Veterans Museum hosts Korean War memorial ceremony
June 25 marks the 74th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, and the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas is hosting an event to commemorate the occasion.
According to George Ehr, a member of the museum’s board of directors, this anniversary event is a first for the museum.
Ehr said he lived in South Korea for several years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1970s, during which time he learned how the Korean people view June 25.
“I felt the memory and the seriousness of that day in their minds,” Ehr said. “That continues to this day.”
Ehr said he proposed the idea of a June 25 ceremony last winter to “honor this date the way Koreans do.”
The Korean War Remembrance Ceremony will be held on June 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Ingram Auditorium in Dunham Hall on the campus of Brevard College, 1 Brevard College Drive. Admission is free. The event will also be streamed live on Facebook. The recording will be made available later on the museum’s website.
The event is titled “Korean War Commemoration Ceremony: A Tribute to the Veterans and the Korean People,” a dual title that Ehr said is important.
“It’s about honoring the veterans, but it’s also about honoring the Korean people with whom we shared so much and who played a key role in paving the way and then building this amazing country that it is today,” Ehr said.
The ceremony is expected to last about two hours with an intermission.
US Air Force veteran Tom Comshaw, who served in the Korean War, will give a lecture about his experiences during and after the war.
Other Korean War veterans will also be honored and introduced individually during the ceremony. Ehr said four to six veterans from the Brevard area are expected to be in attendance, with another four to six from the Greenville, South Carolina, area.
Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof will speak along with representatives from the offices of Chuck Edwards, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd. A representative of the Consul General of the Republic of Korea will also speak.
In addition to this tribute to veterans, Sara Yoon of the Korean Center of Greenville has organized two performances. The first will consist of a song by the Korea School Children’s Choir and the second will consist of a traditional fan dance by the center’s adult dance group.
Traditional Korean finger food is served during the break.
“It’s a very extensive program that we’re looking forward to,” said Ehr.
He said that as host, he would share his thoughts on why the Korean War is sometimes called “the forgotten war.”
“We were more than happy to put all that out of our minds and live in peace again,” Ehr said. “I disagree that it was forgotten or that it was not a success. I think the Korean War was a great success, both in terms of foreign policy and because we literally saved a people. We saved South Korea from totalitarianism.”
Ehr expressed hope that the event could be continued next year, with plans to also honor veterans who were stationed in South Korea after the war.
“I think these people really deserve great respect and recognition,” Ehr said. “I think it will be very meaningful for them to actually receive public recognition for their service far, far away from home in dangerous circumstances.”
More: Hendersonville war veteran Ed Cottrell receives French Legion of Honor medal
Karrigan Monk is a reporter for Black Mountain News and Hendersonville Times-News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].
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