Korean War: U.S. military servicemembers by branch of service and theater 1950-1953

During the period of the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953, 31 percent of the United States military served in the theater of war, with the majority of these servicemembers coming from the Army. This was the era of the Cold War, when the U.S. was in a protracted geopolitical conflict with the Soviet Union. In an effort to prevent the spread of communism to countries across the globe, the United States became involved directly in conflicts in Korea and later Vietnam, while being more indirectly involved in proxy conflicts in countries such as Greece, Nicaragua, and Cuba, amongst others.
The United States military entered the Korean War on the side of its allied regime in South Korea led by dictator Syngman Rhee against the communist forces of North Korea led by Kim Il-sung. The North received military and financial support from the Soviet Union, while its ally in the People's Republic of China joined the war in late 1950. The conflict ended in a stalemate between the two sides, with the border left practically unchanged from the beginning of the war.