To apply, veterans must provide a copy of their discharge paper, commonly known as a "DD-214," or a corrected version of that document, a "DD-215." National Guard members must provide their statement of service equivalent, "NGB Form 22." Retired petty officer Ralph Campbell, of Adelphi, received the medal representing Coast Guard veterans. The Navy recipient, Bill Hemmingway, 69, was a chief hospital corpsman aboard the USS Haven, which performed medical evacuations from the front lines off the coast of Korea.Ĭarmella Hix, 80, of Arlington, who served 17 months in Korea as an Army nurse with the 8063rd Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, received the medal as the representative of the Army Nurse Corps. Sam Dickens, the Air Force representative, flew 12 combat missions in the F-80 and the RF-80 Shooting Star with the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron stationed at Kimpo Air Base outside Seoul. 1, 1950, until the end, July 27, 1953, when the armistice was signed. Donnelly Jr., 71, of Arlington, served as an infantryman with the 5th Regimental Combat Team, 24th Division, and was in Korea from almost the beginning, Aug. Bjork, 70, of Hyattsville, was a corporal with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division during the Chosin Reservoir campaign, participating in the withdrawal from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri. The Marine Corps representative, retired Lt. forces in South Korea, presented the medals. With President Clinton and other dignitaries looking on during the ceremony in Sunday's scorching heat, Gen. Next-of-kin of eligible deceased veterans can also apply for the medal. Nearly 1.8 million Americans are eligible for the medal. veterans of the war, and last August, the Pentagon approved its acceptance. In 1998, the government of the Republic of Korea renewed its offer to award the medal to U.S. Anita Minniefield, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Korean War commemoration committee. "Our vets started lobbying Congress," said Army Lt. veterans noticed that veterans from other allied nations that fought in Korea were sporting the medal. service members eligible for the medal had returned home, according to the Defense Department.ĭuring 1995 ceremonies opening the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, envious U.S. law prohibited members of the military from wearing medals issued by foreign governments.Ĭongress got around to changing the law in 1954, but by then most U.S. South Korea originally offered the medal in 1951 to all United Nations forces serving in Korea and adjacent waters. It took 50 years, but the Korean War Service medals first offered to members of the armed forces during the war are finally available for veterans.Īs part of the ceremonies Sunday at the Korean War Veterans Memorial marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the war on June 25, 1950, six Korean War veterans, several of them local residents, were awarded the medal, representing all the services.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |