WASHINGTON - Congressman Rangel inserted the following statement in the Congressional Record to honor the Korean War veterans on National Korean War Veterans Day, July 27, 2010.
Mr. Rangel: Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, a day especially set aside to ensure America remembers the valiant sacrifices and the patriotic service of the Korean War veterans.
On Tuesday, the stars and stripes will be flown across our great nation in their honor, as a result of President Obama's enactment of the Korean War Veterans Recognition Act, which became Public Law (111-41) last year after it unanimously passed in both chambers of the U.S. Congress.
At the National Korean War Memorial on the morning of the Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, July 27, 2010, hundreds of veterans, their friends and families, members of the U.S. Armed Services, and foreign dignitaries will pay tribute to all those who served in Korea, and lay wreaths for the fallen who never made it back home. Among those in attendance are members of the Korean War Veterans Association, who have gathered in Washington, D.C., for their 2010 Convention and Gathering to mark the occasion.
Sixty years ago, war broke out on the Korean Peninsula, when North Korea invaded the South on June 25, 1950. Before the ceasefire three years later, 1.8 million Americans had served in Korea and the region, more than 54,000 had been killed, more than 103,000 wounded and up to 8,176 listed as missing. Today, there's no peace treaty ending the war, and 28,500 American soldiers are still stationed in South Korea, guarding democracy's eastern flank.
Despite the great loss of life in such a short time, Korea ― a so-called United Nations conflict sandwiched between World War II and Vietnam War ― was simply forgotten. I hope the flags displayed on this day would remind Americans to remember and recognize the Korean War veterans of a war that has yet to end.
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*Click here to see President Obama's Proclamation on National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, July 27, 2010.
Note: The Korean War Veterans Recognition Act was introduced by Congressman Rangel on May 21, 2009. It passed the House (421-0) on July 21, and the Senate (by unanimous consent) on July 22. President Obama signed it into law on July 27, 2009.
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