15. Operation Paul Bunyan and the Korean DMZ (1976)
On August 18, 1976, two U.S. Army officers were killed by North Korean soldiers in the Joint Security Area of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. In response, the U.S. and South Korean forces launched Operation Paul Bunyan on August 21, 1976, a show of force involving a convoy of vehicles and aircraft to cut down the tree that had been the focal point of the incident. This operation successfully de-escalated tensions and prevented further conflict.
