| President Louis Dechert, of the Korean War Veterans Association, announced in Arlington, Virginia, today
that legislation sponsoring federal recognition of the group with a national charter will be introduced on
July 27th. The sponsors of the legislation are Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Representative Steny Hoyer
(D-MD). The congressional action will take place on a significant date. July 27, is the fifty-second
anniversary of the temporary ceasefire which suspended the Korean War—a war which has not ended and during
which over 5.5 million Americans served on the Korean Peninsula, of which over 34,000 paid the supreme
sacrifice. Since the 1953 armistice, over 1200 have been killed. Over 40,000 Americans are deployed in Korea
at this time.
The Korean War Veterans Association was founded and incorporated in New York State in 1987. It is the
oldest and largest veterans group organized around common service in Korea.
The organization is recognized as a primary sponsor of the Korean War Veterans Memorial dedicated on the
Mall in Washington, July 1995. The Association is a member of the world-wide International Federation of
Korean War Veterans Associations, headquartered in Seoul, Korea. The Federation includes representatives of
twenty-one nations forming the United Nations Command in the earlier combat phases of the Korean War.
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Approved: Ltd, July 25, 2005
For additional details: President 318.447.0047; Legislative Director (Col Charley Price)
407.221.6949
(Posted 7/25/05) |
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