In Panmunjom, a memorial service was held for U.S. officers killed 50 years ago
A ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the deaths of two U.S. Army officers—Major Arthur Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark Barrett—was held on August 18 in the Joint Security Area (JSA). In 1976, they were attacked by North Korean soldiers while serving under the command of the UN Command in the JSA, according to the Korea Herald.
About 130 people attended the event at Park Gym in the JSA, including relatives of the victims, current and former JSA personnel, South Korean and U.S. military personnel, as well as service members from countries participating in the UN Command. After the ceremony, the families visited the site of the attack.
On August 18, 1976, Bonifas and Barrett were supervising the scheduled pruning of a tree near the Bridge of No Return. According to the publication, North Korean soldiers attacked the work crew with clubs, pickaxes, and axes they had seized from the workers. Both officers sustained fatal injuries; four other South Korean and four American staff members were wounded.
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Following the attack, South Korea and the U.S. raised their military alert level to DEFCON 3. Three days later, the allies carried out Operation Paul Bunyan: under heavy military escort, they returned to the scene of the incident and cut down the tree. The operation proceeded without any significant clashes, and the then-leader of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, later sent a message expressing regret over the incident.
General Xavier Branson, Commander of the United Nations Command, the Combined Forces Command, and the U.S. Forces Korea, did not attend the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict. His statement was read by the Deputy Commander of UN Command, Lieutenant General Scott Winter of the Australian Army. Branson emphasized that peace is a fragile state that must be safeguarded, and that the military forces of South Korea, the U.S., and the UN Command continue to carry out a dangerous daily mission along the border.
Mark Barrett’s niece, Stacey Adams, expressed hope for continued cooperation between South Korea and the United States. Arthur Boniface’s eldest daughter, Beth Boniface, noted that, despite changes in the operations of forces under the UN Command since her previous visit in 2015, she considers the alliance between the two countries to be strong.
