Ben Cardin: “I rise today, on the 57th anniversary of the start of the Korean war, to introduce legislation to help honor American…”

“I rise today, on the 57th anniversary of the start of the Korean war, to introduce legislation to help honor American veterans who served our Nation during that war by granting a Federal charter to the Korean War Veterans Association, KWVA, a nonprofit fraternal veterans' organization. A companion measure is being introduced in the House by the distinguished majority leader, Steny Hoyer, and Representative Sam Johnson, who have led this effort in previous Congresses along with my predecessor, Senator Paul Sarbanes. The Korean war is sometimes referred to as the 'Forgotten War,' because it has been overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam war, and its importance has often been overlooked in American history. But for the nearly 1.2 million American veterans of the Korean war still alive today, the war is anything but forgotten. During the 3-year course of the war, some 5.7 million Americans were called to serve, under some of the most adverse and trying circumstances ever faced in wartime, for the cause of freedom. Alongside Korean and United Nations allies, our forces fought with extraordinary courage and valor. By the time the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in July 1953, more than 36,000 Americans had died, 103,284 had been wounded, 7,140 were captured, and 664 were missing.”