[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 131 (Friday, August 3, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL KOREAN WAR VETERANS ARMISTICE DAY 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 3, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, July 27th was National Korean War 
Veterans Armistice Day, marking the day in 1953 when the armistice was 
signed at Panmunjom.
  The Korean War is often referred to as ``the Forgotten War.'' Our 
boys were largely ignored when they arrived home. There were no 
tickertape parades like at the end of World War II, and there were no 
violent protests against the war like with Vietnam. The Administration 
did not even refer to the conflict as a war but rather as a police 
action. Well, Mr. Speaker, it was a war. It was a war where Americans 
went and fought.
  In 1950, communist North Korea, backed by brutal dictatorships in 
China and the Soviet Union, crossed the 38th Parallel in an invasion of 
free South Korea. The communist forces pushed the South Koreans back, 
nearly forcing them off of the peninsula entirely. With their heels 
touching the tide, South Korea called 911.
  America was not ready for another war. The Pentagon was in the 
process of downsizing the military, both in budget and in manpower. 
But, as history shows, when the world dials 911, America answers. So 
President Truman ordered troops to land at Pusan to aid the beleaguered 
South Korean forces.
  Over the course of the next three years, the United States fought a 
grueling conflict but successfully managed to drive the communist 
forces out of South Korea. The fighting ceased when the armistice 
agreement was signed at Panmunjom, but to this day, no official peace 
document has been signed.
  Over 35,000 Americans died in this war, and more than 7,000 are still 
missing. Thousands more came home with the scars of war or suffered in 
prisoner of war camps. Most in uniform served with great distinction 
and demonstrated that the American soldier is a rare breed.
  One such individual was one of my late constituents, Sergeant Donald 
Foisie. Sergeant Foisie was pinned down on Hill 303 in August 1950, but 
he stood his ground. When the communist forces overran the hill, he and 
a friend hid in a rice paddy, using bamboo sticks to get air. The two 
survived and rejoined American forces when the hill was retaken.
  Mr. Speaker, the sacrifice and bravery of American soldiers in the 
Korean War should be remembered and honored. Just this week, Vice 
President Pence accepted the remains of fallen Korean war soldiers, at 
last making their return home from North Korean soil. After 60 years, 
these noble ones who gave their lives will be forgotten no more. This 
is a welcome step following the June 12th meeting between President 
Trump and Kim Jong-Un, however, we must continue to strive towards our 
goal of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization by 
North Korea. These Korean War patriots deserve our utmost respect and 
admiration, because the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.
  And that is just the way it is.

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