Honoring our Korean War veterans

By U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer
R-Nebraska

On July 27, our nation paused to observe National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, marking the anniversary of the 1953 signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement. Nearly 55,000 Nebraskans answered the call to serve during the Korean War, leaving their families and putting their futures on hold to fight for something larger than themselves.

In Washington, D.C., their service is etched in stone at the Korean War Veterans Memorial's Wall of Remembrance. Across 100 granite panels, the wall bears the names of more than 36,000 Americans who gave their lives, alongside over 7,100 Korean soldiers assigned to U.S. Army units who died fighting for the same cause. It is a powerful tribute that reminds us just how steep the cost of freedom can be.

For decades, the Korean War has carried an unfortunate nickname: the "Forgotten War." Sandwiched between World War II and Vietnam, its veterans have too often gone unrecognized. That is why days like this one matter. We cannot allow the men and women who served our nation and stood up for freedom and democracy to be forgotten.

In Nebraska, this is at the forefront of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). This agency’s sacred mission to account for missing service members – including from the Korean War – is part of the solemn commitment our country makes to service members willing to give their lives for the defense of our country. They do the hard work of honoring our nation’s promise to never leave a U.S. service member behind.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, I advocate for federal funding to support DPAA’s valiant mission and our veterans’ health care and benefits programs. In the Senate’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I authorized $40 million above the president’s budget request to further the agency’s efforts and $69 million for a new DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base.

Back home, communities across Nebraska are stepping up to honor their service. The Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs (NDVA) is hosting a ceremony on July 24 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Memorial Stadium, where Korean War veterans in attendance will receive a special challenge coin in recognition of their service.

This is part of the state's Korean War Veteran Recognition Program — a wonderful initiative honoring Nebraska's living Korean War veterans with a specially minted challenge coin. To qualify, veterans must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces between June 27, 1950, and January 31, 1955; be legal residents of Nebraska or able to demonstrate Nebraska residency at the time they entered service; and have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. 

Presented in a blue velvet case, the coin features the 48-star U.S. flag from the period alongside the flag of South Korea above the words "Korean War Veteran." Around the coin's edge reads the inscription, "Honoring those who answered the call to defend a country they never knew," while the NDVA seal appears on the reverse.