 |
| President Yoon Suk Yeol awards Taegeuk Order of Military Merit to retired U.S. Navy Capt. Elmer Royce Williams during a ceremony honoring Korean War veterans at a hotel in Washington, D.C., Tuesday (local time). Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― President Yoon Suk Yeol awarded South Korea's top military medals to American veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Tuesday (local time).
Yoon held the event at a luncheon with 300 representatives from South Korea and the U.S. and awarded the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit to three American servicemen who fought for the South during the Korean War ― retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, retired Navy Capt. Elmer Royce Williams and Baldomero Lopez, a first lieutenant who served in the Marine Corps. His nephew received the merit on behalf of the late Lopez.
"The dazzling prosperity of South Korea, which has risen from the ashes of war to a global leading country, stands on the sacrifices and dedication of countless young Americans … They made noble sacrifices for a country and people they had never met before, all for the mission of protecting freedom," Yoon said.
 |
| President Yoon Suk Yeol pushes a wheelchair carrying retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett during a luncheon with Korean War veterans at a hotel in Washington, D.C., Tuesday (local time). Yonhap |
"Without the sacrifice of Korean War veterans, there would be no South Korea today. The Korean War is not a forgotten war, but a victorious war that we must remember. You, the Korean War veterans, are the heroes who made today's South Korea possible and are true friends of ours."
Puckett led the Eighth Army Ranger Company through the battle for Hill 205 in North Pyongan Province on Nov. 25, 1950 and held the position through six waves of assaults from Chinese forces, despite getting wounded.
Williams is known for his solo dogfight with seven Soviet MiG-15 fighters, shooting down four of them, in November 1952. Lopez heroically threw himself on a hand grenade during the Incheon landing on Sept. 15, 1950 and saved the lives of his subordinates.
Along with the three veterans, more than 360 people attended the luncheon to commemorate the sacrifices of American soldiers during the Korean War.
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown, Jr., South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command Gen. Paul LaCamera, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and the former chiefs of the U.S. Eighth Army attended the luncheon.
From South Korea, the eldest daughter of Gen. Paik Sun-yup, the late former commander of the South Korean Army's 1st Division, and South Korean soldiers who fought in the second battle of Yeonpyeong and survived the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan participated in the event.
"The South Korea-U.S. alliance forged in blood has built the most successful and powerful alliance in the world over the past 70 years," Yoon said.
"We will forever remember the dedication and friendship of those who fought together for the freedom of South Korea. The South Korean government will not stop its efforts to excavate the remains of American soldiers who died or went missing during the Korean War. We will do our best until the last person is returned to their family's embrace."
![[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/83a5770de8d8420da3634fb8b78266c1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8cc3b8d992cd4b8bb43395b014670ca2.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
