Posted on 07/27/2013 10:15:24 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Obama: 'Korea was a win' By Peter Schroeder - 07/27/13 11:19 AM ET
President Obama hailed veterans of the Korean War Saturday, saying their sacrifices ensured that millions of Koreans could live safely in a democracy.
Speaking on the 60th anniversary of the Korean War's armistice, he noted that some had expressed their dissatisfaction with the war's resolution, which resulted in the establishment of a demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea and did not end with a definitive truce. He noted that many dismissed the conclusion with the phrase "die for a tie."
But he argued that, decades later, those efforts have proven fruitful.
"That war was no tie. Korea was a victory," he told those gathered in Washington at the Korean War Memorial. "When 50 million South Koreans live in freedom, a vibrant democracy…a stark contrast to the repression and poverty of the North, that is a victory and that is your legacy."
Obama also noted that Korean War veterans did not receive the praise and thanks upon returning home, and "deserve better."
"Unlike World War II, Korea did not galvanize our country, these veterans did not return to parades," he said. "Unlike Vietnam, Korea did not tear at our country, these veterans did not return to protests.
"Among many Americans tired of war, there was, it seems, a desire to forget, to move on," he added. "Here in America, no war should ever be forgotten, no veteran should ever be overlooked."
The president also noted that the Korean War offers lessons for the U.S. even today. He said that war taught the U.S. to be ever-vigilant, noting that the rapid withdrawal of troops after World War II allowed the conditions for Communism to spread, sowing the seeds for the Korean conflict. And as the U.S. withdraws its troops from Afghanistan, the president vowed to maintain a fierce fighting force.
"Our allies and adversaries must know the United States of America will maintain the strongest military the world has ever none, bar none," he said.
Obama was joined at the event by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who hailed veterans of the war who "stepped forward at a defining time in our history."
"We acted out a belief that peace and security among nations must depend on the rule of law, not the rule of force," he said. "The Korean War teaches us an important lesson, that alliances and international institutions are extensions of our influence, not constraints on our power."
Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell also attended and spoke, as well as envoys from South Korea.
Roughly five thousand people gathered for the event, according to a pool report.
Proves the point he's naive..........
I have never heard that before. Never.
Whoever programs TOTUS is full of it.
Barry is America’s first and therefore, “historic”, Everybody Gets A Trophy president.
Naive? Or a carefully trained Leftist operative?
Yeah, sure. Tell that to my (now deceased) Army lifer uncle, whose job it was to escort the bodies home.
Again the jackass refused to place his hand over his heart during the National Anthem.....while all others on the stage did the right thing.
Idiocy reigns.
We are in a kakistocracy. Big time.
Certainly was, ...For International Communism.
He’s really upped the BS quotient to at minimum one a day now. The psychopath that he is, maybe the end is near.
“Kim Il Sung was inspired by our Founding Fathers.”
Stop it, Obama. The word “win” offends you and you know it.
Obama is an utter idiot, knows nothing of history. Despite pretending.
The Korea conflict was a failure, stemming from the Soviets trying to grab Japanese holdings away from the Americans in the last days of WWII. We blocked them from taking Japan, but did not push them out of Korea. Same against the Chinese later in what became the Korean War. It was and is a stalemate.
Valerie Jarrett, better known as “VJ,” should be standing in that photograph between obozo and biden!
"VJ" stands for Victory in Japan....don't besmirch our Veterans and those who died fighting the Japanese, by bestowing those initials to that bitch.
That picture is looks like the waiting room for entry into Hell.
The White House staff is who first referred to her by her initials, apparently.
Figures with that traitorous bunch.
Not sure what everyone is so upset about. Obama is correct in this case. The Korean war was fought to keep the communists out of South Korea. We were successful in that effort. You can argue the merits of our war policy all day long but it was never our intention to drive the commies out of North Korea. I know MacArthur wanted to but Truman wouldn’t let him. So it was the policy of the US to fight a defensive action only.
Now Viet Nam...that’s another kettle of fish altogether....
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