- The friendship between the United States and South Korea is one
formed in blood, for our troops fought shoulder to shoulder in
defense of freedom. On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the
Korean Armistice, it is appropriate that we honor those who fell in
defense of freedom and human dignity and that we strive to create a
new vision of how we as a community of neighbors can live in peace
in the post-Cold War era.
- When President Truman sent American troops to Korea's defense
43 years ago, he said he aimed to prove that ``Free men under God
can build a community of neighbors working together for the good of
all.'' The joint efforts of the United States and South Korea since
then have benefited the citizens of our two countries and the
peoples of the Asian Pacific region. Our relationship has made that
region more secure, more prosperous, and more free.
- I join with all Americans in paying tribute to those who served
in the Korean War and in remembering those who died in that
conflict. We must not forget the lessons we learned -- the Korean
War must not be the ``Forgotten War.''
- Veterans of Korea served America valiantly during one of the
most destructive wars of this century. Their experiences remind all
Americans of our great debt to those who have risked -- and
sometimes lost -- their lives in defense of our liberty. As a
Nation, we must always remember the sacrifices made by our men and
women in uniform and by their families. I salute the distinguished
service records of our veterans, as well as the sacrifices that
they have made for America.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United
States of America, by the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby urge all
Americans to observe July 27, 1993 -- the 40th Anniversary of the
Korean Armistice -- with appropriate programs and activities.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.
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