{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgE2191-3", "2000-12-15", 106, 2, null, null, "REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN OF THE FORGOTTEN WAR: AFRICAN AMERICANS IN KOREA", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "ALLOTHER", "E2191", "E2193", "[{\"name\": \"Corrine Brown\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "146 Cong. Rec. E2191", "Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Pages E2191-E2193]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN OF THE FORGOTTEN WAR: AFRICAN AMERICANS IN\n                                 KOREA\n\n                                 ______\n\n                           HON. CORRINE BROWN\n\n                               of florida\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                       Friday, December 15, 2000\n\n  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, September 13-16, 2000 marked the\n30th anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF)\nLegislative Conference, the most significant socio-political gathering\nin the country to discuss issues of importance to the African American\ncommunity. On September 15, 2000 Representative Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-\nGA) and I convened, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the\nKorean War Commemoration, another well attended, although highly\nemotional, 12th Annual Veterans Braintrust forum entitled:\n``Remembering the Forgotten of the Forgotten War: African Americans in\nKorea.''\n  For the past several years my distinguished friend and colleague\nSanford Bishop, Jr. and I have hosted the Annual Veterans Braintrust\nduring the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Legislative Conference\nbecause we both care a great deal about the well-being of America's\nveterans. Nevertheless, this year I was overwhelmed to be in the room\nwith so many true heroes, and spoke for all my colleagues in thanking\nthem for their service to this great nation. It makes me very proud\nthat the Veterans Braintrust is one of the best attended forums during\nthe Annual Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference. This\nyear's event was particularly important because of the limited time we\nhave to set the record straight on the sacrifices and service of\nAfrican Americans during the Korean War. Because throughout the Korean\nWar, African American soldiers were waging a war on two fronts. They\nfought gallantly beside their comrades in the most trying conditions,\nwhile battling the bigotry and racism that were still prevalent in the\nUnited States military. These same veterans continued their fight\nagainst racism at home by joining the grassroots of the Civil Rights\nMovement. Although Korea is known as the ``Forgotten War,'' we told\nthem that we will never forget, and we won't let our colleagues in\nCongress forget about the brave men and women who made the freedom we\nenjoy today possible.\n  Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr., reaffirmed that the Veterans\nBraintrust is an event which has become one of the traditional\nhighlights of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual\nlegislative conference, adding that this is a family affair which\nbrings veterans and their families together from throughout the\ncountry, and gives us an opportunity to discuss issues of critical\nconcern to us all. To our distinguished panelist, he said, it is\nbecause of Korean War veterans, both men and women who have answered\nthe call of duty that we have the strongest military in the world and\npraised their unselfishness in risking their lives to protect our\nfreedom. Today is their day. African American Korean war veterans are\nfinally receiving the recognition that they truly deserve. With that\nsaid, Bishop introduced our keynote speaker, The Honorable Louis\nCaldera, Secretary of the Army.\n  Secretary Caldera began by stating, that this forum was aptly named.\n``Remembering the Forgotten of the Forgotten War.'' For many African\nAmericans and for many reasons, Korea truly was the Forgotten War. It\ncame on the heels of an exhausting World War II in which our Army\nliterally led the effort to save the world from tyranny. Americans had\nexpected to enjoy the fruits of this exhausting effort for some time.\nThey had enough of war. But less than five years after V-J Day, they\nfound themselves being asked once again to\n\n[[Page E2192]]\n\nsacrifice their sons and daughters to help defend freedom in a nation\nfew had ever even heard of. But if Korea is the Forgotten War, then\ntruly the African American soldiers who served in that conflict are the\n``Forgotten of the Forgotten War,'' as the title of this forum\nsuggests. They had been set apart and marginalized as a fighting force\nlong before the beginning of the conflict. But by war's end they were\nintegrated into units throughout the Army and involved in the thickest\nof the fighting. The tremendous contributions our soldiers made in that\nwar have never been fully recognized. And particularly the\ncontributions of our Korean veterans were not recognized in the way we\nhailed the return of our World War II veterans and certainly even less\nwas made of the service and contributions of our African American\nveterans who were not fully recognized. Those who were overlooked\nincluded men like Congressman Charles Rangel and Congressman John\nConyers, senior Members of the House, founding members of the\nCongressional Black Caucus, and decorated veterans of that war. Then\nSergeant Rangel was awarded the Bronze Star with ``V'' while he served\nwith the 503d Field Artillery Battalion. And 2d\n  Of course there were tens of thousands of other African Americans who\nserved bravely in the Korean War whose actions we must also commemorate\nand remember. I can tell you that I'm looking forward to next July 23,\n2001, when we will lay a memorial wreath in a ceremony at Arlington\nNational Cemetery to pay tribute to the soldiers of the 24th Infantry\nRegiment and other African American soldiers who bravely fought and\nfell in that war. They gave their lives for freedom at Yechon, at the\nHan River, at Kunu-Ri and on many other battlefields where their blood\nnow consecrates that land.\n  Although there are many lessons that we have learned from our\ninvolvement in the Korean War. One of the most important lessons that\nKorea taught us was that segregation has no place in a modern military\n(or our society), but especially in the U.S. Armed Forces. We learned\nthat the Army fights best when it is unified. We learned that\nleadership and bravery and courage knows no color boundary. Until\nKorea, the Army had reflected America's long and tragic history of\nracial discrimination by maintaining segregated units. It was costly,\nirrational, and an inefficient way to do business. It cost us in terms\nof the combat effectiveness of those segregated units. There were\nplaces where soldiers and leaders did not trust each other, held each\nother in disregard, and were rotated quickly through units where they\ndid not invest time in bringing out the best in their men. The result\nwas an Army where certain units were maligned and their reputations\nimpugned because of unfounded rumors, innuendo and the adverse impacts\nof a self-defeating policy.\n  President Truman's historic integration order of 1948 said the Armed\nForces were officially integrated. But at the start of the Korean War,\nthey were still segregated. Once we were thrown into that war we had no\nchoice, in the wake of early setbacks, exacerbated by readiness\nshortcomings, our military leadership was forced to send African\nAmerican troops to fight side-by-side with white soldiers at the front\nlines. As Lt. Gen. Julius Becton, one of our Army's most senior leaders\nand a personal role model when I was a young officer recently recalled\nthat as a young African American officer serving in the early days of\nthe Korean War, the question was put to him, where should we send the\nreplacements who had started to come over to fill the thinning ranks?\nThe idea of sending black soldiers to black units and white soldiers to\nwhite units and not putting a white soldier under command of a black\nofficer all of a sudden had no relevancy. They refused to accept that\nkind of thinking and said ``we're going to send these soldiers where\nthey are needed.'' And so they sent the soldiers to the units where\nthey were taking the highest casualties. As General Becton now puts it\n``Korea was what broke the eggshell to make the omelet to make\nintegration a reality.'' Because all of a sudden soldiers were fighting\nside by side for their well-being, depending on each other, drinking\nfrom the same cup, giving blood to one another to save each other's\nlives and it made all the difference. Today, at a time when diversity\nis increasing rapidly, the Army is taking full advantage of the trail\nof opportunity that was first blazed by these African American\nsoldiers. African Americans still comprise 29% of the enlisted ranks\nand fully 11% of our officer corps. We could not be the world's best\nland power force without these soldiers and without their leadership.\nThey are integral to all we do, and of the future of this great Army,\nfrom our peacekeeping operations in the Balkans to our deterrence\nMission on the Korea Peninsula, to the Persian Gulf. In the coming\nyears, when America will need to draw even more on the diversity of her\ncommunities to meet the new challenges of the 21st century, we will\ncontinue to count on young African American men and women to shoulder\nthe heavy burden of our nation's security. Thank you very much. God\nbless you and God bless our Korean War veterans.\n  In addition, the Secretary of Labor paid a very special tribute to\nKorean War veterans bravery and helped honor those African Americans\nwho served in the Korean War. The Secretary of Labor reminded each of\nus that the Korean War occurred at a time when African-Americans served\nin segregated units, and many of those units were in heavy combat.\nHowever, the success of the integration of the military enabled African\nAmerican veterans to return home and become key participants in the\nsuccess of America's workplace. Lastly, the Secretary asked that all\nAmericans remember the loyalty and valor of African American soldiers\nwho fought bravely in the Korean War, brought change at home, and\nhelped build a bridge to better, and more diverse workplaces.\n  Next, a poem written and read by SFC Laurence Hogan, USAR, Ret.,\ncalled ``Korea--The Dying Game,'' dedicated to the men of the 31st\nInfantry Regiment, 7th Infantry (Bayonet) Division, who fought on Pork\nChop Hill, set the tone for hearing a lot about the trials and triumphs\nof African American Korean war military luminaries like Col. Daniel\n``Chappie'' James, Jr. (and later the first U.S. Air Force African\nAmerican four-star General) who flew many combat missions during the\nKorean War and flew missions in Vietnam, as well as combat members of\nthe infantry, artillery, engineers and ranger airborne organizations.\n  Dr. Edwin R. Parson, noted Psychologist and recent recipient of the\nNAACP's Jesse Brown Leadership Award moderated our distinguished Korean\nwar panelists Sgt. Eddie Dixon, National Historian, 24th Infantry\nRegimental Combat Team (RCT) Association; Dr. William Hammond, Author\nand Historian, US Army Center of Military History; Sgt. Maj. Samuel\nGilliam, USA, Ret., Member of the 503d Field Artillery Battalion; Mr.\nTheodore ``Ted'' Hudson, Sr., 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division; CSM\nSamuel Jenkins, USA, Ret., President, 24th Infantry Regiment Combat\nTeam Association; Col. Charles E. McGee, USAF, Ret., President of the\nTuskegee Airmen Association, Inc.; Mr. Curtis ``KoJo' Morrow, ``G''\nCompany, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad, 24th Infantry RCT; Maj. James ``Big\nJim'' Queen, USA, Ret., Executive Officer, 2d Ranger Infantry Company\n(Airborne), and commentator Dr. William Ball, Professor of Political\nScience & University Scholar, from the University of Vermont.\n  Dr. Parson opened by asking and attempting to answer the question,\n``Why and how did America forget our Korean war veterans?'' In his\nprofessional experience as a psychologist he was not sure what\nAmerica's historical lack of memory for the Korean War and its warriors\nwas due to. But, to forget such noble and heroic exploits by these\nveterans so completely tells an astonishing story of not only national\namnesia, but also societal insensitivity. Moreover, many people believe\nthat when it comes to African American contributions for fighting our\nnation's wars at home and abroad America has always had a bad memory.\nIt had a bad memory in forgetting the 33d US Colored Troops during the\nCivil War, and showed this same tendency in the forgetting of that war,\nas noted by Dr. Harvey Black, an African American surgeon in the Army\nof Northern Virginia. So, American amnesia for the sacrifices of Black\nAmericans who served in the Armed Forces, beginning with the\nRevolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, Indian Campaigns, Spanish-\nAmerican War, through World War I and II to Korea and Vietnam is by now\nlegendary. Forgetting Korea and its veterans may thus be said to be no\nexception. It's a tradition. But, despite our nation's historic\nforgetfulness, we are here today honoring all Korean War veterans. As\nwe believe that this special tribute to our African American war\nveterans aims to make memory a friend, not foe. To turn off the fear\nand face our past with renewed courage, like the courage so powerfully\nand memorably demonstrated by our veterans in places like Inchon,\nPusan, Bloody Peak, Old Baldy, Hill 200, Triangle Hill, Hill 440, Hill\n666 (or Gung Ho Hill), the Chosin Reservoir, Yalu, Chorwan Valley,\nMunsan-ni, Kumpchon, Taejon, and other places where war's violence was\nmet by them with the liberating force of sacrifice and valor.\n  Later that evening, with the gracious assistance of the 50th\nAnniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee, and underwriting\nby Quality Support, Inc., an SBA 8(a) Vietnam Veteran Owned Firm, we\nhonored\n\n[[Page E2193]]\n\nthose who made the freedom we enjoy today possible. Those brave men and\nwomen who laid their lives on the line for a country that too often\ntreated them as second class citizens. The invocation was given by Rev.\nNathaniel Nicholson, 24th Infantry Regiment Silver Star winner; opening\nremarks by Mr. Wayne Gatewood, Jr., President & CEO, Quality Support,\nInc.; with my brief introductory remarks for our keynote speaker and\nawards presenter the champion of America's veterans at the Department\nof Veterans Affairs, Acting Secretary Hershel Gober with Ron Armstead,\nExecutive Director, CBC Veterans' Braintrust as announcer.\n  Secretary Gober thanked everyone for their warm welcome and\nespecially thanked the Veterans Braintrust of the Congressional Black\nCaucus for arranging this event to honor some of our nation's most\ndistinguished veterans--our African American veterans of the Korean\nWar. He applauded the Veterans Braintrust of the Congressional Black\nCaucus for having worked hand-in-hand with the Department of Veterans\nAffairs as an advocate for minority veterans. And our Department is\nproud of our long association with this important group. It is a true\npartnership, and our nation's veterans have seen real benefits from it.\n  In addition, he stated, fifty years ago, in response to an invasion\nby foreign troops, the United States and fifteen other nations sent\ntroops to fight for the Korean Republic. It was the first time in\nhistory an international organization sent an international army to\npreserve democracy, and to fight for the freedom of another nation. 6.8\nmillion Americans served in our military on active duty during the\nKorean War era; 1.8 million of them in the theater of operations.\nNearly 37,000 Americans died; more than 92,000 were wounded. The fates\nof as many as 8,000 more men have never been accounted for. But thanks\nto their service and their sacrifices, Korea stands today a free\nnation, with people proud of their freedom, and grateful to the men and\nwomen from the United States who came to stand and fight with them in\ntheir hour of crisis. Among the 1.8 million men and women who fought in\nthe Korean War there were more than 100,000 African Americans. Black\npersonnel made up 13% of the total military strength in Korea.\nAmericans of African descent have always served our nation with\ndistinction; from Crispus Attucks at Bunker Hill, to the 54th\nMassachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, to the Tuskegee\nAirmen of World War II. But before 1948, they fought, when they were\nallowed to fight, in segregated units--denied the opportunity to show\ntheir abilities in an integrated setting. However, after President\nTruman's 1948 executive order and the armed forces compliance forced by\nthe requirements of war African American soldiers, sailors, airmen and\nmarines were quick to show they were every bit the equal of any soldier\nin combat, anywhere.\n  Fifty years after the Korea was began, we know that America is best\ndefended by an armed force that is truly representative of all of our\nnation's diversity. And it is also best defended by an armed force that\nis recruited, trained, and led in accordance with our nation's highest\nideals--the ideals black veterans fought for in Korea. That knowledge\nmay be the most important legacy that black Korean war veterans have\ngiven us. VA is proud to serve the heroes of the Korean war, and of all\nwars.\n  The 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemorative Awards went to\nthe following (partial list of) brave African American men and women\nLTC Mary Ellen Anderson, USA, Ret., Mr. Lonnie Ashe, Lt. Gen. Julius\nBecton, Jr., USA, Ret., Mr. Francis Brown, First Sergeant George\nBussey, Sr., USA, Ret., Ens. Jesse L. Brown, USN (Posthumous), Mr.\nNathaniel Brunson, Maj. David Carlisle, USA (Posthumous), Mr. Harold\nCecil, Sgt. Cornelius Charlton, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient\n(Posthumous), Col. Fred Cherry, USAF, Ret., Mr. Earnest Cornish, Mr.\nArthur Code, Mr. Samuel Crawford (Posthumous), Sgt. Earl Danzler, Sr.,\nSgt. Edward Dixon, Mr. Gerald Eldridge, Sr., Mr. Daniel Faulk, Mr.\nJoseph Frederick, Mr. Willie Wren, Sr., Mr. Albert Gibson, Sgt. Maj.\nSamuel Gilliam, USA, Ret., SFC. Novel Harris, Mr. Oliver Holiday, SFC.\nLaurence Hogan, USA, Ret., Mr. Theodore Ted Hudson, Jr., CSM. Samuel\nJenkins, USA, Ret., Dr. Edwin Nichols, Dr. Leonard Lockley, Mr. Wilfred\nMatthews, Col. Charles E. McGee, USAF, Ret., Mr. Jerome Milborne, Mr.\nCurtis `KoJo' Morrow, Rev. Nathaniel Nicholson, 1st Lt. Mamie Smith\nPierce, USA, Mr. William Ponder, Sr., Gen. Roscoe Robinson, USA, Ret.\n(Posthumous), Lt. Col. Lyle Rishell, USA, Ret., Sgt. Maj. Lewis\nRoundtree, USMC, Ret., Lt. Gen. Frank E. Peterson, Jr., USMC, Ret., Mr.\nJoseph Williams; Dr. Freeman Pollard, Ms. Marcine Shaw, Mr. Halbert\nSwan (Posthumous), Mr. James Thompson, PFC William Thompson,\nCongressional Medal of Honor Recipient (Posthumous), Mr. LaVonne\nWillis, Mr. Robert Fletcher, Mr. Joseph Patterson, Dr. Jerome Long, Mr.\nThomas Wynn, Sr., Dr. Charles Johnson, Jr., Mr. Leemon Smith\n(Posthumous), Mr. Jerry Carter, Mr. Joel Ward, and Sr. Master Sergeant\nEddie Wright, USAF, Ret. With special unit awards going to the 503rd\nField Artillery Battalion, 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), 77th\nEngineers Combat Company, 159th Field Artillery Battalion, 272nd Field\nArtillery Battalion (MNG), 24th Infantry Regiment Combat Team\nAssociation, Inc., 630th Ordinance Ammunition Company, 231st\nTransportation Truck Battalion (MNG), 376th Engineer Construction\nBattalion (MNG), 715th Transportation Truck Battalion, 65th Infantry\nRegiment, and 65th Infantry Honors Task Force.\n  For the commemorative forms overwhelming success I would like to give\nspecial thanks to Ms. Constance Burns, Curator, US Army Center of\nMilitary History; First Sgt. George Bussey, Sr., USA, Ret., Member of\nthe 24th Infantry Regimental Combat Team (RCT); Mr. Leroy Colston,\nPresident African American Naval Veterans Association; Mr. Harry A.\nDavis, Immediate Past President, 24th Infantry RCT Association; Col.\nWilliam DeShields, USA, Ret., Founder & President, Black Military\nHistory Institute of America, Inc.; Dr. Deborah Newman Ham, Professor,\nMorgan State University, Department of History; Mr. Reginald Lawrence,\nTeam Leader, Jacksonville Vet Center; Dr. Charles Johnson, Jr.,\nProfessor, Morgan State University, Department of History; Mr. Wayne\nGatewood, Jr., President & CEO, Quality Support, Inc.; Mr. Nicholos\nMartinelli, Representative Corrine Brown'sSanford Bishop, Jr.'s\nLegislative Staff; Mr. Daniel Smith, Founder & President, Korean War\nFamily Endowment; Mr. Wilson Smith, Founder & President of African\nAmerican Medal of Honor Memorial Association; Mr. Gabriel Tenabe,\nCurator, Morgan State University Museum; Mr. Marvin Eason, White House\nLiaison, Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Clifton Toulson, Associate\nAdministrator, U.S. Small Business Administration; Ms. Marilyn\nValliant, Catering Manager, Doubletree Park Terrace Hotel, and Mr. Ron\nE. Armstead, Executive Director, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation\nVeterans Braintrust.\n  Once more, we would like to pay a very special tribute to three\ndistinguished current members of Congress and Korean War veterans.\nHonorable Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), Ranking Member on the House Ways\nand Means Committee, and Founder of the Congressional Black Caucus\nVeterans Braintrust; the Honorable John Conyers (D-MI), Ranking member\non the House Judiciary Committee; and the Honorable William Clay (D-MO)\nRanking Member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.\nThree veterans who have also fought in the long hard battle for social,\npolitical and economic justice for all Americans.\n  Finally, to the families of those killed, wounded, missing in action,\nor former prisoners of war, and particularly, Mr. Leemon Smith, Mr.\nTalmadge Foster, Past Director of Alabama's Veterans Leadership\nProgram, Gen. Roscoe Robinson, USA, Ret. and Military Historians Col.\nDavid Carlisle and Col. John A. Cash, USA, Ret., speaking on behalf of\nthe entire membership of the Congressional Black Caucus I would like to\nexpress our sincerest condolences and appreciation for their\ncommitment, indomitable fortitude and dedicated service to country,\ncommunity and family that characterized their lives.\n  We owe you all.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgE2191-3"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 27.881887974217534, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}