Obama signs act to fly flag on Korean War Armistice Day: White House

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, July 28 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has signed an act to
designated July 27 as a national day to hoist the Stars and Stripes at half mast
in memory of tens of thousands of American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean
War, the White House said Tuesday.

Obama Monday signed the Korean War Veterans Recognition Act, which adds National
Korean War Veterans Armistice Day to the list of days on which the display of the
flag of the United States is encouraged, the White House said in a statement.
"The freedom, security and prosperity that we enjoy as a nation exists only
because of the heroic and selfless sacrifices of America's servicemen and women,"
Obama said in signing the measure, which passed the House 421-0 and the Senate
unanimously last week.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), honors Korean War veterans and
those who were killed or went missing in the war.
Obama Friday proclaimed July 27, 2009, the anniversary of the cease fire
agreement, as the first National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day.
It is the first time that the U.S. has designated any national day to commemorate
a war, although it has 17 national days of observance, including the Independence
Day and the Veterans Day, when displaying the Stars and Stripes is common.
As many as 54,246 American soldiers were killed and 8,176 were captured or went
missing in the war, when the U.S. fought for South Korea against North Korea and
its communist ally, China.
"Today, we owe special remembrance to the veterans of the Korean War, and
especially the United States and allied combatants who made the ultimate
sacrifice in Korea," Obama said in the statement. "For their courageous actions
in pursuit of freedom and democracy for the Korean Peninsula, these dedicated men
and women deserve our unending respect and gratitude."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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