[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 126 (Tuesday, August 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S KOREAN WAR VETERANS

                                 ______


                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 1, 1995
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to our 
Nation's Korean war veterans. Last week, the Korean War Veterans 
Memorial was dedicated to their honor--and it's about time. These men 
and women have waited too long to be recognized for their sacrifices. 
They fought, and many died, for ``a country they never knew and a 
people they never met,'' as reads an inscription on one of the 
memorial's sculptures.
  The Korean War Veterans Memorial is a somber yet powerful monument to 
those who served in what is often referred to as ``the forgotten war'' 
of the 20th century. Many heroes of the Korean war have spent the last 
40 years lost in the shadows of the triumphant victory in World War II 
and the national divisiveness sparked by the war in Vietnam. Yet, the 
Korean war was critical because it was the first test of the post-World 
War II order; our Nation's commitment to defend liberty and to arrest 
the growing threat of tyranny were being directly challenged.
  Carved in stone on the memorial are the words, ``Freedom is Not 
Free''--a truism confirmed by painful numbers. Over 5 million Americans 
were mobilized for the Korean war--103,000 were wounded in battle, 
52,000 gave their lives and 8,000 prisoners of war are still 
unaccounted for. There are still over
 140,000 Korean war veterans in New Jersey, 12,400 of them in the 11th 
Congressional District.

  Today, as I speak, thousands of American troops work together with 
South Korean forces to maintain the fragile peace that their 
grandparents fought and died for along the 38th parallel. For 42 years 
now, they have stood watch. Ever vigilant, ever brave, they continue to 
guard what has become a thriving democracy and a vibrant culture. So, 
while a threat still looms from the north, our Nation's commitment to 
defend the principles of liberty remain steadfast.
  The legacy of the soldiers who fought in the frozen hills of the 
Korean Peninsula is evident today in the stark contrast of a nation's 
people still divided. The morning before the memorial was dedicated, 
South Korea's President, Kim Yong-sam, addressed a joint session of the 
United States Congress as the leader of a free and democratic nation 
while Kim Il Jung of North Korea still shrouds his people in the cloak 
of communism.
  The Korean War Veterans Memorial serves as a reminder to the United 
States, South Korea, and the rest of the world that freedom has a price 
and we ought never to forget those who paid it.


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