On Monday the nation will remember the 17,000 Australians who fought in defence of South Korea between 1950 and 1953.
Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan met with Coffs Harbour RSL Sub-Branch President John Lloyd today to lay a wreath at the Coffs Harbour Cenotaph ahead of Monday’s anniversary of the signing of the armistice.
“The Korean War is sometimes referred to as the ‘forgotten war’, as it occurred between the large Second World War and the first war to be broadcast on television, the Vietnam War,” he said.
“Together let’s reverse this and honour those Australians who served in the Korean War on Monday as they served on behalf of our nation, our allies and for freedom.
“I thank all of Australia’s Korean War veterans and their families for their service and remember those 297 Australians killed in action and 43 missing in action.”
From 1950-1953, personnel from the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force served as part of the United Nations (UN) multinational force and fought with distinction in an unrelenting war of attrition against the North Korean invasion.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester said more than 150 Australian nursing sisters served both in Korea and Japan, where they treated the wounded and sick.
“Some 1,500 casualties were suffered during the war and post-Armistice period, which tragically included the deaths of more than 350 Australians,” Mr Chester said.
“Each year on 27 July we remember all who served, and all who lost their lives and it is my hope that these men and women, and their families, know that they are not forgotten.”
Mr Lloyd said there are some Korean War veterans and their families living on the Mid North Coast, with most Korean War veterans now aged in their 80s and 90s.
“Australians have tended to ignore the consequences and the sacrifices made by Australian troops in the Korean War, largely because it came on the heels of World War II,” he said.
“The Korean War was, in many ways, the birth place of the modern Australian army, because its force was significantly smaller than that in the Second World War and was restructured for this purpose.
“I thank and honour all those who served in the Korean War and I would like to reach out to any in our region and their families to connect with the RSL if we can be of any assistance.”
This Monday 27 July is the 67th anniversary of the signing of the armistice. An agreement for an armistice was reached on 19 July 1953 between the UN and communist forces and the date for the signing was set for 27 July 1953. Australian forces remained in Korea until 1957 as part of a multi-nation peacekeeping force.
For more information on the Korean War click here.
Media Contact:
Mr Chester – Rachel Tharratt 0419 034 302
Mr Conaghan – Liz Spry 0418 928 744
