During the Korean War the American Armed Forces saved the lives of thousands upon thousands of Korean children. Besides the physical intervention of a single GI (all branches of service, men and women) to rescue a child as portrayed in the first article below the GIs often rescued hundreds of children at one time in various rescue operations such as the Kiddy Car Airlift organized by the 5th Air Force where almost a thousand children were saved (place a link here) or the rescue of over 200 children by the US Marines in the Kanung operation (place a link here).

When orphanage administrators report that upwards of 90% of all their aid comes from the American servicemen and that the children would have died without this help we must recognize that the donation of over two million dollars for orphanage aid by GIs during the war years from a pay usually less than one hundred dollars a month also helped save the lives of thousands of children.

The stories posted below and on other pages are those that were recorded somewhere and which we were able to locate. Daily, though, we are hearing about particular units who rescued 14 children hiding in a ditch near the Chosin Reservoir or a GI who goes out of his way to locate abandoned or lost children and get them to an orphanage. I am sure these stories, never before put in print, would account for many more thousands of children whose lives were saved by the US forces. We will add them to the collection as we find them.

To get an idea of the social, physical and cultural context within which the American GIs were operating in their attempts to rescue the children we present a page of photographs illustrating the situation faced by the civilian population of Korea during the war years.

Photos of Korean War Refugees

Please be aware that some of the material that could have been placed here is posted in other categories. To bring up a document click on the "Read" button. Here are some of the stories. On a separate page we post photographs.

Photographs- Saving Lives

 

	Sergeant Carries Baby to Safety
	Army Nurse Helps Send Korean Waif Back to Recovery
	The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Smile
	Chocoletto: A Korean War Orphan Joins the Marines
	The GI and the Kids of Korea
	Voice from Korea:Won't You Help Us Off Our Knees?
	A Haven Hidden in the Hurting City
	Record of Medical Forces in Korea Held Unexcelled
	More Help Needed by Korea Orphans
	Korean Children Saved From Cave Get Help
	Korean Children in Need
	The GIs Give a Hand to the Koreans
	The Sergeant Didn't Go Home
	Korea Waif Gives Yanks Brief Relief
	18th Wing Pilots Aid Waifs
	Korean Waif Captures Heart of 25th Div.Engr
	Yank Pities Orphan, Knows Hungry Look
	Yanks Befriend Korean Orphan
	Redlegs Adopt Korean Pin-up
	Crying Korean Gets New Home
	2 Tots Become Youngest PWs
	War Orphans: Fighters Pause to aid the Helpless
	Korean Orphan Adopted by GIs
	Isle of Hope, Tiny Kims of Korea Find a Refuge
	War is Hell…Even To Little Korean Lad
	Korean Waifs aided By Navy
	Clark AB Men Adopt Orphans
	Tots Respond To Love, Care
	Korean Mother, Child United
	All So Small
	24th Division Gives Emergency Care
	Orphans Face Suffering
	Army Units Continue to Clear Pusan
	Waifs in War's Backwash
	Charity of US Troops Fantastic
	Seoul shows Calloused Attitude In Child's Plight
	Little Seoul Girl Covered With Maggots Found Dead
	Lad's Woes Near End - Part 1
	Christian Children's Fund Assists Tots
	US Soldiers Give away Fortunes to Charities
	1st Marines Lead Dimes Drive List
	Platter show spins $8000 Into Amputee Fund
	Seabees Contribute $50 to I-Corps Amputee Fund
	Tankers give $1,561 For Korean Amputees
	I Corps Amputee Fund Nets $75,872.89 for Children
	Far East Footnotes-1
	Far East Footnotes-2
	MPs Feed Starved Kids
	3,000 Refugees Move to Tents
	Tank Unit’s Donation Amazes Chaplain
	Foundling Given Loving Attention
	She’ll Live To Tell How AF Winked at the Book
	Sergeant Saves Korean Child from Red Fate
	Korea Lad Given Aid
	Solon Tells House Members How Yank Fighters Assist Kids
	Sam Sung Orphans, Christmas Heartbreaking Sight In Seoul
	2 Frontline Infantrymen Become ‘Mothers’ For Day
	‘Hardbitten’ GIs Take In Homeless Lad
	Korean Waif Captures Heart Of Puzzled 25th Div. Engineer
	Airmen Care For Korean Lad
	Children Show War's Cost
	Mess Treats Hungry Waifs
	Sergeant, Wife To Rear Waif
	Yanks In Korea Give $13 Million In Aid
	I Corps Men Contributed Almost $360,000
	"Vagabond' Aids I Corps Fund
	Stateside checks Up I-corps fund

 

Material that could have been placed here can be found in "Feature Stories", in the reports on the Kiddy Car Airlift and in other sections of this web site.

 

Photographs