WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ-03) said today that the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution this week honoring the 1.8 million Americans who served in the Korean War.

The resolution, H. Con. Res. 212, “Recognizing and Supporting the Goals and Ideals of the Year of the Korean War Veteran,” encourages the President, along with state and local governments, to issue proclamations establishing ceremonies honoring Korean War veterans. It also urges them to call upon citizens to pause and remember Korean War veterans. It passed 408-0.

“Like the young Americans in uniform risking and in many cases giving up their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq in order to make the world a better place, Korean War vets engaged in savage battles in faraway lands to defend democracy,” Saxton said. “Many paid the ultimate price. The heroes of ‘The Forgotten War,’ must never be forgotten.”

Congressman Saxton, who joined with the U.S. Department of Defense in recognizing the contributions of Korean War veterans, accepted the role of official commemorative partner for the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Korean War, and has created a web page to help interested vets or their survivors apply for a special Korean War commemorative pin.

Veterans from any military service who served in the Korean War theater on land, sea or air during the war are eligible to receive a commemorative pin, which are suitable for lapels or veterans hats. Spouses or families of deceased veterans are also entitled to claim one pin per family.
 
The commemoration pin program expires on Nov. 11, 2003. Residents of the Third District who are veterans of the Korean War can visit Saxton's veterans' webpage at www.house.gov/saxton, or contact Saxton's office at (609) 261-5800. Veterans not from the Third District can use the website to get to the DOD's website for the Korean War 50th anniversary where they can locate a commemorative partner in their area.

"We have recently developed a veterans web page to help promote the 50th commemoration," Saxton said. "The Korean War commemoration pin program will only be offered until Nov. 11, 2003, which is Veterans Day. So I encourage eligible vets to sign up for it as soon as possible."

The web page also includes information on the South Korean government's commemorative efforts, including a medal from that government for American Korean War veterans. Saxton became involved in the pin program at the request of a constituent, Tony Severino of Haddonfield, a Korean War Army Veteran.

Despite the large scale of the conflict during a relatively short period of time and the number of Americans involved, Korea is often called “The Forgotten War.” In 1950, the country had just been through World War II and many Americans were still adjusting to their new lives. The Korean War was not conducted the same way as World War II, and did not receive the same type of massive support from the home front.

“There were no large homecoming celebrations for Korean War vets like the one that marked the end of World War II,” Saxton said. “Troops trickled back home as the conflict wound down. But they hardly walked away from the war empty-handed. We only have to watch the news about North Korea today to bring to mind an indisputable fact: nearly 50 million people in South Korea are free today thanks to Korean War veterans. We need to show those veterans our thanks.”

This year marks the final year of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration and the 50th anniversary of the Armistice agreement that ended the war. There are an estimated 75,000 veterans in the Third Congressional District, representing 16 percent of the district’s population.