Good morning, Finest FReeper FRiends. A big thank you to our Armed Forces. Don't know how many watched "Saving Jessica Lynch" last night - very chilling, and very real. The men and women in uniform have always risked their lives for our country, and we must never take them for granted.
God bless our wonderful military!
God bless our wonderful military!
Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday !
Have a cup while you Freep !
Good morning everyone.
From today's Modesto Bee...
'Forgotten war' vets remembered in ceremony
Earl Bass, 82, of Ripon was a surgeon's aid during the Korean War. He was among 100 veterans honored by South Korea. DREW FLEMING/THE BEE
Korean War veteran Jay Erwin, 72, of Ceres, with his son Greg, waits for the medal ceremony to begin. Erwin remembers to the day his length of service in Korea: three years, nine months and 25 days. DREW FLEMING/THE BEE
Nicole Coburn, 10, with her grandmother Charlene Francis, waits to accept a medal honoring her grandfather, Donald Gene Coburn, who served in the Korean War. Coburn's medal was one of 13 given posthumously by a representative of South Korea on Sunday in Stockton. DREW FLEMING/THE BEE
By KERRY McCRAY
BEE STAFF WRITER
STOCKTON -- Nicole Coburn, 10, popped out of her seat to take her place in line among the Korean War veterans. There were some 100 men who had served in Korea, most in their 70s and 80s, inching toward a podium to receive medals from the South Korean government.
Then there was Nicole, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, eager to accept a medal on behalf of her grandfather, Donald Coburn, an Escalon native who was a private in the U.S. Army.
He spent at least three years in Korea, much of it aboard a tank. He died in 1980, well before the South Korean effort to honor those who fought the battle against communism half a century ago.
"I'm very proud of my grandpa," said Nicole, a fifth-grader at Golden West Elementary School in Manteca.
The event, held Sunday at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium, was one of many throughout the nation recognizing the 50th anniversary of the war, which ended in a stalemate that divides South and North Korea to this day.
Veterans from Gustine to Lodi attended with their families and friends. About 700 came.
Byung-jae Cho, a deputy counsel general from South Korea, gave out medals and certificates. Retired Maj. Gen. Daniel Helix of the U.S. Army spoke, as did Scott DeCarillo, a Marine who recently returned from Iraq.
Stuart Long of Ripon, a Vietnam veteran who helps organize such events throughout Northern California, said the 100 veterans receiving medals was the most he's seen at one ceremony. Nationwide, 163,500 veterans have gotten medals, he said.
Jay Erwin of Ceres got his medal at the Stockton ceremony. The 72-year-old was a gunner's mate in the U.S. Navy. He knows exactly how long he was in Korea: three years, nine months and 25 days.
Erwin, who has Parkinson's disease, accepted his medal in a wheelchair. But he stood when it came time to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"He's very proud of the time he spent in the service," said his son, Greg Erwin, also of Ceres.
So is Joe Cordova, 72, of Modesto. He was an airman, first-class, in the U.S. Air Force, helping transport the wounded.
He pointed out that Americans call Korea "the forgotten war" because it falls between two notable events, the Allies' victory in World War II and the Vietnam conflict.
"To me, these medals mean a lot," he said.
Ted Reeves of Merced also values his medal. The 75-year-old was a corporal in the U.S. Army and served as an "observer" on the front lines. He watched the enemy through binoculars, then reported what he saw.
Reeves also vividly remembers what he saw.
"They never said Korea was a war, they called it a police action," he said. "I saw guys that were stacked like cardboard. To me, that was war."
