By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2000 -- Veterans of the Korean War are
gearing up for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of that
conflict. "They, better than most Americans, understand that
'freedom is not free,'" said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Nels
Running, director of the commemoration committee.
The phrase 'freedom is not free' is part of the Korean War
Veterans Memorial in Washington that will be the focal point of
ceremonies commemorating the start of the war. President Clinton
will speak at the memorial June 25.
Running stressed the ceremonies are not a celebration.
"Commemorate really means remember," he said. "We're going to
recognize, honor and remember the service provided during the
Korean War."
At the end of World War II, the Soviets occupied Korea north of
the 38th parallel, while the United States occupied the south.
The Soviets installed a communist government in the north; on
June 25, 1950, North Korea's army stormed the border and easily
overran the South Korean army.
President Harry S. Truman at first limited U.S. participation to
sea and air units, but soon was forced to call on U.S. Army
ground units. By the armistice three years later, about 5.7
million American service members had served during the war. More
than 33,667 U.S. service members died in battle with another
3,249 dying "of other causes."
The opening ceremony will set the stage for the rest of the
commemoration, Running said. He expects up to 10,000 Korean War
veterans and their families to attend. Former Ohio Sen. John
Glenn, a Marine Corps veteran of the conflict, will represent
all the veterans of the war. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen
will also speak.
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Hong-Koo Lee will
represent his country at the commemoration, as will
representatives from the 20 other U.N. countries that fought
alongside U.S. forces.
Getting the word out to Korean War veterans is a huge job for
Running's committee. There are 1.2 million Korean War veterans
still alive and the committee wants to reach them all and let
them know America appreciates their sacrifices.
"Many of these men and women served during World War II, so they
were familiar with the service lapel pin given to veterans of
that conflict," Running said. "Well, Korean War veterans never
received that kind of recognition. We now have lapel pins for
them to wear similar to 'the Ruptured Duck' that World War II
vets received."
Korean War veterans are also authorized to receive the Republic
of Korea's Korean War Service medal. On Aug. 20, 1999, Defense
Secretary William S. Cohen authorized Korean War veterans to
receive this foreign award.
"We would like to give those medals to all 1.2 million veterans
and the families of veterans who have died," Running said. He
said DoD is working out a certification process, and the Korean
government is shipping an initial 150,000 of the medals to start
the awards process. Distribution to all eligible veterans is
expected to take about four years, he said.
Many Korean War veterans are familiar with the World War II
commemoration. Following the World War II commemoration
committee's lead, Running's committee is trying to reach
veterans in their hometowns. His group is sponsoring Korean War
Commemoration Communities, as the World War II committee did.
To date, almost 2,000 communities have signed up to honor their
veterans. "This grass-roots support is what we need to reach the
veterans," Running said. "You know, I walked into a local book
store and asked the clerk for the books on the Korean War. There
were books on the Civil War, books on World War II and Vietnam.
There was one book on Korea.
"Many of the veterans of the war call it "the Forgotten War,'"
he continued. "We want to ensure these Americans to understand
we honor their commitment to freedom and the sacrifices they
made. That's what this commemoration is all about."
##end##
20005253a.jpg Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Nels Running (left)
and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Bender hold the Korean War
Commemoration Community flag at their Crystal City, Va. office.
Photo by Jim Garamone.
20005253b.jpg Materials prepared to educate Americans on the
impact of the Korean War surround the Republic of Korea's Korean
War Service medal. All U.S. Korean War veterans are now
authorized to receive this medal. Photo by Jim Garamone.
20005253c.jpg Korean War veterans are now authorized to receive
the Republic of Korea's Korean War Service medal. Photo by Jim
Garamone.
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