The Korean War helped bring Black soldiers into previously all-White Army units, expand helicopter use, shape POW rules and develop Special Forces. It also helped establish a standing peacetime force; more than 3.5 million Americans were in uniform by 1953.
President Harry Truman had ordered armed-forces desegregation in 1948. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, casualties and rapid expansion in Korea led the Army to assign Black soldiers to previously all-White units; the last all-Black unit ended in 1954. Korea also gave the Army its first opportunity to use helicopters extensively: H-13 Sioux aircraft flew reconnaissance and medical-evacuation missions.
President Dwight Eisenhower’s 1955 Executive Order 10631 established a formal Code of Conduct for service members covering behavior in combat and captivity. The Army established its Psychological Warfare Center and activated the 10th Special Forces Group in 1952; Special Forces personnel deployed to Korea in 1953. From 1950 to 1953, the Army grew from 10 to 20 divisions, the Navy’s major combatants from 238 to 409, and Air Force wings from 48 to 106.
