1951 – Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.

"Truman rejected MacArthur's request to attack Chinese supply bases north of the Yalu, but MacArthur promoted his plan to Republican house leader Joseph Martin, who leaked it to the press.

" Truman was gravely concerned further escalation of the war might lead to open conflict with the Soviet Union, which was already supplying weapons and providing warplanes (with Korean markings and Soviet aircrew). Therefore, on April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur from his commands."

( Both of my boot camp drill instructors had been part of the "strategic withdrawal" when the Chinese crossed the Yalu.)

What We Learned From the Korean War

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/what-we-learned-from-the-korean-war/278016/ 

Sixty years after the signing of a truce, it's clear that this conflict set the pattern for multiple American wars to come.

    The wars of the last 63 years, ranging from Korea to Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq (but excepting Operation Desert Storm, which is an outlier from this    pattern) have been marked by:

• Inconsistent or unclear military goals with no congressional declaration of war.
• Early presumptions on the part of the civilian leadership and some top military officials that this would be an easy operation. An exaggerated view of    American military strength, a dismissal of the ability of the opposing forces, and little recognition of the need for innovation.
• Military action that, except during the first year in Korea, largely lacked geographical objectives of seize and hold.
• Military action with restricted rules of engagement and political constraints on the use of a full arsenal of firepower.
• Military action against enemy forces that have sanctuaries which are largely off-limits.
• Military action that is rhetorically in defense of democracy--ignoring the reality of the undemocratic nature of regimes in Seoul, Saigon, Baghdad, and    Kabul.
• With the exception of some of the South Korean and South Vietnamese military units, these have been wars with in-country allies that were not dependable.
• Military action that civilian leaders modulate, often clumsily, between domestic political reassurance and international muscle-flexing. Downplaying the    scale of deployment and length of commitment for the domestic audience and threatening expansion of these for the international community.
• Wars fought by increasingly less representative sectors of American society, which further encourages most Americans to pay little attention to the    details of these encounters.
• Military action that is costly in lives and treasure and yet does not enjoy the support that wars require in a democracy.

So how long did you serve and where carl?

Mike, I served from Dec of 1951 to January  of 1954. After boot camp, went to Airmen's school. Then was stationed at El Toro Marine base in California for a few months, and then was shipped to Japan where we did engine assembly. Oh darn, didn't quite make it to Korea.

What caused you to sign up?

The Draft Board ! <G>