The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when Communist North Koreans crossed the 38th Parallel to invade South Korea. America immediately came to the aid of the ill-prepared South Korean Army, and the Peoples Republic of China soon entered the war on the side of the North Koreans. After three years of brutal fighting had driven the opposing armies back near the original border, a cease fire agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, but fifty years later a state of war still exists. The war cost 33,667 American lives, left 103,284 more wounded, and 8,215 still missing, and those who served did so not for conquest or personal gain but to preserve freedom.