Gathering commemorates 68th anniversary of the end of the Korean War
Jul. 28—The Korean War is often called "the forgotten war," and as its history fades in the nation's rear-view mirror, local veterans and veteran advocates are redoubling their efforts to remind Americans that forgetting is not an option.
Such was the mission Tuesday morning as about three dozen military veterans, public figures and veterans advocates gathered at the Korean War Memorial at Jastro Park to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the cease-fire that effectively ended the conflict on July 27, 1953.
"The Korean War is not a forgotten war," insisted Marine Corps veteran Michael Sabol, president of the local chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association, which helped organize Tuesday's event.
"We'll never let our people be forgotten," he said.
On the contrary, Sabol said, Bakersfield and Kern County have a strong record of supporting veterans, honoring those who have served and remembering those who gave their lives during wartime.
When we as a community — or as a nation — forget what happened in Korea, our young people will no longer understand the importance of what has been sacrificed on their behalf, he said.
Sabol was joined by Marine veteran and veterans advocate Dick Taylor, as well as Joshua Dhanens, director of the Kern County Veterans Service Department, to read the names of several Kern County residents who served in Korea and never came home.
For many veterans of that war, those who did not come home were the real heroes.
Later in the program, Taylor recalled a visit he made in 2019 to Bucheon, South Korea, Bakersfield's sister city.
Taylor said he was astonished and impressed by the depth of gratitude many in Bucheon expressed for the sacrifices American soldiers, sailors, Marines and airman made in the gargantuan effort to oust North Korean invaders who streamed across the 38th Parallel in an effort to occupy and conquer the southern republic.
"You cannot imagine," Taylor said, "the gratitude the South Korean people have for Americans."
We live in a time, he said, when respect for those who serve in the military is no longer a given.
"That's certainly not the case there," he said. "Everywhere we went, they were so grateful for what Americans had done, and the sacrifices that Americans and American families made to continue and prolong their freedom."
Tuesday's gathering included Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh, Perry Finzel, a field representative from Rep. Kevin McCarthy's office, Bakersfield City Councilwoman Patty Gray, Cindy Van Bibber, director of Bakersfield National Cemetery, and Cheryl Taylor, a representative from County Supervisor Mike Maggard's office.
U.S. Navy veteran Ted Whitfield, 86, was one of more than a dozen local veterans who attended Tuesday's event at Jastro Park. Whitfield was not exposed to combat, but he was present Tuesday to honor all those who served.
"It's so important to remember," he said.
Paul Schmiedel, 90, was there as well Tuesday. The Pittsburgh native said he served the war years at a U.S. Air Force hospital near Anchorage, Alaska. Many of the wounded were treated at that hospital.
"I lost so many good friends in Korea," he remembered.
For one friend who was killed in a plane crash, Schmiedel took on the responsibility of escorting his friend's remains home to Illinois. He remembered it as one of the toughest jobs he ever had.
U.S. Navy veteran Bob Schilly served aboard two destroyers during the war in several hot spots in Korean waters.
After being away from home for years, and serving in a war zone, it felt strange, he said, to return home to people living their normal lives with seemingly little knowledge of the sacrifices being made by their fellow countrymen.
"When I came home," Schilly recalled, "I met people who didn't even know I was gone."
Reporter Steven Mayer can be reached at 661-395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.
