PRINTER'S NO. 974
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
151
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY MASTRIANO, BROWNE, LAUGHLIN, FONTANA, ROBINSON,
ARGALL, STREET, YUDICHAK, GORDNER, HUTCHINSON AND J. WARD,
JUNE 25, 2021
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JUNE 25, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Remembering the Korean War, often referred to as the Forgotten
War, and the heroic efforts of the fellow Americans whose
sacrifice set the precedent of our nation's global presence
and adherence to freedom.
WHEREAS, The Korean Peninsula was ruled by imperial kingdoms
for centuries and later occupied by Japan at the conclusion of
the Russo-Japanese War; and
WHEREAS, With Korea having been colonized by Japan in 1910,
the Korean Peninsula remained Japanese territory until the
aftermath of World War II in 1945; and
WHEREAS, Japan's defeat in World War II destabilized and
divided the Korean Peninsula between the United States and the
Soviet Union backed by China; and
WHEREAS, In August 1945, the United States created a
temporary divide that assigned the Soviet Army and its communist
regime control of the area 38 degrees North; and
WHEREAS, Further, a military government, supported by United
States Armed Forces, controlled the region South of that
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latitude; and
WHEREAS, This temporary divide created what is still known
today as the 38th Parallel; and
WHEREAS, The Cold War between the United States and the
Soviet Union further deteriorated efforts to foster common
ground among Korean nationalists, heightening tensions and
uncertainty in the region; and
WHEREAS, In 1948, the United States requested that the United
Nations convene a vote of all Koreans to determine the future of
the Korean Peninsula; and
WHEREAS, This vote was rejected by the North, which lead to
the formation of the Communist-backed Democratic People's
Republic, known as North Korea, and the Western-aligned Republic
of Korea, known as South Korea; and
WHEREAS, The two nations claimed sovereignty over the entire
peninsula setting the stage for an unavoidable conflict; and
WHEREAS, On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops invaded South
Korea storming across the 38th Parallel, an action swiftly
condemned by the United Nations that demanded immediate
cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal back to the 38th
Parallel; and
WHEREAS, On June 27, 1950, the United Nations Security
Council passed a resolution recommending members provide
military assistance to South Korea given North Korea's refusal
to withdraw; and
WHEREAS, This decision by the United Nations prompted
President Harry S. Truman to send American forces into action
for containment measures; and
WHEREAS, President Truman stated, "Communism has passed
beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and
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will now use armed invasion and war"; and
WHEREAS, On July 1, 1950, the first United States ground
combat troops, the Army 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Division
and 24th Infantry Division, arrived in Korea; and
WHEREAS, On July 7, 1950, the United Nations Security Council
recommended all forces engaged in the Korean conflict be placed
under the command of the United States; and
WHEREAS, General Douglas MacArthur was then named Commander
of all United Nations forces in Korea; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of General MacArthur, Allied
Forces attacked the North Koreans from both directions in the
infamous battle at Inchon Landing; and
WHEREAS, In that battle, the United States' troops captured
the port on September 15, 1950, paving the way for the American-
led United Nations troops to retake Seoul on September 26, 1950;
and
WHEREAS, General MacArthur's strategy of a wider war included
a war against China which was in stark contrast to President
Truman's position of a more limited war and created a point of
contention between the two leaders; and
WHEREAS, In defiance, General MacArthur took a hardline
stance stating that there is no substitute for victory against
international communism; and
WHEREAS, This statement by General MacArthur resulted in
President Truman relieving the general of his duties on April
11, 1951; and
WHEREAS, In July 1951, President Truman and his new military
commanders began peace talks at Panmunjom, South Korea, with
both sides agreeing to adhere to the 38th Parallel but
disagreeing on whether prisoners of war should be forcibly
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repatriated; and
WHEREAS, On July 27, 1953, following two years of cease-fire
negotiations, an armistice was signed by North Korea and South
Korea which allowed prisoners of war choice of domicile; and
WHEREAS, The armistice also drew new boundary lines near the
38th Parallel and created a two-mile wide demilitarized zone
(DMZ) to serve as a buffer between the two nations; and
WHEREAS, The Korean War was fundamentally a civil war; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 5 million soldiers and civilians lost
their lives in one of the bloodiest conflicts in modern times;
and
WHEREAS, With the establishment of the DMZ partition,
approximately 10 million Koreans were separated from their
families, creating a quandary of a nation divided even today;
and
WHEREAS, Nearly 40,000 Americans died and more than 100,000
were wounded in the Korean War; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate remember the Korean War, often
referred to as the Forgotten War, and the heroic efforts of the
fellow Americans whose sacrifice set the precedent of our
nation's global presence and adherence to freedom.
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