United States Army War College

General Omar Bradley and the Korean War United States Army War College

As a generalization, for most Army officers the Korean War evokes images of General MacArthur and his famous landing at Inchon. Perhaps his subsequent defeat by the Chinese at the Yalu River, and his relief by President Truman come to mind as well. Few of us, however, ever associate General Bradley with the war in Korea. Rather, we associate Bradley with World War Two, in the European Theater, along with his friends Patton and Eisenhower. And of course, we associate Bradley with the Army's Infantry Fighting Vehicle, which bears his name. For most of us, he is kind of an icon, the last of the five star generals. This is surprising because General Bradley played a key role in the Korean War. From the war's beginning in 1950 through to its end in 1953, Bradley was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As such, he was a central figure in nearly all the war's decisions, to include the decision to commit the United States in the war in Korea in the first place. A war, it should be noted, against a country that the United States did not plan to fight.