Ambassador
James B. Cunningham

Biography

Speeches

Ambassador James B. Cunningham
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Reception Honoring Jewish Korean War Veterans
Thursday, June 25, 2009, 6:00 p.m.
Residence of the Ambassador, Republic of Korea

It is my privilege and honor this evening to join Ambassador Ma and the diplomatic community in saluting Jewish Korean War Veterans. I commend the Ambassador for bringing us together this evening.

Korea gained independence in 1948, the same year Israel declared and won its own independence. And like Israel, Korea was soon embroiled in war that threatened its survival.

Both Israel and Korea have had the support of the United States from their very beginnings. In Korea, our troops fought and died for the cause of Korea’s security and independence. In the three short years before an Armistice was signed, 150,000 Americans were killed or wounded in battle. Many of these were Jewish Americans who answered the call to serve. Jewish soldiers from Israel and many other nations joined them on the battlefield supporting the international forces defending South Korea.

Scholars have recently come to see the Korean War as the first great test of the Cold War. President Truman understood that giving in to Communist aggression in Korea would undermine America’s position in Asia and call into question America’s support of her allies. The war demonstrated that nations and even individuals from around the globe will join the battle to help secure the blessings of liberty and security when they are threatened.

In 1955, just two years after the Armistice was signed, Chaim Potok, the acclaimed Jewish-American writer and rabbi, arrived in South Korea to serve as Chaplain to Jewish soldiers in the United States Army. He later described his experience in Korea as “transformative,” after witnessing a people who prayed to a different god, but with the same fervor and the same hopes as the Jewish people: for freedom, peace and security in their own homeland.

Those of you honored here tonight recognized and served that common humanity as well. You left your homes and your families to defend people you had never met in a country far from home. You understood their thirst for independence, and you responded with selfless sacrifice and service. Tonight, we salute you and thank you.