[Student Voices] The Man from Wendy’s
Published: 20 Jan. 2025, 09:00
Updated: 20 Jan. 2025, 10:21

Gio Hyung, Chadwick International
by Gio Hyung, Chadwick International
“Excuse me, are you Korean?”
My mom and I were sitting on flimsy plastic chairs at a Wendy’s in New Hampshire. As the scent of fries and burgers hovered in the air, a stranger walked up to us. He had white hair like the clouds outside and carried a tray with a few crumpled-up wrappers. My mom replied that we were, in fact, Korean. The man’s eyes lit up, and he explained that he used to be a part of the U.S. Air Force stationed in South Korea during the Korean War when he was around 18. He was then stationed in Yokohama, Japan, when the South was being pushed back and losing. Later, he was part of the Incheon Landing, a historic event where South Korean and U.S. forces invaded the port of Incheon, reversing the tides of the war.
The veteran told us about how desolate Korea was all those years ago, and he said he still remembered people plowing the fields with cattle and displaced women carrying their few possessions on their heads. Though the subject matter was sometimes grim, the man was delighted to share his knowledge of Korean culture. More than 70 years after the Incheon Landing, he could still say “hello” and “goodbye” in Korean. He even sang a few lines of “Doraji,” a traditional folk song, out loud in the fast-food shop, much to our surprise and embarrassment.
“Doraji doraji doraji! Simsimsancheonui baekdoraji!”
The man told us he had visited South Korea a few times after the war thanks to a program that provides trips for veterans, and he was amazed at how fast the country was able to develop. He then quickly left in his vintage car, leaving both my mom and I in shock.
After the surprising conversation, I realized that I had almost no knowledge about the veterans who helped my country become what it is today. The revelation was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. The only time this subject had come up in school was a class project on North Korean refugees, where foreign soldiers played a minor part. Students need to learn more about these veterans who sacrificed so much to protect South Korea’s freedom.
After doing some research, I learned that the Incheon Landing was even more heroic than I thought. The North Korean army had taken Seoul and pushed the South into the Nakdong River area, which is roughly the perimeter of Busan. Many people were skeptical of General MacArthur’s plan to invade Incheon; the naval destroyers had to sail through a typhoon and the mission had to be timed perfectly with the high tides in the area. Still, General MacArthur launched an attack with ships, infantry, and planes—one of them piloted by the man from Wendy’s—pummeling the harbor. How did it feel, I wondered, to put his life in danger for a country that was not his own? As the North Korean troops fled the bullets and bombs, could he glimpse the change he was bringing to the country? Soon after the successful landing, the combined armies of South Korea and the U.S. were able to recapture Seoul.
I found a program run by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs that invites Korean War veterans to revisit South Korea and see how their sacrifices led to the prosperity that is prominent today. During these trips, veterans should visit schools and have conversations with the students about what they went through. My meeting with the man from Wendy’s opened my eyes to the past, and more people should experience this.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)