Proclamation 6582—40th Anniversary of the Korean Armistice

The friendship between the United States and South Korea is one formed in blood, for our troops fought shoulder to shoulder in defense of freedom. On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice, it is appropriate that we honor those who fell in defense of freedom and human dignity and that we strive to create a new vision of how we as a community of neighbors can live in peace in the post-Cold War era.

When President Truman sent American troops to Korea's defense 43 years ago, he said he aimed to prove that "Free men under God can build a community of neighbors working together for the good of all." The joint efforts of the United States and South Korea since then have benefited the citizens of our two countries and the peoples of the Asian Pacific region. Our relationship has made that region more secure, more prosperous, and more free.

I join with all Americans in paying tribute to those who served in the Korean War and in remembering those who died in that conflict. We must not forget the lessons we learned--the Korean War must not be the "Forgotten War."

Veterans of Korea served America valiantly during one of the most destructive wars of this century. Their experiences remind all Americans of our great debt to those who have risked--and sometimes lost--their lives in defense of our liberty. As a Nation, we must always remember the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform and by their families. I salute the distinguished service records of our veterans, as well as the sacrifices that they have made for America.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby urge all Americans to observe July 27, 1993--the 40th Anniversary of the Korean Armistice--with appropriate programs and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON