A distinguished Korean War veteran received special recognition from South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during their joint press briefing here today.
The two leaders presented a Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance Award to retired U.S. Army Col. William E. Weber for meritorious service in which he lost an arm and a leg while defending the Wonju sector just east of Seoul in 1951.
During the briefing, Weber, who approaches his 90th birthday Nov. 10, said he was humbled by the honor.
“If I am deserving of it for that which I have done, I promise I shall continue that effort until the day I die,” he said.
Five months into his deployment while commanding “K” Company, 187th Airborne Regional Combat Team, Weber suffered two injuries, one that claimed his arm just before midnight Feb. 15, 1951 and another mere hours later when he lost his leg.
Sense of duty
According to his biography, after his hospitalization, Weber was retained on active duty in late 1952 and at the time was the only double amputee to have such status.Â
After the war, Min-koo explained, Weber has served as president of the Korean War Veterans Foundation for over 20 years.Â
The minister added that Weber has promoted America's understanding of the Korean War and the RoK-U.S. alliance through various projects, including construction of the Korean War Memorial and the Wall of Remembrance for 40,000 men who fell in the Korean War.
Still, Weber acknowledged the relative lack of public attention the Korean War has received over decades.Â
“Sadly in American history, the Korean War is just a minor footnote when instead it should be a benchmark that we should take pride in as people,” Weber said. “For just as surely as we fought World War II, to save the world for democracy and its people, so too did we as a people fight in Korea to save the world from enslavement from communism.”Â
(Follow Amaani Lyle on Twitter: @LyleDODNews)
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