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Korean War veterans and other spectators salute the American flag as the national anthem plays at a ceremony commemorating the 71st anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement on Monday, July 22, 2024 in Memorial Hall.
Sam Doran/SHNS
Veterans gathered with state officials and Korea's consul general Monday to mark the 71st anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War -- and to remember a generation of veterans who were left without the recognition they deserved, according to Veterans' Secretary Jon Santiago.
"The veterans of the Korean War endured unimaginable hardships, bitter cold, relentless combat," Santiago said in the State House's Memorial Hall, recalling the conflict that stretched from 1950 to 1953.
Massachusetts Veterans' Services Secretary Jon Santiago (center) and Kim Jae-hui, consul general of the Republic of Korea in Boston, bow their heads during a prayer from Rev. Dr. Paul Kim (left), national chaplain of the Korean War Veterans Association, at a ceremony in Memorial Hall on Monday, July 22, 2024.
"After the war, the Korean War veterans returned to a nation that was ready to move on, often without the recognition they deserved," Santiago said, adding that the goal of Monday's event was to honor the "resilience" and "fortitude" of the Korean conflict's military service members.
Kim Jae-hui, consul general of the Republic of Korea in Boston, paid tribute to the "brave men and women from the United States" who fought "shoulder to shoulder" with people from the Republic of Korea and other nations.
"Today, we pay tribute to their courage and dedication, acknowledging that freedom and prosperity we enjoy today are built upon their valiant efforts and immense sacrifice," Kim said.
The 1953 armistice "was not just the cessation of hostility in the Korean Peninsula," the consul general told the crowd. To the Korean people, he said, it represented "a new dawn, new start of opportunity to rise from the ruin of the war."
Kim Jae-hui, consul general of the Republic of Korea in Boston, addresses Korean War veterans in the State House's Memorial Hall on Monday, July 22, 2024, marking the 71st anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
In the lead-up to Monday's event, staff from the Executive Office of Veterans' Services wrote and designed informational panels about the war's most bitter battles, vital moments, and celebrated heroes -- like Massachusetts' own Capt. Thomas Hudner Jr., who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism.
Kim said he felt the panels "capture the memories of our veterans." The exhibit will be on display at the State House through the summer, according to Santiago.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps League were among those on hand to watch the State House ceremony, which featured a POW/MIA table of remembrance. Attendees heard from Albert McCarthy, national director of the Korean War Veterans Association; Pvt. Vartkess Tarbassian, 2nd Infantry Division; Lt. Col. John Thompson, commander of KWVA Chapter 300; and Master Sgt. Larry Cole, commander of KWVA Chapter 141, which covers the Cape and Islands.
