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Korean War vets’ group gets fed charter

The Korean War — often called the “forgotten war” — and its veterans received long overdue recognition from lawmakers Thursday during a gathering to commemorate the enactment of legislation that awarded the Korean War Veterans Association a federal charter.

The event came on the 55th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the fighting. The federal charter was renewed through a bill passed by Congress on June 17 and signed by President Bush on June 30.

“Our failure of memory takes nothing away from the service of the 5.7 million Americans who served in the war,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader.

Two lawmakers who fought in the war were at the Capitol Hill event that was also attended by South Korea’s ambassador to the U.S., Tae-Sik Lee.

“Imagine coming home and finding that the public didn’t acknowledge your service,” said Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who flew 62 combat missions as an Air Force pilot during the Korean War.

Johnson continued to serve in the military after the Korean War, and was shot down in Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war for seven years.

Another Korean War veteran, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said one of the results of the war was that South Korea became a strong nation and close ally of the U.S. Warner was a Marine during the Korean War and later served in the Navy.

The Korean War Veterans Association is the only organization in the nation dedicated solely to serving veterans of that conflict. It has about 17,000 members. About 1.3 million Korean War veterans are still living in the U.S.

The association’s president, Leo Agnew, said the group has been pushing for legislation granting a federal charter for six years. The charter, he said, will enable the group to reach more veterans and help them apply for benefits.

Federal charters do not award money or special privileges to organizations, but it does allow groups to participate in veteran’s congressional advisory panels.