Korean War Veterans honored for their service

MARQUETTE — On this day in 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, ending the Korean War. Officials from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency helped celebrate the occasion by honoring veterans who served during that conflict at the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette.

43 residents of the Jacobetti Home were presented with certificates of appreciation, and nineteen of those were also awarded the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal for their service in the country. They were among nearly seven million Americans who served during what some call the “Forgotten War.”

“A lot of our Korean War Veterans served in World War II,” said Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Director Jeff Barnes. “Some served in Vietnam as well, and since it happened in between those two conflicts, a lot of times the war doesn’t get the attention that World War II and Vietnam has.”

The Korean Deputy Consul General was also on hand to deliver praise to the honorees.

“Whenever I meet the Korean War Veterans, I’m always touched by how they love Korea and how they are willing to give their sacrifices in order to save a country unknown to them when they were very young,” said Jae-Woong Lee, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago. “I just would like to say that they be well and healthy and live happily so that I can meet them again, year after year after year.”

Veterans were also presented with a book highlighting South Korea’s progress since their time of service.