Honoring Lieutenant General Sung Eun Kim (Ret.)

HONORING LIEUTENANT GENERAL SUNG EUN KIM (RET.) -- HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN (Extensions of Remarks - March 09, 2004)

HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN
OF MASSACHUSETTS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2004

Mr. MCGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD the following statement signed by the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation as well as our dear friend and colleague, U.S. Representative CHARLES B. RANGEL of New York.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Rangel served in the U.S. Army from 1948 to 1952, during which time he fought in Korea and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to personally thank my colleagues for signing this letter to Lieutenant General Sung Eun Kim (Ret.).

Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, March 5, 2004.

Lieutenant General Sung Eun Kim (Ret.) served as the 4th Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marines Corps (ROKMC) and as ROK Minister of National Defense from 1963 to 1968. In General Kim, the United States has a true friend.

General Kim is a patriot who cares dearly for freedom and has a strong personal affinity for America. He also is an ardent supporter of the Korean War Memorial of Central Massachusetts, having made a significant contribution toward its construction and then encouraged many other ROKMC Commandants and other military leaders to join him in support of the Memorial, which stands as a symbol of Freedom.

The alliance between the ROK Marine Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps was forged in the fires of the Korean War, where Commandant General Kim and his ROK Marines fought shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. Marines to repel brutal Communist aggression. According to historian Lieutenant Colonel James Durand, USMC, "...... in the history of the ROK Marine Corps, General Kim is certainly in a class by himself. General Kim led ROK Marines in more battles than any other commander, including the amphibious landing at Tong Yong, which resulted in the first unit-wide promotions of the Korean War."

In a letter to Korean War Memorial Chairman Francis Carroll of Worcester, Massachusetts, General Kim wrote, "I want to thank the American people for all the sacrifices they have made for Korea. Had the United States not come to our aid 53 years ago, I would surely not be alive today to write this letter ..... I know that South Korea would not be the prosperous, democratic nation it is today without the military, economic, and political assistance America has given us over the past half century."

Thank you General Kim, the ROK Marine Corps, and the people of the Republic of Korea for your friendship. We salute you.

Sincerely,

END