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A diverse multinational coalition fought to defend South Korea between 1950 and 1953. The United Nations (UN) army featured combat divisions from industrialized countries, but also included units from small UN member states such as Colombia. This article examines the multinational campaign in Korea through coverage of the Colombian Army experience. It finds that the successful integration of the Colombia Battalion into the U.S.-led UN Command grew from the republic's larger relationship with the United States.
CAPTAIN Luis M. Galindo led a company of Colombian infantrymen toward the Chinese position at 4:30 A.M. on 21 June 1952. From a forward observation post, Colonel Lloyd R. Moses, commander of the U.S. infantry regiment with which the Colombians fought, watched the South Americans advance undetected into the enemy trenches. Then, the predawn calm erupted in violence. Although taken by surprise, Chinese soldiers put up a stubborn resistance; a furious exchange of small arms fire gave way to intense hand-to-hand combat. When the Chinese rushed reinforcements to the fray, the Colombians made expert use of artillery and tank support to break the counterattack. On the verge of victory, the Colombian infantrymen tried to take communist prisoners, but the enemy refused to surrender and the action devolved into a slaughter. The pace of fire tapered off after sunrise, and the riflemen secured the hill. Two Colombian soldiers lay dead on the ground, and several others were wounded. To signal the company's success, Private Pedro Pira proudly unfurled the Colombian flag and waved it above his head. The soldier later boasted that he was a human flagpole. That night, Colonel Moses recorded in his combat journal that "the Colombians [had] put up a splendid fight to a man."1 By capturing Hill 400 the Colombians had added a new link to the outpost line of resistance, making more formidable the United Nations (UN) front.2
Colombian soldiers attacked the Chinese position as part of a larger UN effort to defend South Korea. Between 1950 and 1953 the U.S.-led international coalition featured combat divisions from industrialized countries, but also included forces from other UN member states. By fighting in Korea, small-country units like the Colombia Battalion transformed the UN campaign into something more than a simple test of American military prowess.3...