Was there a formal declaration of war by the U.S. for the Korean or Vietnam Wars?
No. U.S. involvement in the Korean War began after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on June 27, 1950, requesting member countries to assist South Korea which had been invaded by North Korea two days earlier. Although 16 member nations sent troops, the United States under President Harry Truman ultimately provided 90 percent of the military aid to South Korea. North Korea received aid from China and the Soviet Union. The conflict lasted until July 27, 1953, when a cease-fire agreement was signed. However, there was no formal peace treaty and thus the U.S. still maintains military forces in South Korea to prevent another invasion. U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War first began in the 1950s as French forces battled North Vietnamese communists/nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh. The U.S. provided up to 80 percent of military supplies to the French. However, the French were defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu and withdrew completely from Vietnam. The U.S. then assumed the
Related Questions
- Are the war dead of the Korean and Vietnam Wars that are listed as missing in action, lost or buried at sea. or unidentified memorialized at an ABMC site?
- How do the services available now compare with what Vietnam, World War II, or Korean War vets got?
- Was there a formal declaration of war by the U.S. for the Korean or Vietnam Wars?
