Photo courtesy of Korean War 60th Anniversary Commemoration Committee
Pictured are, from left, Korean War Veteran Everett G. DeWitt, the Rev. June Gyoung Kim of the Korean of Presbyterian Church of Pinellas County, Lt. Col. Robert Ruffolo of the Department of Defense 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee and Korean War Veterans Thomas G. Hannon and Murdock Ford.
PINELLAS PARK – Local Korean Americans from the Tampa Bay area honored Korean War Veterans during a dinner at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Pinellas County June 25.
Lt. Col. Robert Ruffolo, representing the Department of Defense 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee, along with committee ambassador Al Bedgood, conducted a special commemorative ceremony presenting Korean War Veterans with an official commendation signed by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.
Members of the Suncoast Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association held the event to commemorate the start of the Korean War on June 25, 1950.
The Department of Defense Korean War 60th Anniversary Commemoration Committee, authorized in the 2011 Defense Authorization Bill, is dedicated to thanking and honoring all the veterans of the Korean War, their families and especially those who lost loved ones in that war. Over the next three years, the committee will honor the service and sacrifice of veterans, commemorate the key events of the war and educate Americans of all ages about the historical significance of the Korean War.