How many soldiers does it take to cut down a tree? In this case, it was 813, in a convoy of 23 heavily-armed vehicles supported by helicopters, fighter jets and bombers, and even rafts. While that sounds absurd on the surface, it was a response to a horrific murder. This all happened in the DMZ between North Korea and South Korea in 1976 (although the narration says 1973 at one point). Cold War tensions were high. In the Joint Security Area, a tree was blocking the view from the south, which was quite important for keeping an eye on North Korean activity. The first crew of 15 sent to trim the tree was attacked by North Korean soldiers, who killed two Americans with their own axes and injured others. Retaliation could have led to war between the two Koreas, which meant war between the US and China also. But the incident could not be ignored.
The response was to return and cut down the entire tree, using all the military might necessary to keep interference from the KPA from happening again. This was Operation Paul Bunyan. Half as Interesting takes us through the entire incident. The video is only 6:35; the rest is an ad.
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