by Jarret Liotta
WESTPORT — A special ceremony Tuesday morning aimed to honor local veterans of the Korean War.
Hosted at the Westport Center for Senior Activities, the ceremony sought to pay homage to a group that did not see national recognition bestowed upon them as virulently as returning veterans after World War II.
“It was never officially declared or officially ended … so sometimes the Korean War is called the Forgotten War,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who organized the event with the town of Westport.
“We hope that today we will take the opportunity to redress that wrong,” she said, noting there were approximately 500,000 living Korean War vets at this time, though their numbers decrease, on average, by 600 each day.
“We are here today to say thank you to you very brave Americans, who stepped forward to defend a country you never knew and a people you never met,” Bysiewicz said.
“You left your jobs, your families, your professions, the comforts of your life, to serve your country,” she said.
Other officials in attendance included State Representatives Jonathan Steinberg and Stephanie Thomas, Thomas Saadi, commissioner of Veteran Affairs for Connecticut, and First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker.
“It is an absolute honor to be here with you,” Tooker said.
“We are here to thank you for your courage and your selflessness … You’ve earned our gratitude many times over and we are forever in your debt,” she said.
My dad was in Korea.
These individuals not only served our country, but have contributed to our town in so many positive ways.