J. Thurmond: “as I listened to the statements in support of the McCain amendment, I recalled the shock Americans felt the morning of…”

“as I listened to the statements in support of the McCain amendment, I recalled the shock Americans felt the morning of June 25, 1950, when we awoke to learn the North Korean Army had crossed the 38th parallel in force and was overrunning South Korea. For some time prior to that, President Truman's administration had issued statements which the Communist regime construed as an invitation to forcibly reunify the divided Korean Peninsula. Of course, such blatant aggression convinced President Truman to fight, and fight we did, in one of the most bitter wars in modern history. Though the Korean conflict was waged under the flag of the United Nations, Americans bore the brunt of the battle, at the cost of over 50,000 United States dead, and thousands wounded. It is incumbent on us to remember the veterans of that conflict. In my opinion, they have never been properly honored by this Nation. They fought in the most demanding conditions. At times they were vastly outnumbered by a determined enemy. They often had to rely on inadequate weapons and equipment left over from World War II. Yet they fought with all the bravery, tenacity, and ingenuity that characterize the American fighting man. We owe it to those who sacrificed so much in Korea to safeguard the peace and freedom they fought to attain.”