[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 16, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5044-S5045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF THE KOREAN WAR

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S.J. Res. 32, introduced 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the joint resolution by 
title.
  The assistant editor of the Daily Digest read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 32) recognizing the 60th 
     anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War and reaffirming 
     the United States-Korea alliance.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint 
resolution.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, this joint resolution recognizes the 60th 
anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war, as well as honoring the 
strong friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
  June 25 is a very important day, not only in Korean history, but also 
in U.S. history. On that day 60 years ago, Communist troops from the 
Soviet-occupied north crossed the invisible border at the 38th parallel 
to invade their free brethren to the south--killing thousands of 
civilians and forcing streams of refugees to flee their advance.
  Under the leadership of President Harry S. Truman, the United States 
responded to its first military challenge of the Cold War by 
dispatching U.S. forces to lead 15 other countries of a United Nations 
force to defend against the spread of communism. President Truman made 
his commitment to the war very clear:

       In the simplest terms, what we are doing in Korea is this: 
     We are trying to prevent a third world war. . . . If history 
     has taught us anything, it is that aggression anywhere in the 
     world is a threat to peace everywhere in the world. When that 
     aggression is supported by the cruel and selfish rulers of a 
     powerful nation who are bent on conquest, it becomes a clear 
     and present danger to the security and independence of every 
     free nation.

  During the 3 years of the Korean war, 5.7 million Americans answered 
the call to duty, and almost 1.8 million of these men and women 
deployed across the Pacific to serve in some of the most harsh and 
unforgiving conditions along the rugged peninsula, in the skies above 
the Yalu River, on carriers and other surface ships at sea, or from 
staging and support areas in Japan. By the official cease fire on July 
27, 1953, 54,246 American servicemen and servicewomen had sacrificed 
their lives to defeat Korean and Chinese Communist troops and push them 
north of what is known as the Demilitarized Zone. Since then, a 
stalemate has existed on the Korean Peninsula, with the United States 
supporting a free and prosperous Republic of Korea, while keeping a 
wary eye on the brutally repressive regime across the border. In the 
last 60 years, there have been several confrontational episodes and 
potential flashpoints between the two Koreas, and events of the last 
few weeks show us that the conflict continues today.
  Although we are hopeful that the swell of military action 60 years 
ago will be the most profound fighting in the Korean war, North Korea 
has shown a propensity to provoke its sister country in the South. This 
is clearly evident in the brutal murder of 46 South Korean sailors of 
the South Korean Navy ship, the Cheowan, on May 20. Compelling evidence 
points toward North Korean culpability in this latest episode. Such an 
act of aggression only serves to underscore and reaffirm the importance 
of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
  Today, U.S. Forces Korea--the combined American air, ground, and 
naval forces of roughly 28,500 American servicemembers--still stand 
ready to assist in the safety and security of South Korea near the 
Demilitarized Zone, DMZ, and throughout the rest of the peninsula below 
the 38th Parallel.
  This mutual and enduring friendship has been in evidence since 
September 11, 2001. South Korea has been an able and willing ally in 
the global war on terror, dispatching the 100th Engineer Group and 
924th Medical Group to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Their forces have 
been integral in providing humanitarian and medical aid to soldiers and 
civilians alike, as well as working to rebuild infrastructure in 
Afghanistan and Iraq.
  I ask all of my esteemed colleagues to stand with me and pass this 
joint resolution, to not only commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 
beginning of the Korean war and properly honor those Americans who 
served proudly in that conflict, but also to recognize the continued 
resilience and vibrancy of the alliance between our nations.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be added as a 
cosponsor to this measure.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint 
resolution be read a third time and passed, the preamble be agreed to, 
the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements 
relating to the joint resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 32) was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The joint resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                             S. J. Res. 32

       Whereas, on June 25, 1950, communist North Korea invaded 
     the Republic of Korea with approximately 135,000 troops, 
     thereby initiating the Korean War;
       Whereas, on June 27, 1950, President Harry Truman ordered 
     the United States Armed Forces to help the Republic of Korea 
     defend itself against the North Korean invasion;
       Whereas the hostilities ended in a cease-fire marked by the 
     signing of the armistice at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953, and 
     the peninsula still technically remains in a state of war;
       Whereas, during the Korean War, approximately 1,789,000 
     members of the United States Armed Forces served in theater 
     along with the forces of the Republic of Korea and 20 other 
     members of the United Nations to defend freedom and 
     democracy;
       Whereas casualties of the United States during the Korean 
     War included 54,246 dead (of whom 33,739 were battle deaths), 
     more than 103,284 wounded, and approximately 8,055 listed as 
     missing in action or prisoners of war;
       Whereas the Korean War Veterans Recognition Act (Public Law 
     111-41) was enacted on July 27, 2009, so that the honorable 
     service and noble sacrifice by members of the United States 
     Armed Forces in the Korean War will never be forgotten;
       Whereas President Barack Obama issued a proclamation to 
     designate July 27, 2009, as the National Korean War Veterans 
     Armistice Day and called upon Americans to display flags at 
     half-staff in memory of the Korean War veterans;
       Whereas since 1975, the Republic of Korea has invited 
     thousands of American Korean War veterans, including members 
     of the Korean War Veterans Association, to revisit Korea in 
     appreciation for their sacrifices;
       Whereas in the 60 years since the outbreak of the Korean 
     War, the Republic of Korea has emerged from a war-torn 
     economy into one of the major economies in the world and one 
     of the largest trading partners of the United States;
       Whereas the Republic of Korea is among the closest allies 
     of the United States, having contributed troops in support of 
     United States operations during the Vietnam war, Gulf war, 
     and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while also supporting 
     numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions throughout the 
     world;
       Whereas since the end of the Korean War era, more than 
     28,500 members of the United States Armed Forces have served 
     annually in the United States Forces Korea to defend the 
     Republic of Korea against external aggression, and to promote 
     regional peace;
       Whereas North Korea's sinking of the South Korean naval 
     ship, Cheonan, on March 26, 2010, which resulted in the 
     killing of 46 sailors, necessitates a reaffirmation of the 
     United States-Korea alliance in safeguarding the stability of 
     the Korean Peninsula;
       Whereas from the ashes of war and the sharing of spilled 
     blood on the battlefield, the United States and the Republic 
     of Korea have continuously stood shoulder-to-shoulder to 
     promote and defend international peace and security, economic 
     prosperity, human rights, and the rule of law both on the 
     Korean Peninsula and beyond; and

[[Page S5045]]

       Whereas beginning in June 2010, various ceremonies are 
     being planned in the United States and the Republic of Korea 
     to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the 
     Korean War and to honor all Korean War veterans, including 
     the Korean War Veterans Appreciation Ceremony in the hometown 
     of President Harry S. Truman, which will express the 
     commitment of the United States to remember and honor all 
     veterans of the Korean War: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     Congress--
       (1) recognizes the historical importance of the 60th 
     anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, which began on 
     June 25, 1950;
       (2) honors the noble service and sacrifice of the United 
     States Armed Forces and the armed forces of allied countries 
     that served in Korea since 1950 to the present;
       (3) encourages all Americans to participate in 
     commemorative activities to pay solemn tribute to, and to 
     never forget, the veterans of the Korean War; and
       (4) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its 
     alliance with the Republic of Korea for the betterment of 
     peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

                          ____________________