| Direct Link to the Bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.2914: DMZ War Veterans Recognition Act of 2006 (Introduced in Senate) 109th CONGRESS - 2d SESSION
S. 2914 To recognize and honor the soldiers of the United States and the Republic of Korea who served,
were wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the present in the defense of the Republic of Korea,
to require the placement of a commemorative plaque at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington,
D.C., and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 19, 2006
Mr. DEWINE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources
A BILL
To recognize and honor the soldiers of the United States and the Republic of Korea who served, were
wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the present in the defense of the Republic of Korea, to
require the placement of a commemorative plaque at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington,
D.C., and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America
in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short Title
Section 2. Findings
Congress finds that--
(1) the Korean War, which began in 1950 and ended when the Korean War Armistice was signed
in 1953, is commonly known as the `Forgotten War';
(2) a later war in Korea, known only to some veterans and their families as the `Unknown
War' or the `DMZ War', occurred long after the Korean War Armistice was signed in 1953;
(3) according to military documents, the leadership of North Korea issued a declaration
of war against the United States in a speech in 1966, which read that `U.S. imperialists
should be dealt blows and their forces dispersed to the maximum in Asia. . . .';
(5) since the Armistice was signed, over 40,000 Armistice violations have occurred, many
of which involved troops of the United States who were stationed in and around Korea;
(6) some of those violations, like the capture of the USS Pueblo, caught the attention
of the media, although most have not;
(7) since the end of the Korean War, many soldiers of the United States have died or
been wounded in Korea as a result of hostile fire;
(8) some veterans of the Republic of Korea suffer from exposure to Agent Orange, which
was used during a period that began in 1968 and ended in 1969 in and around the DMZ;
(9) because the hazardous properties of Agent Orange last for at least 100 years, soldiers
of the United States who later served in the Demilitarized Zone had been exposed to the
chemical long after the Armed Forces stopped using it;
(10) the military personnel of the United States who served in the Korean War during
the period that began in 1966 and ended in 1969 received the Armed Forces Expeditionary
Medal; and
Section 3. Definitions
(a) Plaque- The term `plaque' means the plaque directed to be placed at the Korean War Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C. under section 4(a).
(b) Secretary- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
Director of the National Park Service.
Section 4. Placement of Commemorative Plaque
Not later than November 11, 2009, the Secretary shall place on or near the grounds of the
Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., a plaque to commemorate the sacrifices of
those who served, were wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the present in the defense of
the Republic of Korea, that contains the following inscription (in which the bracketed space
shall include the date on which the plaque is placed): `Dedicated to the soldiers of the United
States and the Republic of Korea who served, were wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the
present in the defense of the Republic of Korea. The efforts of those soldiers have enabled
the Republic of Korea to develop into a successful and modern country. Since 1953, the Armed
Forces of the United States experienced more than 40,000 `Armistice violation incidents.' Those
incidents have caused the deaths of over 100 soldiers of the Armed Forces of the United States
and the wounding of hundreds more from hostile fire in the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding
waters. Unknown to most citizens, the soldiers of the United States and the Republic of Korea
fought and won the `DMZ War' between November 1966 and December 1969. That war caused the majority
of the Armistice casualties. We remember the service, sacrifice, and valor of all of those soldiers
on this 40th anniversary of the start of the DMZ War. Their fellow soldiers and their families
will never forget them. Let this Plaque aid their countries to remember them as well. Placed
this day, [XXXXXXXXXX].'
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