National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2022

Proclamation 10427 of July 26, 2022

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2022

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In June of 1950, the United States answered the call to
defend freedom abroad by joining the Republic of Korea
in its fight against the communist regime in North
Korea and eventually the People's Republic of China.
After 3 years of violent combat across the Korean
peninsula, an armistice was signed by representatives
of the United States as head of the United Nations
Command, the People's Republic of China, and North
Korea. For nearly 70 years, the ensuing peace and the
abiding relationship between the Korean and American
people has been the foundation for the thriving
democracy and incredible economic progress of the
Republic of Korea. During my recent visit to the
Republic of Korea, I paid tribute to those Korean
troops who fought and sacrificed shoulder-to-shoulder
with Americans, along with our United Nations
counterparts, to defend their country. Today, our
Nation honors those selfless American service members
whose courage and sacrifice helped forge the armistice,
the enduring Alliance between our two nations, and a
lasting legacy of freedom in the Republic of Korea.

Today, the Republic of Korea is our strong ally, a
global center of innovation, and a vibrant democracy.
In Seoul, I affirmed with President Yoon that the U.S.-
ROK Alliance is stronger than ever, evolving to
maintain its role as a linchpin of peace and stability
in the region and increasingly expanding to the global
stage. At Osan Air Base, I met with some of the brave
American troops and their families who are stationed in
the Republic of Korea, still serving side-by-side with
our South Korean allies and strengthening the bonds
between our people.

During the Korean War, nearly 1.8 million Americans
answered the call to serve and defend the freedoms and
universal values that the people of South Korea enjoy
today. They faced enormous challenges--often
outnumbered by the enemy, facing extreme heat and cold
while fighting in the mountains and valleys and in the
rice paddies and rocky terrain of the Korean Peninsula.
More than 36,000 of those American service members were
killed in action, along with more than 7,000 Korean
Augmentation to the United States Army soldiers that
fought with the United States Armed Forces--sacrificing
everything to defend freedom and democracy on the
Peninsula. Thousands were held in brutal captivity.
Thousands remain unaccounted for to this day. Many more
service members returned home with wounds of war, both
visible and invisible. The First Lady and I are
committed to fully accounting for all of our Prisoners
of War and Missing in Action and fulfilling our sacred
obligation to care for our veterans and their families,
caregivers, and survivors, making sure they receive the
benefits and services they have earned.

Today and every day, we continue to remember our
Nation's Korean War Veterans and honor all that they
made possible through service to our Nation and our
highest ideals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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, 2022,
as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. On this
day, I encourage

all Americans to reflect on the strength, sacrifices,
and sense of duty of our Korean War Veterans and bestow
upon them the high honor they deserve. 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 twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.