In July of 1950, during the first month of the Korean War, near the village of No Gun Ri, U. S. soldiers reportedly opened fire on a group of civilians gathered under a railroad bridge allegedly killing anywhere between 50 and 350 civilians. Over 50 years later, debate continues over what really happened. Join host John Callaway as he welcomes to the Pritzker Military Library Charles Hanley, co-author of The Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Nightmare from the Korean War, and Robert L. Bateman, author of No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident, as they explore the different historical interpretations surrounding this event.
In one of the harshest disagreements in recent military history writing, Hanley and Bateman have presented vastly contrasting views of the events occurring at No Gun Ri in the early days of the Korean War. Host John Callaway will bring both writers together for the first time to get to the real story when Front & Center presents: What Really Happened at No Gun Ri?
Host
After a broadcast journalism career of 48 years, John Callaway is now engaged in writing, freelance broadcasting and speaking. The long-time host of Chicago Tonight on Chicago public television station WTTW Channel 11, Mr. Callaway is now host and senior editor for "Chicago Stories", a documentary and interview weekly program on WTTW. He has been honored with more than one hundred awards, including the coveted Peabody Award and fifteen Emmys. A drop-out from Ohio Wesleyan University who hitchhiked to Chicago with 71 cents in his pocket in 1956, he is the recipient of nine honorary doctorate degrees, including those from Northwestern University and the John Marshall College of Law. Mr. Callaway was also the founding Director of the William Benton Fellowships in Broadcast Journalism Program at the University of Chicago. He is the author of the bestselling book of essays, "The Thing of It Is" and has written and performed two one-man shows, " John Callaway Tonight", and "John Callaway 's Life is . . . Maintenance at the Pegasus Theater in Chicago.
