Listen to entire interview (12:50)
Missouri will officially honor veterans of the Korean War in a special ceremony at the capitol building on July 27th at 10 a.m. The event will honor the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice and offer closure to veterans of what is known as the “forgotten war.”
Missouri Veterans Commission Executive Director Paul Kirchhoff says those veterans were not welcomed home like those who served just a few years before in World War II.
“They came home from Korea they went back to school, went back to work, went back to their families. They didn’t receive the thanks the the parades the the the accolades for the sacrifices that they made.”
Kirchhoff told Missourinet that time is running out to give this recogntion: “We are losing a lot of those Korean War veterans unfortunately they’re in that age group where it’s time we need to do everything we can to thank them now because there’s there. They’re fewer and fewer of them every day. In fact that they probably were moving toward where in our veterans homes we have more Vietnam veterans than we do any any other generation.”
The Missouri Veterans Commission operates seven nursing homes across the state.
The commission is seeking those who served in the Korean War to be recognized. Kirchhoff said “and a lot of times it comes from the spouse or the children and it’s important that we reach out to encourage those veterans says, you know, it’s it was a difficult time in their lives and they maybe not always a good memory for them but they they deserved it to have this recognition.”
Veterans or their families can register at the Missouri Veterans Commission website. The recognition will include a pinning ceremony. The commission is also offering a will and legal documents clinic on site that same day as well as other resources for veterans.
The keynote speaker will be retired Air Force Col. John W. Clark, who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam’s brutal “Hanoi Hilton.”
