Reversal
"Removing defeatists and the defensive-minded, Ridgway rewarded officers who were aggressive and conducted offensive operations when able. Halting the Chinese at the battles of Chipyong-ni and Wonju in February, Ridgway mounted a counter-offensive the following month and re-took Seoul."
- Kennedy Hickman, Military history expert
"The morale of the Eighth Army was very low before Ridgway came. His predecessor, Walton Walker, tried to be a George Patton clone, but was pompous and distant- big on show but too subservient to MacArthur's orders, and MacArthur knew little about what was happening on the ground as he flew in from Tokyo only briefly for photo-ops." - Stanley Weintraub, author and former Lt. of the Eighth Army
Ridgway leaves to take command of the Eighth Army
"On arriving in Korea, Ridgway quietly learned that his hopes of immediate offensive operations were in vain. His Eighth Army was in shambles." - Victor Davis Hanson: Author of The Savior Generals
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"Weather terrible, Chinese ferocious, morale stinko." - Lt. Col. Walter Winton, aide to General Ridgway
Rallying ForcesOn December 22nd, 1950, Ridgway was informed that General Walton Walker of the Eighth Army had been killed in a jeep accident. Ridgway was quickly appointed to replace him. Once he arrived in Korea, he found Eighth Army in ruins. Their confidence was nonexisttent, and the army's position had fallen far below the 38th Parallel. With the complete trust of General MacArthur, Ridgway quickly took action. He worked relentlessly to whip the army back into shape by raising troop morale and instating effective leadership. As Marine commander Edwin Simmons stated,
"Ridgway took hold of the Eighth Army, grabbed it by the throat, gave it a good shake, and straightened it out." This strict leadership proved effective halting the Communist assault in only two weeks; recapturing the South Korean capital Seoul in eleven weeks; and advancing the United Nations beyond the 38th Parallel in just two months.
"[Repeating a question from the press:] He wanted to know what assurance we could give the American people that we aren't getting the tar licked out of us [by the North Korean army]. It has never happened to us. It won't happen this time." - President Harry S. Truman
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"[Ridgway's arrival in Korea] electrified the tired 8th army. It was beaten when he took command; hopes had diminished throughout the nation; his superiors had lost confidence."
- S.L.A. Marshall, military historian