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ARLINGTON, Va. - Sixty-three years ago today, June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when North Korea invaded the Republic of Korea. Two days later on June 27, 1950, the United Nations adopted a resolution recommending its members provide assistance to the Republic of Korea to repel the armed attack and restore peace and security to the area.
The U.S. and 20 other Allied nations responded by providing troops and other military support during the three years of brutal fighting in Korea.
“The Korean War was fought to stem the tide of Communism on the Korean Peninsula and preserve the freedom of a sovereign nation,” said Col. David J. Clark, the director of the Department of Defense 60th anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee.
“When the North invaded the South in June of 1950, the liberty and freedom of the Republic of Korea was at stake which prompted the United States and other Allied Nations to rush to Korea
to turn back the invasion.”
Over 33,000 U.S. service members were killed in action while fighting in the Korean War and there are approximately 7,900 U.S. military service members that continue to be listed as missing in action. Some estimates show that there were up to 2 million casualties during the Korean War with most of those civilians.
“The cost of maintaining freedom on the Korean Peninsula was staggering in terms of human life, but because of the sacrifices made by U.S. military service members and our Allies, 43 million people now live in peace and prosperity in the Republic of Korea,” said Col. David J. Clark.
Clark said the Korean War introduced new advances in medical practices and advances in technology including the use of helicopters and jet fighter planes. He said one of the most important changes that occurred during the War was the integration of the military services which ended decades of segregated units in the U.S. armed services.
On July 27, the 60th anniversary of the Signing of the Armistice which ended fighting in Korea will be commemorated and thousands of Korean War veterans will be honored for their service and sacrifice at a special program hosted by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and other senior
government officials. The program will be held at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
For more information about the July 27 event, the new Korean War Exhibit at the Pentagon, and to hear Korean War Veterans’ oral histories, go to www.koreanwar60.com. The Department of Defense 60th anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee, authorized in the 2011 Defense Authorization Bill, is dedicated to thanking and honoring all the veterans of the Korean War, their families and especially those who lost loved ones in that war.
Through 2013, the committee will honor the service and sacrifice of Korean War veterans, commemorate the key events of the war, and educate Americans of all ages about the historical significance of the Korean War. For more information, visit our website at www.koreanwar60.com.
Keep connected with the Department of Defense 60th anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee via Facebook and Twitter, through videos at YouTube or with photos on Flickr.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2013 07:39 |
| Story ID: | 109873 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 251 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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