American and Chinese Veterans of Korean War Now Working Together
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: President Clinton offered more words of regret today in regard to the 1950 No Gun Ri incident in Korea, but he stopped short of a formal apology. A group of survivors and family members are furious, saying the U.S. Army has whitewashed the incident. The leader of the group says President Clinton's remarks are too little and too late.</s>CHUNG EUN YONG, NO GUN RI VICTIMS GROUP: President Clinton's apologies is only natural, but lacking in substance and very late.</s>MESERVE: Meanwhile, the Pentagon reversed itself yesterday and acknowledged U.S. troops were involved, killing and injuring an unknown number of civilians. The U.S. fought China in the Korean War, but now veterans from each side are working together in search of answers. CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Rebecca MacKinnon, explains.</s>REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were once bitter enemies. Now, U.S. and Chinese veterans of the Korean War are healing old wounds.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We fought each other in the past and now we are friends.</s>MACKINNON (on camera): More than 50 years after the Korean War began, U.S. veterans are hoping the Chinese they once fought can give them clues about what happened to the U.S. soldiers still listed as missing in action. (voice-over): Thousands of Americans were captured in Korea, then taken to prisoner camps, some of which were managed by the Chinese. A top U.S. Defense Department official brought six veterans to China in search of information about roughly 6,000 U.S. soldiers still unaccounted for. They were not given access to any Chinese documents on the Korean War, but were shown some useful clues at a military museum.</s>ROBERT JONES, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We found some information there, some photographs of POWs being taken in the field. We found some dogtags, which had been taken in the field. We found some dog tags, which we feel are very, very important for us to examine and to follow up on.</s>MACKINNON: Getting even this far wasn't easy. The Chinese still call the Korean War "the war against American aggression." Vincent Krepps lost his brother, Richard, in a Korean prisoner of war camp.</s>VINCENT KREPPS, KOREAN WAR VETERAN: I have sort of given up my hate. We don't ever want to fight each other, or ever go back to Korea and fight again. It just wasn't worth it.</s>MACKINNON: Touring China's ancient capital and toasting each other's health, veterans on both sides say they hope their grandchildren will know better than to fight one another again. Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Beijing.