though generally calm, the dmz has been the scene of much saber-rattling between the two koreas over the years. several small skirmishes have occurred within the joint security area since 1953. the axe murder incident in august 1976 involved the attempted trimming of a poplar tree which resulted in two deaths (cpt arthur bonifas and 1lt mark barrett) and operation paul bunyan. beforehand, the soldiers of both sides were permitted to go back and forth across the mdl inside of the jsa, a privilege since revoked as a result of this incident.