Veterans day speech at Rotary Club of Cumming, GA

Veterans day speech at Rotary Club of Cumming, GA

November 9, 2023 Sunny K. Park

INTRODUCTION

Good morning!

fellow Rotarians of the Forsyth Rotary Club, Distinguished Guests,

Families, Friends and Patriots.

Thanks for including me in today’s Veterans Day Ceremony!

OBSERVANCE HISTORY

Veterans Day commemoration is very special and personal to me.

It is a day of national awareness and solemn reverence; a day for us

to honor the military men and women who gave their lives in defense

of our nation, its values, and our freedom.

Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to stop and think about brave

Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great nation.

MY STORY GROWING-UP IN SOUTH KOREA

I am honored to have the opportunity to share my story of American

servicemen I met when I was very young and thank them!

As some of you may know, I was born in South Korea, a beautiful country!

I often brag about South Korea and how much it has grown since the

Korean War; I like to brag about its miracle economy, and how

industrialized it has become.

However, the miracle economy and advanced technology wouldn’t

possible without the contributions of the United States.

We are here today to Remember and Honor those American heroes

including those who saved South Korea from the tragedies of war.

The Korean War broke out on June 25,1950; I was about to celebrate my 8th birthday.

The Communist North Koreans in Soviet Union made tanks invaded

South Korea in early Sunday morning.

Instead of celebrating my birthday,

my family and millions of South Koreans fled the South Korea’s

Capitol City of Seoul and walked three days and three nights to the

South.

We were on foot in our escape and realized the North Korean Army had outpaced us.

We refugees fell under Communist control.

Our way of life changed dramatically for the worse.

Many of our freedoms were snatched away immediately.

We had to report to daily community meetings for head count each

morning and each evening.

If you didn’t show up to the meetings and labor calls, you would be

eliminated from the food ration list and eventually starve.

We had to obtain a permit to visit our relatives living in a neighboring town.

There were no cell walls or barbwires around us, but we were living literally inside a jail cell.

There was no more freedom of speech;

no more freedom of assembly,

and no more freedom of religion

and other rights that we had previously enjoyed. 

We learned the value of freedom quickly as we were treated like animals!

I am still struggling with which is more important, LIFE or FREEDOM

or FREEDOM or LIFE!

As the war escalated, there were dead bodies of troops from both

sides, everywhere we looked!

We sensed South Korea was about to fall under total Communist control.

But then, it was almost like magic!

American troops arrived and the tide of the war changed very quickly.

General MacArthur’s successful Inchon Landing and the US military’s

brave intervention saved millions of lives in South Korea and change

the future of this country.

1953, I survived the war and could eventually celebrate my 11th

birthday when the war ended.

My friends who joined my birthday party, they didn’t need to obtain

permission to cross the country line.

The Communist were gone, and our freedoms was restored.

However, the cost of the war was enormous; we lost far too many lives.

In early Summer of 1953, I remember playing at Creekside with two

friends not far from one of the battlefields.

All sudden, we heard thunderous bombing sounds in the sky, and

noticed a US fighter plane, hit by enemy fire, was falling from the sky

with twisting smoke tail.

We, three scared youngsters, ran to the crash site to see if we could help the pilots.

We hoped the pilots had ejected and survived the crash. But disappointingly, we found the pilot’s body in pieces.

The pilot’s handgun was threaded through his intestine and dangling in a weighted tree branch.

We were helpless and shocked.

There was a family picture of on the dirt, apparently dropped from the

pilot’s pocket when the fighter crashed.

We could tell that the pilot was from a great family.

He was a son of a graceful looking couple,

a father of a handsome young boy

and husband of very beautiful woman.

I picked up the photograph and wiped off the blood and dirt!

The scene of the crash site and that photo is still imprinted in my

memory even Today!

The pilot is one of 36,516 brave America heroes killed in Korean War

while protecting my freedom and my life!

GOLD STAR FAMILIES 

Today, we continue to honor those left behind those who paid a very

personal price for us and our nation.

And allow me to express my appreciation to you on behalf of all those

present today. 

We are humbled by your sacrifice, inspired by your resilience and

grateful for your continued service to your communities.

CLOSING AND CALL TO ACTION 

This Veterans Day, I hope that we can think a moment about what we,

the beneficiaries, can do to make the most of the fallen heroes’

ultimate sacrifices.

I often wonder about what the fallen heroes would like to see among us?!

I would think that some of them tells us, like,

“I’ve done my share, you take care of the great nation and educate

your next generation good.”

If you will, I would like to suggest all of us to make the heroes in

Heaven we remember and honor today, happy.

Would you like to join me to respond them: Let’s shout together.

“WE WILL TAKE OF OUR COUNTRY and EDUCATE OUR NEXT

GENERATION GOOD!”

Thank you for the opportunity to remembering our men and women in

military uniform, and their selfless services.



God bless each of you and 

God bless my country the United States of America!