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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and raged
3for three bloody years; 1.5 million members of the United
4States Armed Forces, including thousands from the State of
5Illinois, answered the call to arms during the war; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The President of the United States may present
7Congressional Gold Medals to Korean War veterans in
8recognition of their contributions while serving under the
9United Nations Command (UNC), which was the first
10international unified command in history; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The purpose of the medals are to express
12recognition of the exemplary contributions made by all Korean
13War veterans, both U.S. and allied forces, who demonstrated
14selfless acts during the conflict; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Empire of Japan occupied the entire country
16of Korea from 1910 until the end of World War II; prior to the
17official Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, the U.S. and
18its allies prepared an arrangement to divide Korea
19horizontally into two regions, North and South; and
 
20    WHEREAS, On June 25, 1950, the North Korea Peoples' Army
21and their allies invaded South Korea; the U.N. Security

 

 

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1Council adopted a resolution to send U.N. Forces into Korea;
2on June 27, 1950, President Truman sent U.S. troops as aid
3under the aegis of the United Nations; in October 1950, the
4Peoples Volunteer Army of China entered the conflict by
5encroaching into North Korea; in response, China's ruling
6party ordered the immediate destruction of the entire 1st
7Marine Division, the Republic of Korea Army Divisions, and the
8U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division, which led to the struggle
9to defend the Pusan Perimeter; and
 
10    WHEREAS, A series of battles against the Chinese forces
11took place throughout autumn 1950, including the Battle of
12Inchon, the Battle of Naktong breakout, the Battle of
13Seoul-Second, and the Battle of Changjin Reservoir, which
14tested the capacity of U.S. and allied forces against both the
15enemy and the elements; and
 
16    WHEREAS, On November 25, 1950, Chinese communist forces
17launched an all-out assault, swiftly overtaking the UNC forces
18and forcing U.S. and UNC allied troops to withdraw south;
19battles against the communist forces continued throughout
201951, including the Battle of Seoul-Fourth, by far the largest
21artillery operation of the Korean conflict; during this time,
22U.N. allied forces from countries such as Australia, the
23Philippines, and parts of the United Kingdom assisted in
24combatting the Chinese communist forces; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, By 1953, at least another dozen battles took
2place in an attempt to retake South Korea; the ground action
3was led by U.S. and allied forces; and
 
4    WHEREAS, On July 27, 1953, the United States, North Korea,
5and China signed an armistice agreement that ended the
6conflict and created the demilitarized zone (DMZ), again
7dividing Korea but failing to bring about peace; to date, the
8Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic Peoples'
9Republic of Korea (North Korea) have not signed a peace treaty
10that would officially end the war; and
 
11    WHEREAS, One of two principle objectives was to not lose
12the war to the aggressors and the other was to keep Seoul,
13South Korea from occupation by the Democratic Peoples'
14Republic of Korea to the north; American combat troops and
15allied forces from 16 nations helped secure this mission;
16today, Seoul's vibrancy is possible because of those who
17served and sacrificed; and
 
18    WHEREAS, It is the appropriate time for America to honor
19the troops, including all United Nations allied forces during
20the Korean conflict, and to award them the Congressional Gold
21Medal; it is appropriate that these medals stand as evidence
22that The Forgotten War is no longer forgotten, but forever

 

 

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1remembered; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
3ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
4REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge Congress to
5authorize the President to present Congressional Gold Medals
6to Korean War Veterans in recognition of their service and
7sacrifice; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That following the awarding of the medals, we
9urge that one Congressional Gold Medal be given to the
10Smithsonian Institution and one Congressional Silver Medal be
11given to the War Memorial of Korea, Seoul, where they shall be
12available for display as appropriate and made available for
13research; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That we recognize and honor the service and
15sacrifice of all Korean War veterans, the brave men and women
16who served honorably and those who paid the ultimate price
17defending our freedom; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
19delivered to President Joe Biden, U.S. Senate Majority Leader
20Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,
21U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House of
22Representatives Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and all

 

 

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1members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.