do not want to reveal that, on a per capita basis, Greece sent almost 50 percent more troops than did Turkey. Take away the military band Turkey includes in its contingent and Greece’s relative contribution is even greater.

This does not denigrate Turkey’s sacrifice. Turkey lost more than 700 men, though some of these casualties were the result of inexperience as Turkish officials sent many untrained troops and volunteers to fill out its brigade. Still, Turkey, like Greece, participated in the coalition. Together, they helped ensure South Korea could become the democracy and economic engine it is today.

Greek officials may feel to leverage the sacrifice of their war dead for cynical reasons would dishonor the memory of fallen Greek soldiers. They are right. Greece should never behave like Turkey. Still, educating Americans and other Europeans about Greece’s sacrifice is not the same as trading on their memories to excuse illiberal, dictatorial and corrupt practices.

If reminding American policymakers and NATO leaders about Greece’s role in Korea blunts the effectiveness of Turkey’s efforts to use Turkey’s body count for diplomatic gain, then so be it. Greece made extreme sacrifices and deserves high honor. Koreans recognize it. Americans should too.

As Hellenic Armed Forces Day approaches, Greek politicians and military leaders should honor Greece’s Korean War legacy to remind American counterparts of the sacrifices both countries have together made for freedom.

Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.