YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea - The Korean War is seldom mentioned in history, at least not nearly as frequently as the two great wars that preceded it and certainly not as much as the Vietnam War that followed it. But close to 40,000 U.S. Soldiers and 140,000 Korean Soldiers were killed in action in what is sometimes called 'the forgotten war.' And while many of those that have survived the war have already left us, a few still remain to tell their story. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Alfred Braswell is one of them.

"I came to Korea in January 1951 and was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division," Braswell said with an unmistakable Southern accent. "The Chinese had retaken Seoul and our division under General Ridgeway was tasked to retake the capital."

In March 1951, Braswell and his unit were in a mission to take a hilltop just north of Uijeongbu. "I don't remember the exact name of the hill," he said. "I think it was hilltop 104 but I'm not sure. But my task was to place markers for air strikes."

Braswell climbed up the hill and placed his marker. North Korean units were positioned north of the marker, an area where the Air Force would release their deadly bombs.

"But the planes came in later than we'd expected," he said. "Instead I saw a Soldier hiding behind a tree, which was a few feet away. He was wearing those brown rags that were the North Korean uniform. He threw something at me. It landed by my feet. And the next thing you know my legs were bleeding."

Shrapnel had cut through Braswell's shin. He was briefly taken out of action for the wound he had incurred.

"When I first came to Korea, I had no idea what war was," Braswell said. "Of course it didn't take much time to find out with bullets flying around."

But for most U.S. Soldiers the hardest part of the war was the bitter winter cold. To make matters worse, the winter of 1951 marked one of the coldest winters recorded in Korean history. Thousands suffered from frostbite and cold weather injuries.

"Oh, it was just so cold," Braswell said. "It was so cold that we had to take turns waking each other up at night because if you kept sleeping, you'd freeze to death."

It's hard to imagine those kinds of living conditions in today's bustling Seoul. But just 50 years ago, the only thing standing taller than Soldiers' barracks were mountains.

"I've seen Seoul burned and left to rubble. Many people do not realize how fast Korea has rebuilt. It's truly a miracle."

Asked whether he had anything to say to today's younger generation who do not know war, his response was surprisingly simple.

"You never know what's going to happen to you, so just live everyday like it's your last."

Braswell is currently a Seoul American High School, Junior ROTC Instructor, a position he has held for the last 29 years.

Follow USAG-Yongsan on Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook!