When a Rooster Crows at Night: A Child's Experience of the Korean War

With Teacher Kim's instruction, we shouted toward the American trucks as loud as we could, waving the red-white-blue flags, "Victory, U.S.A!"

"A long parade of dust-covered army trucks and ambulances crawled into our playground, sirens wailing. Within minutes, the whole place was filled with men and army vehicles. Soldiers with armbands and men and women in white gowns emerged from the ambulances and trucks and began unloading men on stretchers and wheelchairs. Voices shouted, "Doctor, this man needs help!" "Nurse, over here! He needs transfusion!" "Water! Water..." Whistles blew. Feet ran in all directions. Some men on stretchers were crying; some raised their hands in the air to signal something to someone; and some lay motionless, too weak to even cry or call for help. "Children," our teacher said, this is the face of war. What happened to them can happen to anyone, even to you. This is what the communists did to us..."