Letter to the editor: Thanking veterans

To the editor:

Thank You, Korean War veterans, Hanna Kim says.

The Korean War Memorial at the University of Kansas in Lawrence will receive a rare visitor on May 25: Hannah Kim, who will pay homage to 60 former KU students, faculty, staff and alumni killed during the three-year war that ended on July 27, 1950.

As a graduate student in Washington, D.C., Hannah Kim established Remember 727, an organization dedicated to honoring the veterans of the Korean War. This was after she had worked with Congressman Charles B. Rangel, a decorated Korean War veteran, several years as his chief of staff. When Congressman Rangel retired in 2017, Hannah embarked on a journey around the world to thank all Korean War veterans from 21 nations who fought in Korea. During this trip, she met over 200 Korean War veterans and interviewed each to make the record straight; “Without you, veteran, South Korea cannot exist today.”

This year, Hannah Kim launched a three monthlong journey on April 27 to visit all 70 Korean War veterans memorials in the U.S. in 50 states, which will end on July 27, the 65th anniversary of the demise of the Korean War.

“The Korean War Veterans are almost 90 years old and many are passing away each month,” her Remember 727 online page read. “During their youth, they … risked their lives to fight for a country they did not know and for people they had not met. They gave so much of themselves, their all, and I want to ensure their stories and sacrifices are not forgotten.”