SJ0056 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0056 LRB104 21023 MST 34936 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and raged for three bloody years; 1.5 million members of the United States Armed Forces, including thousands from the State of Illinois, answered the call to arms during the war; and

WHEREAS, The President of the United States may present Congressional Gold Medals to Korean War veterans in recognition of their contributions while serving under the United Nations Command (UNC), which was the first international unified command in history; and

WHEREAS, The purpose of the medals is to express recognition for the exemplary contributions made by all Korean War veterans, both U.S. and allied forces, who demonstrated selfless acts during the conflict; and

WHEREAS, The Empire of Japan occupied the entire country of Korea from 1910 until the end of World War II; prior to the official Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, the U.S. and its allies prepared an arrangement to divide Korea horizontally into two regions, North and South; and

WHEREAS, On June 25, 1950, the North Korea Peoples' Army and their allies invaded South Korea; the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution to send U.N. Forces into Korea; on June 27, 1950, President Truman sent U.S. troops as aid under the aegis of the United Nations; in October 1950, the Peoples Volunteer Army of China entered the conflict by encroaching into North Korea; in response, China's ruling party ordered the immediate destruction of the entire 1st Marine Division, the Republic of Korea Army Divisions, and the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division, which led to the struggle to defend the Pusan Perimeter; and

WHEREAS, A series of battles against the Chinese forces took place throughout autumn 1950, including the Battle of Inchon, the Battle of Naktong breakout, the Battle of Seoul-Second, and the Battle of Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir, which tested the capacity of U.S. and allied forces against both the enemy and the elements; and

WHEREAS, On November 25, 1950, Chinese communist forces launched an all-out assault, swiftly overtaking the UNC forces and forcing U.S. and UNC allied troops to withdraw south; battles against the communist forces continued throughout 1951, including the Battle of Seoul-Fourth, by far the largest artillery operation of the Korean conflict; during this time, U.N. allied forces from countries such as Australia, the Philippines, and parts of the United Kingdom assisted in combatting the Chinese communist forces; and

WHEREAS, By 1953, at least another dozen battles took place in an attempt to retake South Korea; the ground action was led by U.S. and allied forces; and

WHEREAS, On July 27, 1953, the United States, North Korea, and China signed an armistice agreement that ended the conflict and created the demilitarized zone (DMZ), again dividing Korea but failing to bring about peace within the peninsula; to date, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North Korea) have not signed a peace treaty that would officially end the war; and

WHEREAS, One of two principle objectives was to not lose the war to the aggressors and the other was to keep Seoul, South Korea from occupation by the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea to the north; American combat troops and allied forces from 16 nations helped secure this mission; today, Seoul's vibrancy is possible because of those who served and sacrificed; and

WHEREAS, It is the appropriate time for America to honor the troops, including all United Nations allied forces during the Korean conflict, and to award them the Congressional Gold Medal; it is appropriate that these medals stand as evidence that The Forgotten War is no longer forgotten, but forever remembered; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge Congress to authorize the President to present Congressional Gold Medals to all Korean War Veterans in recognition of their service and sacrifice; and be it further

RESOLVED, That following the awarding of the medals, we urge that one Congressional Gold Medal be given to the Smithsonian Institution and one Congressional Silver Medal be given to the War Memorial of Korea, Seoul, where they shall be available for display as appropriate and made available for research; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of all Korean War veterans, the brave men and women who served honorably and those who paid the ultimate price defending our freedom; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, each member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, and all Ministry of Foreign Affairs with volunteer forces to the U.N. Command.