Robert W. Smith offers the following about his composition, Inchon:

On September 15, 1950, the First Marine division under the command of Major General Oliver P. Smith, led the first major U.N. force strike in North Korean-occupied territory, with a surprise amphibious assault at Inchon. The First Marine Division Reconnaissance Company made the first helicopter landing on Hill 812 to relieve the ROK Eighth Division during the renewed fighting. In five days of textbook-style campaigning, the division closed in on Seoul. In house-to-house fighting, the Marines wrested the city from its communist captors by September 27.

Inchon was inspired by this historic event. From the quiet sound of the waves on the lonely Korean beach to the landing of the helicopter on Hill 812, Inchon explores this clashing of cultures through sound. Even the simple Korean prayer in the center of the piece is answered by the more powerful Western statement of the same melody. As quickly as the invasion begins, it ends as the helicopters fly into the distance, leaving the beach once again in solitude.

Program note provided by the composer.