War Is Boring

Finally! Lt. Col. Jim Gregory called. This is what he said.

The Diplomat has yanked my “commandos in North Korea” story, under pressure from those who claim I “made up” Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley’s comments.

by KEVIN KNODELL In August 1945, World War II ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Soviet push into Manchuria, and the surrender of the Japanese empire. Soon after, Allied forces under the famed General Douglas MacArthur began the occupation and remaking of Japan. MacArthur’s occupation of Japan is the stuff of legends, [...]

New details have emerged over the last week regarding the North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island, as well as the South Korean government’s response. According to reports, last Tuesday’s North Korean artillery attack consisted of an initial barrage of 15 artillery rounds on the island and then a 40-minute lull, after which the remainder of the estimated 160-170 rounds was fired. An estimated 70 of the artillery rounds fell into the sea. Artillery involved is thought to have been 130-millimeter coastal guns and 122-millimeter BM-21 rockets.The accuracy of the artillery fire has led to the South Korean government to consider the possibility that espionage was involved.

North Korean forces fired on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong yesterday, killing two Republic of Korea marines and injuring 17, with an additional three civilians wounded and two missing. The attack, the first on South Korean soil for decades and the first against civilians, triggered an immediate response in kind from South Korea, which returned fire against North Korean coastal artillery. President Lee Myung-bak has called it an “undeniable provocation” and vowed to retaliate if Pyongyang attacks again.