Bayonne veterans hold ceremony marking end of Korean War

From New Jersey.com: Bayonne veterans hold ceremony marking end of Korean War
Bayonne veterans and city officials marked the 58th anniversary of the last day of fighting in the Korean War, with a wreath-laying ceremony last week at the Korean War monument at the entrance to Dennis P. Collins Park on First Street.

The ceremony was dedicated to the 25 residents who made the supreme sacrifice in Korea.

“These men are true heroes who sacrificed their own lives for all of us,” Mayor Mark A. Smith said to the small crowd who attended.

“When we think of heroes some may think of baseball players, singers, and other celebrities, but these men who answered our country’s call are the ones who we should be honoring as heroes, for they exhibit traits of selflessness and preserved our life, liberty and „0„pursuit of happiness.”

The Korean War began June 25, 1950, and ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953. The three-year war took the lives of more 54,000 American soldiers and wounded nearly 100,000 of them.

Last week’s event at the memorial honored the service of the soldiers who fought in Korea 61 years ago, and recognized the relationship the United States has shared with South Korea since that time.

Ralph “Lucky” Pasqua, 81, commander of the Hudson County chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association and who served one tour in Korea, reminded everyone of the reason the day is special.

“The war has often been defined as the forgotten war,” Pasqua said. “But in many ways it is about a . . . partnership between America, its allies and the American people that has endured over the years.”