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Presidential Message on National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

Today, our Nation marks the 82nd anniversary of the American liberation of Guam - the day the United States shattered a brutal occupation and carried freedom back to an island that had endured more than 2 years of suffering As our Nation observes National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we honor the extraordinary courage and devotion of the American patriots who fought, bled, and died to secure the blessings of liberty for the people of South Korea.  Seventy-three years have passed since the armistice quieted the guns of that brutal war, yet the heroism of those who fought endures as a timeless testament to the unrivaled strength of the American Spirit.

War erupted on June 25, 1950, when the Communist armies of North Korea stormed across the 38th parallel to invade South Korea, sparking a conflict that would soon engulf the entire peninsula.  Refusing to look away as a free people fell beneath the shadow of communist tyranny, the United States rallied a coalition of 22 nations to turn back the tide of aggression in a war that would rage for 38 perilous months.  Our valiant warfighters proved their mettle across the frozen hills and blood-soaked ridgelines of that unforgiving terrain, holding the line against ferocious assaults from North Korean and Chinese combatants while withstanding merciless winters and the scourge of illness and disease.  The warfare was fierce and unrelenting, but so were the spirit, grit, and resilience of our brave warriors.   

The morning of July 27, 1953, brought a hard-won ceasefire that divided the Korean Peninsula along the Demilitarized Zone, tracing the front where our forces had broken the enemy’s advance and driven the invaders back.  Through its unmatched might and unbreakable resolve, America had taken up arms to halt the spread of communism before it could overrun the free world, and that noble purpose was fulfilled in triumph:  South Korea was rescued from conquest and preserved as a proud, independent nation.  Yet victory came at a staggering cost.  More than 32,000 Americans were killed in action, more than 90,000 were wounded, thousands suffered the cruelty of captivity as prisoners of war, and countless others carried home the unseen scars of battle.  In all, more than 135,000 were counted among the fallen and wounded of that war, and their sacrifice to secure our way of life will never be forgotten.  For valor in combat, 153 Service Members received our Nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor - more than 100 of them posthumously.

More than seven decades after the war, the United States of America and the Republic of Korea remain united in a steadfast alliance, tested by shared sacrifice, and bound by an abiding love of freedom.  That bond serves as a pillar of peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific, a solemn vow to our allies throughout Asia that we will stand with them against the forces of evil and oppression - a threat to world peace that endures to this very day.  The same communist ambition that once sought to conquer the Korean Peninsula is trying to rear its ugly head once more─this time in the West─yet our resolve will never falter.  Communism is the sworn enemy of free people everywhere, and my Administration will confront this threat with unwavering strength, defending liberty at home or abroad and ensuring that freedom triumphs over tyranny in every corner of the world.

Our Republic will always remember the sacred truth engraved in granite at the Korean War Veterans Memorial: “Freedom is not Free.” Today, we salute the noble warfighters whose valor and devotion brought lasting glory to our Nation and delivered the priceless gifts of liberty and sovereignty to millions of South Koreans.