Korean War Armistice Day

Awaiting action by Gov. Tim Pawlenty is a bill that would designate July 27 as Korean War Armistice Day to commemorate the 1953 signing of the Military Armistice Agreement, ending the three-year Korean conflict.

Rep. Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) and Sen. Paul Koering (DFL-Fort Ripley) sponsor HF3672/SF3443* that would assign the day of honor.

“The Korean War is often called the forgotten war, because it came so quickly after World War II, and it wasn’t resolved in a way that showed a decisive victory,” Severson said. “In fact, there was an armistice, and there is still occupation today. … People did get forgotten. Our soldiers would come home, and people would ask, ‘Where have you been for the last nine months or year?’”

The bill passed the House 130-0 on April 28 after passing the Senate 61-0 on March 17.

Severson said the established “Veterans Day” honors all veterans, but this “would honor the day of the truce, July 27, and as the day we began to bring our warriors back.”