The unknown heroes of the Thermopylae valley

It is hard to win when you are outnumbered. But a war is not always about strength.

SHIN BOK-RYONGThe author is an emeritus professor of history at Konkuk University. In August 480 BC, Xerxes I of Persia, commonly known as Xerxes the Great, commanded 300,000 troops to conquer Greece. The justification for the invasion was that Greece encouraged slaves in Persia to rebel against the king, but it was actually inspired by the defeat of his father, Darius the Great.

When Xerxes I started a meal, his servant would shout, “Don’t forget to take revenge on Greece.” It is similar to the old tale of Goujian of Yue and Fuchai of Wu near the end of the Spring and Autumn period (770 to 481 BC) of China.

After the first 100,000 Persian soldiers stormed in, the federation of Greece sent 1,000 soldiers led by Leonidas I of Sparta to fight in the valley of Thermopylae in Southern Greece. 300 of them were Spartans. Unmarried young men without children were excluded from the battle. The Spartan king said, “Spartans only ask where the enemies are, not how many there are.” Thermopylae is a 100 meter-wide gorge, a strategic location for the battle.

Xerxes I launched attacks as Greece did not surrender. The arrows of the Persian army completely covered the sky, casting a massive shadow over the Greek camp. The Spartans didn’t turn their backs to the enemies. The Spartans were brave, but 1,000 soldiers could not defeat 100,000 Persians. After three days of the battle, the Spartan army and king perished. Later, a poet passed by and erected a tombstone, reading “Oh, Strangers/Tell the Lacedaemonians/That We Lie Here/Obedient to Their Words.”

It is hard to win when you are outnumbered. But a war is not always about strength. It is the epitome of valor, strategy and patriotism to protect the country. If a military is only about numbers, Switzerland and Monaco would have perished long ago. That was why the morning of Memorial Day on June 6 felt new. Did you raise the Korean flag that day?