FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  APRIL 3, 2001

Contact Patrick Tremblay, ptremblay@asomf.org (910) 483-3003 ext. 229

KOREAN WAR EXHIBIT

FAYETTEVILLE, NC.   The Airborne & Special Operations Museum opened a special exhibit entitled A War Remembered: Korea, 1950-53, on March 23, 2001, the fiftieth anniversary of the second parachute assault by the 187^th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (ARCT) against Communist Chinese and North Korean forces.  Photographs and essays tell the story of America’s paratroopers, Rangers and special operations units during the three-year conflict. Maps, a time line and biographical sketches will provide a broad perspective on all aspects of the conflict President Truman called a “police action” and others have termed the “forgotten war”.

The Sculptures

A special feature of the exhibit will be a group of bronze sculptures by William F. Porteous, a renowned artist and World War II veteran of the 11^th Airborne Division. This unique collection depicts soldiers of the 187^th ARCT from World War II to Vietnam, and was a generous donation from Dr. C.W. Flevares, a veteran paratrooper of the 187^th.  Both the Smithsonian and National Infantry Museum have displayed portions of this collection in the past. 

The Sponsorship

The Korean War exhibit is sponsored by the generous donations of Bleecker Olds-Chevy-GMC, Braxton Bragg Chapter of AUSA, Rhudy’s Jewelry and M.J. Soffe.  Without the help of sponsors such as these, the museum would be unable to provide the level of programming and exhibits that it does.  Interested parties should contact the museum for more information on other sponsorship opportunities.

The Jump

March 23, 2001 is the 50^th anniversary of the second of two combat jumps made by the 187^th ARCT during the Korean War.  General Matthew Ridgway's Eighth Army had planned the jump at Munsan-Ni, just north of Seoul, to block the Chinese withdrawal and allow United Nation’s ground units to smash the enemy force.  The assault consisted of 3,486 paratroopers, including members of the 2^d and 4^th Airborne Ranger Companies, and nearly 174 tons of heavy supplies.  While enemy resistance was light on the drop zone, fighting grew as the Regiment moved to secure secondary targets including the surrounding high ground.  The original plan was for the 187^th to hold out for two days, but the ground forces and paratroopers linked up by the next morning.  The 187^th executed their airborne assaults so well that they became the standard to which the Army trains it airborne units.   

The Soldiers

At the heart of this fiftieth anniversary exhibit is the story of the indomitable fighting spirit of the American soldier.  General Ridgway, focused on this spirit in his history of The Korean War:  

If any war that our country ever engaged in could have been called a forgotten war, this was it. If ever we were unprepared for war, we were on this occasion. The primary purpose of an army, to be ready to fight effectively at all times - seemed to have been forgotten… In view of all this, it was a miracle, and a credit to those who had bred them, that our soldiers had fought so magnificently against such brutal odds and still retained their courage and the dogged willingness to go where their leaders sent them.

The Museum

Located at 100 Bragg Boulevard in downtown Fayetteville, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum is part of the U.S. Army Museum System and tells the story of Army airborne and special operations units from 1940 to the present.  Museum hours: 10am – 5 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, Noon – 5 pm Sundays. Closed Monday; open Federal holiday Mondays.  Admission is free, there is a charge for the Vistascope Movie and Vista-Dome Motion Simulator.

For More Information

Visit the museum website at www.asomf.org.

Media inquiries may be directed to Sandy Klotz, Executive Director, at (910) 483-3003 ext. 226/ sklotz@asomf.org, or Patrick Tremblay, Marketing Manager, at ext. 229 or ptremblay@asomf.org.

Electronic photography, brochures or additional literature is available by contacting Patrick Tremblay.                                           

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