Korean War

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Hundreds of soldiers have been mobilized, as a group of engineers down The Tree

In August 1976, North Korean soldiers went to chop attacked a group of U.S. and South Korea to trim a poplar Tree in the heavily guarded zone between the two Korean States.

Two American Officers were beaten to death with axes and maces.

After Three Days of deliberations to go all the way up to the White house, the United States Decided to respond with a huge show of Force .

hundreds of Men , backed by helicopters, B52 bombers and Aircraft Carrier Task Force - have been mobilized to return to the poplars.

took the Six Men , told the BBC, through their part in a dramatic horticulture job in history.

A small neutral camp called the Joint Security Area (JSA) is located on The Border between North and South Korea , in the area known as the "Demilitarized Zone" (DMZ). Both were under the terms of the ceasefire signed in 1953, the Korean War ended.

The GK - also known as Panmunjom, or The Truce village is where the negotiations between the two sides take place. Least of all was it to do where he is The First US-market leader.

But in 1976, and soldiers from both sides walking around the small area. North Koreans, South Koreans and US guards would mingle.

Bill Ferguson was just 18 years old when, in August 1976. He was part of the US army support group in the GK, under the command of the popular captain Arthur Bonifas.

"Capt Bonifas really wanted us to enforce the terms of the armistice," said Mr Ferguson says. "We have been encouraged us for the North Koreans to intimidate in the full freedom of movement within the JSA. "

were allowed To have the time, the US soldiers to serve only in the GK, if you were over six foot (1. 83m) tall, Mr Ferguson says, as part of this intimidation.

Men said of North Korea and the United States blend in with the GK, with the Panmungak pavilion in the background, "We didn't get along with them," Mr. Ferguson recalls, although he admits that occasionally the North would be the guards of the Korean trade with propaganda from your country for Marlboro cigarettes.

Strict rules limited The Number of guards from both sides and the weapons they could carry. To antagonize the troops would try from one side, The Other , which often led to violence. While Mr. Ferguson was a U.S. guard had broken his arm by the North Koreans, after he accidentally drove his jeep behind your Main Building , Panmungak pavilion.

US-Lieutenant David "Mad Dog" Zilka in the meantime, Men are encouraged to go on patrol, carrying big sticks, knocking on the walls and Windows of the North Korean barracks, and used as weapons, if need be.

"Zilka would be patrols on this secret," says Mike Bilbo, a platoon mate and friend of Bill Ferguson is in the GK. "Once or twice we caught a North Korean, where they belonged and the kind of beat him up a little - not too bad. "

Mr. Bilbo says that these aggressive actions need to be asked on both sides may be, The Incident , about The Tree . "But there is simply no reason for you to do what you did. "

A sketch of Mike Bilbo in 1976, shows The Bridge of No Return in the separation of North and South Korea , and The Tree in the lower left corner The branches of the poplar trees obscured The View between a checkpoint and an observation post. A team of U.S. and South Korean Men have been ordered to curtail it again.

On The First attempt, North Korea objected to, the claims, all of the landscaping work that is required is the consent of both parties. Heavy Rain thwarted the second attempt.

Capt Bonifas - in the last days of his deployment in Korea - Decided to monitor the third attempt, in person, on the 18. August .

A group of North Koreans appeared, demanding they stop, cut the branches. When Capt Bonifas you, the attacked, the North Koreans ignored with clubs and axes ripped from the garden party to bludgeon The Captain and American Lieutenant Mark Barrett to death.

sirens were everywhere in the DMZ and troops were on high alert. Word of The Attack quickly Washington DC, where, in order to ensure "a high probability for the people that did this".

"you've killed two Americans and if we do nothing, they will do it again," he told a briefing. "We have to Do Something . "

In the end, Kissinger was overruled. While military leaders and politicians discussed how to respond best, all agreed on one thing: The Tree had to go.

the commander came up with a plan to prune The Tree back with a massive demonstration of power. It Operation Paul Bunyan was called, named after a giant lumberjack in US Folklore and planned for 21. August .

- Minister of foreign Affairs Henry Kissinger discussed the North Korea -incident in which President Gerald Ford , As the North Koreans of this Force could respond, however, was another concern.

Wayne Johnson was a 19-year-old US private, with the 2. Battalion 9. Infantry , stationed at Camp Liberty Bell , just outside of the JSA. He drove his commander to operations officer in a briefing The Night before The Tree -Cutting , and saw a Lieutenant of the questions, what would happen to his unit.

"I saw The Officer Turn Around with this piece of chalk and draw an X on our unit name on the chalk board, then flip it back over and say, 'any questions?'" Mr. Johnson says.

The teenager was tasked with the rigging Camp Liberty Bell with explosives, to destroy The Night , The Base in case the North Koreans attacked and tried to capture it. Then he went to the rest of his unit to the GK, the transfer by the U.S. and South Korean checkpoints as he went.

"I thought that was kind of weird," he says. "In the DMZ gates I had to go through a checkpoint there. I don't think to myself, what the heck, these guys that things are going to happen?"

"We were not prepared to come back, Bill Ferguson and Mike Bilbo spent The Night in preparation for their own Mission - to drive a car and a hedge, which is known as the" Bridge of No Return, in order to prevent North Korea travel niche troops in the GK and interfere with Cutting The Tree .

, The Bridge of No Return in the JSA, the Military Demarcation Line crossed between North Korea and South Korea , "A couple of guys sick of the tension, the nervousness of him," Mr. Bilbo says. "All on pins and needles. And when we moved out from our camp, it Cobra helicopter hovers just off the ground, getting ready to Take Off .

"I looked down The Road and here everything is, as far as I can see, truckloads of soldiers. It is an invasion of some kind. "

Ted Schaner was a 27-year-old captain with the 2. Battalion 9. Infantry , And One of The Men in the helicopter hovers overhead, as The Soldiers drove in the direction of The Tree .

"It was an impressive line-up," he says. Also, they were unsure of, to break whether the war was. "We had of course hoped it would, but I Felt . we were prepared for it, if that is what is going to happen. I was proud of my soldiers. "

Alpha Company of the 2. Battalion 9. Infantry - Wayne Johnson -Company - remained on the ground.

"We were not prepared for it to come back," says Joel brown, then a 19-year-old private with Alpha Company . "It Felt kind of Surreal . We have been here since 1950 and it's all going to be about this Tree . "

U.S. troops moved into the GK to come in the early hours of The Morning to cover the engineers, to return to The Tree , Bill Ferguson and Mike Bilbo's train arrived just as The Fog lifted. Your Truck Driver back on The Bridge of No Return, block the intersection, while The Men jumped out, armed with pistols and axe handles.

"Almost immediately, a dump truck, and it engineers in the it has," says Mr Bilbo. "I've never seen, chain saws for so long. "

Charles Twardzicki of the 2. Engineer battalion had spent The Night practicing the use of tools. The 25-year-old sergeant had proposed to bring in heavy equipment to The Tree to take down, but the Officers feared it would be too difficult to get to quickly to intervene if the North Koreans tried to leave you shorten the branches by hand.

"We have a ladder up into The Tree ," he says. "We have to cut a guy on the headache board [behind the truck cab], and I cut another one. His chain saw over, where my head is. "

As the engineers hacked, the troops watched North Korean forces in trucks and buses.

", We can see that the North Koreans set up against us with machine guns," says Mike Bilbo. "I'm looking where I'm going to go when the Artillery comes. In fact, all of the Artillery , was, our, and their, focused on us. "

American engineers cut down The Tree with chainsaws so that only the stem "I understood some of the Bad Words in Korean and it was a lot of Bad Words , let me tell you," says Wayne Johnson , the Stand only a few feet away from Bill Ferguson , and Mike Bilbo during the felling.

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Source of news: bbc.com