National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2019

Proclamation 9913 of July 26, 2019

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2019

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement ended more than
3 years of brutal fighting against communist
expansionism and tyranny on the Korean Peninsula. On
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we honor
the brave patriots who secured freedom and democracy in
the Republic of Korea, and we pay tribute to the more
than 23,600 Americans who were killed in action and the
more than 103,000 who were wounded in that conflict.

The dedication stone at the Korean War Veterans
Memorial in Washington, DC, bears the inscription:
``Our Nation honors her sons and daughters who answered
the call to defend a country they never knew and a
people they never met.'' The memorial includes an honor
roll of Americans killed in action and those missing in
action, and its unique design features statues of a
patrol crossing a Korean rice paddy. These figures
represent the heroes of our Armed Forces who valiantly
served in the Land of the Morning Calm and fought on
battlefields such as Inchon, the Pusan Perimeter, and
the Chosin Reservoir. Today, this hauntingly beautiful
memorial stands as an enduring reminder of what it
costs to defend and preserve the democratic principles
we hold dear.

Our ironclad alliance with the Republic of Korea was
cemented when the first American troops arrived on its
soil to fight for liberty and human dignity. More than
six decades after the ceasefire on the Korean
Peninsula, the Republic of Korea is flourishing as a
prosperous and peace-loving democracy. Since the
signing of the armistice at Panmunjom, the United
States has worked with the Republic of Korea to
preserve peace through strength. Our military, together
with our allies, stands vigilant, strong, and ``ready
to fight tonight'' on the ground, in the air, and at
sea. The phrase ``katchi kapshida''--``we go
together''--is on the lips of every service member in
Korea, representing generations of Koreans and
Americans united by shared sacrifice and a willingness
to uphold the cause of freedom no matter the cost.

Last month, when I walked across the military
demarcation line that runs through the Demilitarized
Zone, it was the first time a sitting United States
President has ever entered into the territory of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea. I hope these
steps will spur progress in the ongoing effort to
achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearization of
North Korea, establish a permanent peace on the Korean
Peninsula, and continue the recovery and repatriation
of remains of fallen American soldiers.

Today, we honor our Korean War veterans for service
rendered to both the United States and the Republic of
Korea, and we remember their families who supported
them throughout. Sometimes called ``The Forgotten
War,'' we will always remember the immeasurable cost
incurred by those who fought on the Korean Peninsula.
The bravery, tenacity, and selflessness of our veterans
liberated the oppressed, brought peace and prosperity
to a freedom-loving people, and helped forge our
unshakable bonds with the Republic of Korea.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim
July 27, 2019, as National Korean War Veterans
Armistice Day. I call upon all Americans to observe
this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities
that honor and give thanks to our distinguished Korean
War Veterans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fourth.