Ed Royce: “Well, Mr. Speaker, I would close my remarks by saying that I rise in strong support of this resolution. I'd like to add…”

“Well, Mr. Speaker, I would close my remarks by saying that I rise in strong support of this resolution. I'd like to add my voice to others grateful for the sacrifices so many Americans made to protect the freedom of South Korea. And I again acknowledge the four Members of this House--Congressman Charlie Rangel, John Conyers, Sam Johnson, and Howard Coble--the veterans of that war, to thank them for their service in the Armed Forces. I commend Congressman Rangel for offering this resolution here on the 60th anniversary of this special relationship that we have with South Korea. We recall that 22 nations came together to defend the Republic of Korea, and fighting stopped 3 years later with an armistice that still remains in place. 5.7 million Americans served during that conflict. As noted, the casualties were 56,000, if you count those missing and presumed dead. Over 100,000 Americans were wounded in that war. And 140,000 South Koreas were killed in action, many of whom fought side by side with American forces for the cause of freedom. But when you calculate the more than 3 million Korean civilians killed in that conflict, you begin to appreciate the enormity of the human loss. The heroic deeds of these servicemen, both Korean and American, laid the foundation for that alliance that we speak of here that has lasted some 60 years, but also brought relative stability, as Mr.…”