On August 18, 1976, a group of United States soldiers and South Korean workers were sent out into the demilitarized zone to trim the tree, consisting of two US officers, an Republic of Korea officer and eight United Nations Command guards escorting the workforce. They met resistance from a North Korean patrol who attacked with blunt weapons, as firearms were banned in the JSA, resulting in the death of two U.S. soldiers, Capt. Arthur Bonifas and 1st Lt. Mark Barrett. A Corporal saw the attack from a nearby three-story pagoda and recorded the murders with a movie camera.

As a result, Operation Paul Bunyan was organized and carried out on August 21 involving members of the United States Army Corps of Engineers and supporting infantry which successfully cut down the tree. The troops responsible for cutting down the tree were backed up by a company of 200 US infantryman and protected by a fleet of 27 UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra helicopters, B-52 bombers escorted by American and Korean fighters, and a fleet of F-111 fighter-bombers ready on the runway of Osan Air Base. About 150 North Korean troops were dispatched to the site in response, but kept their distance, thereby avoiding a violent confrontation.