PEOPLE
SELDAL REVISITS
KOREA 60 YEARS
AFTER WAR
By Kathy Siebrasse
to Korea in the summer of 2013. It
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was a memorable and healing trip.
and Vietnam, the first celebrated for its
those areas—the bridge where prisoners of
heroes, the latter embroiled in controversy.
war traveled to freedom, the train yards—
or many years, the Korean War has
been labeled “The Forgotten War”—
“I couldn’t believe how vividly the images
forgotten between World War II
replayed in my mind as I visited some of
that hit me very emotionally,” said Seldal.
DeKalb’s Cliff Seldal was just 19 when
he enlisted in the Marines in the early
The Korean Revisit trip became a
1950s. He arrived in Korea in March,
reality with encouragement from
1953. As a telephone communications
Seldal’s wife of 58 years, Donna, and
specialist, he soon was involved in major
their children, Karen Hannan, Roger
battles on the front lines in what was
(Barb) Seldal and Amy Clemens.
called the Nevada Outposts. He was there
when China’s invasion of South Korea
“The Korean War Veterans Association
was stopped at the 38th Parallel, the
publishes a magazine called The
line between North and South Korea.
Graybeards and in 2012, I filled out an
application and sent a down-payment for a
Sixty years later, Seldal’s mostly unspoken
Tours,” said Seldal. “I was accepted, but
Forgotten War” and its veterans turned
then I almost backed out because North
into delight when he was invited back
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program it was offering for Korean Revisit
dismay at America’s treatment of “The
Korea was making threats again about
DEKALB COUNT Y I NV I R O NM ENTS M AGA Z I NE • M A R C H- A P R IL 20 14
WHE RE L IFE H APPE NS.
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