A new statewide effort is underway to honor Nebraska’s Korean War veterans. Jim Pillen joined John Hilgert at the State Capitol Monday morning to announce a special recognition initiative aimed at thanking the roughly 2,400 Korean War veterans still living across the state.
The program will include the distribution of specially minted recognition coins. Leaders from major veterans organizations say they will play a key role in getting those coins into the hands of those who served. Hilgert says the coins will be given to all Korean War veterans who served in the Armed Forces between June 27, 1950, and January 31, 1955.
“They must be a current legal resident of Nebraska or demonstrate Nebraska residency at the time they entered service, and they must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.” American Legion State Commander Judy Walters and VFW State Adjutant Jeffrey Baker both emphasized the importance of recognizing a generation of veterans whose service is sometimes overlooked.
“That’s the saddest part about this whole story is people don’t know anything about it,” says Dan Ryberg, president of the Nebraska chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association. “There was a war. There was sacrifice. I want to do anything I can, along with the association, to let everybody know what happened from 1950 to 1953 in particular.”
Korean War veterans felt their service was often overlooked because the three-year war was sandwiched between World War II and the Vietnam War. The coin itself is housed in a blue velvet presentation case, emblazoned with NDVA’s logo. The coin shows the 48 star U.S. flag, the South Korean flag, and this quote. “Honoring those who answered the call to defend a country they never knew.”
The NDVA emblem is on the back of the coin. There will be a special ceremony held at the Capitol on July 24 prior to the Korean War Veterans Armistice Day where the coins will be presented to the veterans.