#115 Two Memorial Days

[스티븐스 대사]

By now, readers of this blog probably know a lot about my recent bike trip down the West Coast from Seoul to Jindo.  But there is one more important story to tell.  It has to do with recognizing our troops serving in Korea today, and honoring those who sacrificed during the Korean War.

It was fitting, I think, that our trip began on Memorial Day weekend.  In the U.S. Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer.  In fact, we spent our Memorial Day weekend the same way many Americans do: enjoying the outdoors.  For my group, it was on bicycles.

But this Memorial Day, and the days that followed, were particularly meaningful for me.  I was lucky enough to have a chance to meet – and ride with – members of our armed forces who are stationed throughout the Korean Peninsula.  We started out riding with officers, enlisted soldiers, and civilians stationed at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.   Later, as our caravan moved southward, we connected with airmen from Osan Air Base.  A few days later, in Jeollabukdo, we had the privilege of riding with ten members of the Wolf Pack from Kunsan Air Base. 

Team Embassy on Day 1 with USFK riders at Task Force Smith Memorial

What I will never forget is a stop at a memorial dedicated to Task Force Smith and the Battle of Osan.   Here, on July 5, 1950, U.S. soldiers fought North Korean troops for the first time.  As U.S. Eighth Army Historian Ronney Zane Miller told us, it was at this site 61 years ago that a hastily-assembled task force of 400 U.S. infantry soldiers fought to delay advancing North Korean forces.  The fighting was fierce, and casualties were high.

Laying a wreath at Task Force Smith Memorial

It reminded me that it was the countless acts of heroism and sacrifice – precisely like the ones U.S. forces showed in Osan – that ensured the survival of the Republic of Korea.   I kept this in mind during my ride as I saw the productive farms, the busy factories, and the hard-working people who have come to define contemporary Korea.

The Wolf Pack riders from Kunsan joined us to ride from Kunsan Air Base to Naesosa

The final day of our trip fell on Korean Memorial Day.   Instead of riding, I was privileged to address the Memorial Day ceremony at Gungang Park in Jindo.  Together with hundreds of local officials, Korean War veterans, and ordinary citizens, we paid tribute to those who died fighting for freedom.

I’d like to share with you what I said to them:

Mr. Mayor, Distinguished Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for letting me be a part of this ceremony.

A few days ago, my country marked its own Memorial Day.  Being here today, I have been thinking about the sacrifices Americans and Koreans made in the defense of freedom.

In the immediate aftermath of the Korean War, the Republic of Korea’s prospects looked dim.  Many people questions whether the sacrifices of those who fought and died here made a difference.

Looking back, it is clear that those sacrifices were not in vain.  On the contrary, they were the prologue for the peace and prosperity we now enjoy.  The hard work and sacrifice of millions of Koreans since that time has created one of the greatest national success stories in modern history.

The United States is honored to be a partner of this great nation.  We are honored to have played a role in laying the foundation upon which you have created this success – fighting for and winning freedom, building one of the world’s leading economies, and developing a vibrant democratic system that is the envy of emerging democracies.

But our work is not finished.  Along with the tremendous blessings of success come responsibilities.  And so we should work together to create an even brighter future, one that includes all of Korea and Northeast Asia.

Reinhold Niebuhr, the American theologian and philosopher whose thinking and faith was shaped by the two World Wars of the Twentieth Century and then the menace of communism and the Cold War, said

“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope.  Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love.  No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint.  Therefore, we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.”

On this Memorial Day, we look back with deep gratitude on the sacrifices members of the armed services made as they fought for freedom.  We honor the memory of President Kim Dae Jung, and we remember President Kim’s vision of eventual reunification through reconciliation.  We look forward to the day when the whole Peninsula is free and all Korean people experience a reconciliation befitting the sacrifice we honor.

At Jindo Gungang Park to commemorate Korean Memorial Day

    

[MLE세상]

Thank you for your great efforts