[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 94 (Thursday, June 27, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MARKETING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE KOREAN WAR

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                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 2013

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the upcoming sixtieth 
anniversary of the end of the Korean War and it is with the utmost 
respect that I recognize this milestone.
  On July 27, 1953, an armistice was signed which brought to a close 
over three years of terrible war on the Korean Peninsula. In the 
aftermath of World War II, a newly-divided Korea became the site of 
global crisis as 75,000 invading North Korean soldiers crossed the 38th 
parallel on June 25, 1950. The global community was fast to respond, as 
the United Nations Security Council recommended on June 27 that member 
states take action. Twenty-one nations heeded the call and collectively 
sent over 340,000 troops, 88 percent from the United States, to assist 
the over 600,000 South Koreans fighting for their country.
  The three years of tragic bloodshed helped stem communist conquest 
and secure a people's independence in a dangerous world. Yet it came at 
a great price. 36,574 Americans lost their lives, and approximately 
100,000 were injured. Over 170,000 allied troops were confirmed killed 
with half of a million wounded and, to this day, many thousands remain 
missing. By some counts, 2.5 million civilians on both sides, 10 
percent of Korea's pre-war population, perished.
  No words here, then, can adequately mark our recognition and the deep 
honor that we owe to the men and women who sacrificed so much in Korea 
sixty years ago. What we can do is pause to ensure that what they went 
through and what they accomplished will never be forgotten. And we can 
give the highest respect to those who survived and that we have with us 
today--our veterans whom I wish to thank and honor this day for their 
great service.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I 
ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Korean War, and honoring our 
veterans and those who lost their lives in that great struggle.

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