Rogue Valley vets receive honors from afar for their service in Korean conflict

Oscar Willis contemplated the small blue-and-yellow medal in his hand for a moment Thursday afternoon.

The Medford resident, a retired Navy corpsman who served in the Korean War, had just received the Korean War Service Medal from Moon Byung-rok, the Seattle-based consul general for the Republic of Korea.

"This medal shows that the war itself is getting some recognition," said Willis, 68. "Those of us who fought that war came forward when our country called."

Willis was among 35 local Korean War veterans or their widows who received the medal from the South Korean government as part of the 50th anniversary of the war that began on June 25, 1950, and continued through July 27, 1953.

The war killed 33,686 Americans in combat with another 20,000 dying from accidents and illness. Of those, 298 were Oregonians.

In a speech prior to presenting the medals in the Medford City Hall council chambers, Moon said his country owes a debt of gratitude to each veteran who served in Korea.

" . . . South Korea has come a long way, rising from the ashes of destruction to become one of the world’s dozen largest economies and one of the strongest democracies in the world," he said.

That success rose out of the sacrifices Americans made during the war, Moon added.

" . . .The Korean people have never forgotten the tremendous sacrifices made on our behalf," he said. "I . . . assure you that the righteous efforts of Korean War veterans were not in vain. If it were not for that noble sacrifice, the freedom, democracy and economic prosperity now enjoyed by the Korean people would be unattainable."

The medal is a "meager expression" to show that gratitude, he said.

"The Korean people will never forget your service to our country," he concluded. "We will forever harbor in our hearts your firm belief in democracy and freedom.

". . . you are not forgotten," he reiterated.

Those comments meant a lot to Willis and his fellow war veterans.

"Many people still think this is a forgotten war," said Willis, who would go on to serve in Vietnam, retiring from the military service in 1976.

"Many young people today don’t know what Korea was all about," he added. "This recognizes what we did in Korea and the reason behind it."

Ed Chun, 36, a member of the Medford City Council, agreed it is time that the veterans be recognized. He was born in Seoul in 1966.

"I was born many years after the war was over — I came to the United States when I was 3," he said, adding that he heard stories of the war from his father and grandfather.

"If it wasn’t for the heroism of these men over there, who knows what type of regime I would have been born under, or if I would have been born at all," he said.

If it were not for what the veterans did, his family may not have been allowed to immigrate to the United States where he is now a citizen, he said.

"For me, this means a lot," he said.

The South Korean government has issued more than 150,000 of the medals to those who served in the war since the 50th anniversary began in 2000. More than 1.5 million Americans served in the war.

Locally, the Rogue Valley Chapter 257 of the Korean War Veterans Association took the lead in organizing the ceremony and accompanying dedication of the Korean War Memorial at the Veterans Memorial Park.

For information to find out about eligibility for the medal, contact association president Herb Robb at 535-1899.