The Cold War Ablaze: Iowans in the Korean War
Event Details
503 South St
Waterloo, IA 50701
Phone: 319) 234-6357
Website: www.groutmuseumdistrict.org/
Event Description
The post-WWII tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union resulted in 40 years of uneasy peace. During the Cold War, American troops were stationed around the world to contain the expansion of communism. Conflict erupted in Korea in June 1950, and Iowa Reserve and National Guard Units were deployed to the Far East. A cease-fire in 1953 ended major combat, but U.S. troops remain yet today to enforce the peace. The inconclusive end to the United Nations’ police action led many to refer to Korea as the “Forgotten War.”
“A red warning light illuminated in the cockpit. I looked behind me and saw that I was trailing smoke … The airplane … had lost a good deal of its power and was losing altitude rapidly. Thinking that the engine might blow, I shut the throttle to cut fuel to the engine, hoping the fire would go out. I got about 17,000 feet out of the airspeed I had and set up a glide hoping that I’d reach as close as possible to the front lines that was some 200 miles south of me.”
— Lt. Norman Duquette USAF, Ex-POW in North Korea
