[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 105 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE/25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                      BUFFALO KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 22, 2013

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our nation's 
Korean war veterans with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of 
Buffalo's Korean war Memorial and the 60th anniversary of the Korean 
war armistice. Dedicated to the service of those soldiers who were 
killed in action, the memorial honors the courageous sacrifices and 
immense contributions by Korean war troops while defending our nation.
   July 27, 2013, marks the 60th anniversary of the date on which the 
Armistice was signed, signaling the close of tensions on the Korean 
peninsula though technically the war is still ongoing. No peace treaty 
was signed, and still today there are troops stationed along the 
demilitarized zone, where shots are occasionally fired, demonstrating 
soldiers are still risking their lives for freedom in Korea.
   The Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park contains several war 
memorials, including one honoring the Korean war. This memorial 
contains two parts: the focal point is a granite relief structure with 
two soldiers adorned in combat gear on patrol in a field with the word 
``Korea'' underneath. The memorial has an inscription on the back which 
includes the members of the Korean war Memorial Committee, and the 
names of the landscape architect, artist, and contractor. The sides of 
the satellite pedestal list those soldiers killed in action. The top of 
the pedestal is engraved with military emblems. The inscription on the 
embedded time capsule states: ``Korean war Memorial Time Capsule--Open 
April 28, 2090.''
   This war has often been nicknamed the ``Forgotten War,'' because no 
GI Bill existed for these troops, there were no homecoming 
celebrations, there was no notable surrender or end-date: the war 
concluded with long drawn out negotiations and the American public lost 
interest.
   This memorial honors these soldiers who toiled abroad, just like 
soldiers in every other war. President Obama will even speak in 
Washington this Saturday, on the anniversary itself, at the Korean War 
Veterans Memorial in Washington, the first time an American president 
is attending an official ceremony for the Armistice.
   On July 27, 1953, the Armistice Agreement was signed to halt the 
three-year conflict between South Korea, assisted by U.S.-led U.N. 
troops, and the invading North, supported by the Chinese military. 
According to the U.S. government, 36,573 American troops were killed, 
with 103,284 others wounded. The three years of war did halt the sweep 
of communism, guaranteed South Korean independence and freedom to an 
entire generation, and due to U.S. assistance, help South Korea grow to 
become the 10th greatest economy in the world.
   It is with great pride that today I recognize the service of 
hundreds of thousands of American soldiers in the Korean war with the 
celebration of this memorial. Their service to our area and the nation 
as a whole is moving, and I am proud that Western New Yorkers have had 
and will continue to have a place to reflect on their legacy.

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