It was a packed house at the Central Nebraska Veterans Homes’ Freedom Hall Monday for a presentation of Korean War Veteran Recognition Coins. The Ceremony is part of an initiative launched earlier this year by Governor Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs to honor Nebraska’s living Korean War veterans.
A picture of the Korean War Recognition Coin created by the NDVA. Photo by Trevor Bentley
17 service members from the Korean War that live at the Veterans Home were recognized by Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly who made a short speech on the importance and the uniqueness of the coin being presented before handing them out to each member there.
The Lieutenant Governor noted that the NDVA created the coins as an additional way of saying thank you to the heroes and that he wouldn’t be surprised if other states went out of their way to copy Nebraska as they were the first to do so.
The Coin features the United States Flag with 48 stars as that was the flag at the time of the Korean War along with the flag of South Korea. The outside of the coin says “Honoring those who answered the call to defend the country they never knew.” The back features the Seal of the Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs.
Kelly spent a few moments with Central Nebraska Today to talk about why the event is important to him. “It’s an honor to part of a ceremony like this, you can’t say thank you enough to these great Americans… these great Nebraskans, it’s always a pleasure to be with them, it’s inspiring to be with them.
Over 33,000 American Soldiers lost their lives in the Korean War, around 2,400 of them were from Nebraska. The war itself lasted roughly three years from 1950 to 1953 when an armistice agreement was signed, halting open hostilities between North and South Korea.