To many children in America, and probably the world, Yu-gi-yoh means a customizable card game and/or a television cartoon showing people playing a customizable card game. However, Yukiyo in Korean translates literally as 6 2 5. This is in reference to June 25, the day the Korean War began. On this day, 58 years ago, North Korean (DPRK) soldiers crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded the South. After 3 years of fighting that saw about 900,000 Chinese, 520,000 North Korean, 400,000 UN and ROK and 155,000 US soldiers killed or wounded, the sides agreed to a cease-fire (not a peace treaty) and remain at war, separated by a small demilitarized zone. Several incursions and soft invasions have occurred since that time, but at no point has the invasion recommenced.
One of my most vivid memories of my time in Korea was when an elderly Korean gentleman stopped me and thanked us (the U.S. soldiers) for helping to keep him and his country free.
Take a moment to think about those who gave their lives answering the call to protect those who could not protect themselves from a real and existing invasion, protecting them from the yoke of tyranny.
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