Eighty-four-year-old Robert Brands participated in the American Legion Honor Guard during the Morrison, IL, Memorial Day Parade and services, Monday, May 26, 2014. He was one of five members who offered the rifle salute. Brands is a veteran of the Korean War.
Last summer, on Saturday, July 27, 2013, he was one of several such veterans to be honored by the United States Department of Defense, on the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice. The theme then and at the recent Memorial Day celebration was “Heroes Remembered.” 
Bob’s son Dave drove him 900 miles to Washington, D. C., for the celebration. Did he consider flying instead? “No, not really!” he replied. Brands said “about 5000 attended. It was estimated that 1500 Korean War veterans were honored in person.”
Their first stop on Saturday was the Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. Military personnel instructed them where to go and how to pass security. They were provided a DOD motorcycle escort for their coach ride to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, in West Potomac Park, where the program took place.
Brands described walking on ceremonial mats 10′ or 12′ wide as they approached the larger-than-life memorial statues and sat in a special enclosed area. He and Dave fortunately sat in the ninth row.
“The group of people went back about two blocks!” he remarked. Large viewing screens were provided for those individuals.
U. S. military presented 1500 veterans with an anniversary lanyard/ribbon, placing them around each man’s neck. It was designed with flags of the 22 nations that took part in this war. The large U. S. medal was unique, engraved on both sides.
The front reads, “The Korean War United States Veterans Memorial–Thanks and Honor–The Wire Fence From DMZ–June 25, 1950–July 27, 1953.”
The back states, “‘Thank you.’ In recognition of your dedicated service during the Korean War, this medal is specially crafted with a piece of rusty barbed wire from the DMZ [Korean Demilitarized Zone] in the center. June 25, 1950-July 27, 1953–38th Parallel.”
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ runs along the 38th parallel north. It was created as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement between North Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and the United Nations Command forces in 1953.
Next, Korean military presented each veteran with a bolo tie around their neck. The Korean medal stated the same front message as the U. S. medal. The Korean people supplied a white backpack which included “a lot of different items. [I] used them all,” Brands said. His son received one, too. There was snack food; a hand fan; and a package with a folded, paper sun hat inside.
A final gift was a magazine-sized book of eight or nine ages that included all the speeches made in their honor. An impressive roster of American and Korean dignitaries and speakers highlighted the commemoration. They included
- President of the United States Barack Obama
- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
- Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Admiral James E. Winnefeld, Jr.
- Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
- Secretary of the Department of the Interior Sally Jewell
- Chair of the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department and Professor of Korean Language and Culture and International Affairs George Washington University Dr. Young-Key Kim Renaud
- Special Envoy Chairman of the Political Committee Kim Jung Hun
- Chairman of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs General Jung.
Interspersed throughout these speeches were those made by veterans. There were choirs and bands to entertain, also. After a long day, The Colors were retired, and the day ended with a benediction. Bob and Dave returned by coach to the Pentagon.
Bob Brands showed the Korean War medals to his Morrison American Legion Post #328 members upon his return. The invitation to this poignant 2013 recognition is shown below. Visit KoreanWar60.com for photos and additional information.
