[War and Peace Story] 6.25 - Korean War 65th Anniversary "The Letter was Sent to Mother"

[War and Peace Story] 

6.25 - Korean War 65th Anniversary 

"The Letter was Sent to Mother"

Letter Sent to Mother

August, 10th 1950. Thursday. Sunny.

Mother, I killed a man.

I killed the moment 

I threw the scary explosive weapon called a hand grenade.

The explosive sound of the grenade tore my eardrums.

Even as I am writing at this moment,

my ears are filled with a terrifying roar.

It doesn't matter that they are enemies, 

but I was thinking that they are also human. 

Furthermore, I consider that we are also of 

the same ethnicity since we share 

the same blood and same language.

My heart is upset and heavy.

Many classmates are next to me and seem like they are waiting for death 

at this moment while we are waiting for the enemies to attack.

We are lying face down flat under the hot sun.

The enemies are keeping silent. 

We don't know when they will attack again.

There are too many enemies and only 71 of us.

I am scared to think about what is going to happen.

Mother, I might die today.

The many enemies just don't seem to go away.

Mother, I am not afraid of death,

I am scared of thinking 

that I can't meet mother and brothers and sisters again.

However, I will survive.

I will definitely live and come back home.

Mother, I am barely settled down in my heart now.

Mother, I will surely go back home to be next to you.

I'd like to eat some lettuce.

I'd like to drink a bowl of cold water from a spring so cold that my teeth hurt.

Ah! Those guys are coming at us.

I will write you back again.

Mother, Bye! bye!, Ah, let's not say bye!

I will write you back...then.

Seoul Dongsung Middle School 3rd grade student

Student Soldier Wooguen Lee

[War and Peace Story] 16 years old, Student Soldier

Student soldier Woo Guen Lee, who supposed to kill his own ethnic people 

at the time of the Korean War, wrote this letter to his mother.

Student soldier Wooguen Lee, who belonged to the 3rd Army, 

died in combat on August 10th,1950.

The letter was found in his pocket.

Student soldier Wooguen Lee urgently began writing this letter

when a battle was calming down.

He tried to write a letter to his mother,

but... it was the first and last that he wrote in his life. ㅠㅠ

A sorrowful, unstable heart emerged to kill the enemy,

but we don't know when we die.

You can feel the tragedy of killing one's own people

through this honest letter to Woo guen's mother.

Student Soldier' Story became the material for the film

Of the 71 people at the 3rd Army base, 48 student soldiers, 

including Woo guen Lee, died on that fierce battlefield.

Also, 13 people were taken prisoner and 4 people were missing.

Through the holy sacrifice of the student soldiers,

our troops gained valuable time to withdraw.

Their story became the material for the film "Into the Fire(포화 속으로)"

To Remember the Tragedy of the War!

Yet, life didn't bloom properly during the flower of their youth.

Young people had to have guns to fight, the same brothers had to kill,

and mothers had to bury their offspring in their hearts.

If you are a Korean who suffered from the tragedy of the Korean War,

no matter who you are, you should cherish peace.

All of us living at this time 

who have faced the 65th anniversary of the Korean War on 6.25

have to have a moment to wake up to the tragedy of war and the value of peace.

We need to let out interested cheers 

in accomplishing peace to the put an end to war.

이미지 출처 : 영화 '포화속으로'