Livin' Small

During the 1950s & 1960s, the Democratic Party controlled the United States, holding the presidency for most of the decade with John F. Kennedy (1961–1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969), and a Democratic majority in Congress for much of the period.  The Democratic dominance began to shift after the 1964 election, when Barry Goldwater’s conservative Republican campaign energized the growing conservative movement. 

Let’s go back into the fifties.  The U.S. never issued a formal declaration of war in Korea. Instead, President Harry S. Truman, who was a Democrat, authorized military action under the auspices of a United Nations Security Council resolution (Resolution 83, 1950), which called for member nations to assist South Korea after North Korea’s invasion.  Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) ended the active combat of the Korean conflict through the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. While the conflict did not conclude with a formal peace treaty, the armistice effectively halted organized fighting and established a ceasefire along the 38th parallel, leaving the Korean Peninsula divided as it had been since the end of World War II.

Eisenhower fulfilled his 1952 campaign promise to bring the war to an early and honorable end by combining diplomacy with a credible threat of nuclear force, which pressured North Korea and China to negotiate. His administration’s strategy included a visit to Korea in November 1952, where he assessed the stalemate and concluded that further military gains were unattainable without risking a wider war.

Although no peace treaty was ever signed, the armistice is widely recognized as a major success of his presidency. It allowed for the return of prisoners of war, ended years of devastating conflict, and prevented further escalation—particularly into a nuclear war. The U.S. has maintained a military presence in South Korea since then to enforce the armistice and deter aggression.

The Vietnam War was not formally declared as a war by the United States. The conflict escalated after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964), which granted President Lyndon B. Johnson broad military powers. The U.S. involvement peaked with over 500,000 troops deployed, but no congressional declaration of war was ever passed.

Since 1812, Congress has formally declared war only 11 times, with the last being in 1942 during World War II. Both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts are examples of undecared wars, where the U.S. engaged in large-scale military operations without a formal declaration.

Richard Nixon announced the end of U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War on January 23, 1973, declaring the signing of the Paris Peace Accords as a “peace with honor.” The agreement, finalized after years of negotiations, called for a ceasefire, the release of American prisoners of war, and the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from South Vietnam within 60 days.

However, the war did not truly end in 1973. While the United States withdrew, North Vietnam and South Vietnam continued fighting. The South Vietnamese government collapsed when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon on April 30, 1975, leading to the unification of Vietnam under communist rule.

Thus, although Nixon ended U.S. military participation in 1973, the Vietnam War itself lasted until 1975, and the outcome was not the “peace with honor” he promised.

I cannot blame President Nixon for the alternate ending as he had spoken of.  The warring in the nation to end was totally on the warring factions from the north and south

My conclusion is that both parties started conflicts, but for Democrats to sit back and blame the present administration for a “war” in Iran, they need to remember their history. 

During the Korean conflict official U.S. Department of Defense figures report 36,574 American military deaths, including battle deaths and non-combat fatalities.  Approximately 58,220 U.S. military personnel died during the Vietnam War, according to the U.S. National Archives.

The draft for both the Korean War and the Vietnam War was instituted by the United States federal government under the authority of the Selective Service System, established by Congress through the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. This law allowed the President to conscript men into military service during times of national emergency, even without a formal declaration of war. The draft was used during the Korean War (1950–1953) and continued into the Vietnam War era (1964–1973), with the system being maintained through various iterations of the Selective Service Act.

Who proposed the draft to be instituted?  The draft for both the Korean War and the Vietnam War was instituted under the authority of the U.S. President, with Congress providing the legal framework through the Selective Service Act of 1948 and subsequent legislation. President Harry S. Truman authorized the draft during the Korean War crisis in 1950, and President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded the draft during the Vietnam War escalation, beginning in 1965. The Selective Service System, led by Director Lewis B. Hershey, implemented the draft calls under presidential authority.  So Democrats conscripted men into service to fight these conflicts.  Remember, the president and Congress were both controlled by the Democratic Party.

But lastly, we can sadly mourn the loss of any life, but during the times I write on here, a total of around 95,000 military soldiers were lost.  Now we have an all-volunteer military. 

Just a very sad mention here, approximately 407,316 American military personnel died during World War II, according to the National WWII Museum.  Folks, war is hell.  Can you imagine how many civilians lost their lives during the Wars in Europe and the South Pacific?

Approximately 40 million civilians died during World War II, according to estimates from reliable sources such as EBSCO Research Starters. This figure represents a significant portion of the war’s total death toll of nearly 70 million.

Soviet Union: The highest civilian death toll, with 14.25 million civilians killed, largely due to Nazi occupation, starvation, forced labor, and genocide.

China: Estimated 16 million civilian deaths, primarily from Japanese military actions, including the Nanjing Massacre and widespread atrocities during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Poland: 5.36 million civilians died, largely due to Nazi occupation, the Holocaust, and systematic extermination policies.

Other major contributors:

• Dutch East Indies (Indonesia): ~3.5 million civilians died due to famine and forced labor under Japanese occupation.
• Yugoslavia: ~554,000 civilians killed during occupation and ethnic conflicts.
• France: ~360,000 civilians died, including victims of repression and reprisals.
• Germany: ~2.17 million civilians died, mainly from Allied bombing campaigns and post-war displacement.

These figures highlight the war’s devastating impact on non-combatants, especially in occupied territories and countries directly affected by occupation and genocide. Not all of this writing is totally mine.  It is a mix of research and my thoughts.  I didn’t feel like reinventing the wheel.