Korean War veterans receive medals from ambassador

“The Korean people will never forget the help and friendship you showed to us,” the ambassador said during the ceremony.

STARKE — A Monday ceremony at Camp Blanding wasn’t the first at which 85-year-old Ken Sassaman was honored for his service in the Korean War. But, he said, this one was special because of the person who recognized him.

Cho Yoon-Je, South Korea’s ambassador to the United States, shook the hands and thanked the 30 or so Korean War veterans as they approached a podium in blazing heat. He then placed medals around their necks in a gesture to the bond between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

“The Korean people will never forget the help and friendship you showed to us,” the ambassador said during the ceremony.

Sassaman said, “Some people think of it as the forgotten war, but shaking hands with the ambassador all these years later means somebody must remember what we did.”

Cho said afterward that it’s his goal to travel to every corner of the country to thank the American veterans who fought in the Korean War.

“This is how you heal nations,” said U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho of Gainesville, who serves as the chairman of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Yoho said he’s built strong friendships with his counterparts from Korea, and the ambassador insisted on holding the ceremony at Camp Blanding during his visit this week to Northeast Florida.

The gesture from the Republic of Korea comes at a time when relations between the United States and North Korea are much more contentious. Talks between the leaders of the two countries have been ongoing in recent months, and last week marked a positive shift when North Korea returned what are believed to be the remains of more than 50 U.S. service members.

“Our hopes and our dreams and our prayers are that one day the whole Korean peninsula is denuclearized and they live in peace,” Yoho said during the ceremony.

He said that dream is only possible because Korean War veterans were willing to sacrifice their lives to help a nation on the other side of the world.

Sassaman said he’s always felt a little uncomfortable when people thank him for his service in Korea. He said like many war veterans, he believes the people who really deserve the respect are the ones who didn’t come back.

He said memories of his friends killed in the war filled his thoughts Monday.

Sassaman said watching the way the country has developed since the war has given him a great sense of pride.

“There wasn’t a single building taller than three stories high when I left,” Sassaman said.

Eddie Thomas, 84, was another of the veterans who received recognition Monday. He served as an Air Force policeman during the war and said it felt much hotter at Camp Blanding than it did during his overnight security shifts when he was in charge of the K-9 unit with 12 working dogs.

“The shift was from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., so I slept during the heat of the day,” Thomas said.

He wiped beads of sweat from beneath his hat as he talked about how much pride he felt when he received his medal. Perspiration served as tangible reminder for the ambassador’s message.

Cho pointed out that the Americans who shed their blood, sweat and tears along with the Korean people during the war will always have an important place in the country’s history.

Thomas said, “If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t hesitate. It was one of the greatest honors of my life.”