Walton Walker backed South Korea, and China allied with the Soviet Union in what was to become the first military action of the Cold War. Shortly after 75,000 North Korean troops with tanks invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, American air and sea forces were ordered by President Harry S. Truman to give South Korean troops support. The U.S. Eighth Army was ordered to intervene and drive the invaders back across the 38th parallel, the border between the two countries. With only four lightly equipped and poorly trained divisions, Walker began landing troops on the southeast side of the Korean peninsula
Armed Forces Day (South Korea) Armed Forces Day (South Korea) Armed Forces Day in South Korea is an annual event usually celebrated on 1 October to commemorate the service of men and women in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The day that South Korean forces broke through the 38th parallel in 1950 during the Korean War. It is not a national holiday or public day off, but a National Flag Raising Day (국기게양일) to recognize and honor the South Korean military. In 2017, the holiday was celebrated on 28 September rather than the usual date to avoid clashing with the lunar holiday of Chuseok.