President Moon Awards Medals to Two UN Forces Veterans (Comprehensive)

The Sitting President Personally Awards the First UN Forces Veteran Medal... "Reaffirming the Blood Alliance Formed Through Participation in the War"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 27th, President Moon Jae-in awarded the Taegeuk Military Merit Medal to the late Father Emil Joseph Capone (USA), a Korean War veteran, and the Order of Civil Merit, Peony Medal, to General Colin Nicholas Khan (Australia).

On this day, marking the ‘UN Forces Veterans Day,’ President Moon invited families of UN Forces veterans to the Blue House State Guest House to present medals, honoring those who sacrificed for the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea. This was the first time President Moon personally awarded medals to UN Forces veterans.

President Moon said, "The government will remember the ‘blood alliance forged through participation in the war’ and repay the sacrifices and dedication."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Father Capone, deployed as a military chaplain, is called the ‘Saint of the Korean War’ for practicing philanthropy indiscriminately toward both allied and enemy forces. He refused several opportunities to escape during the war, cared for the wounded, was captured by Chinese forces, and passed away on May 23, 1951.

The Blue House explained, "In April 2013, the United States posthumously awarded him the highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, to commemorate his spirit of sacrifice." At this event, Raymond Emil Capone, the late Father Capone’s nephew, attended and accepted the medal on his behalf.

General Khan participated in the war in July 1952 as a platoon leader of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and sustained lung damage from gunfire while conducting frontline reconnaissance missions. After returning to Australia, he served as a civilian diplomat and contributed to the establishment of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Canberra, Australia.

The Blue House explained, "Due to health reasons, he was unable to visit Korea, so his niece’s granddaughter, Catherine Elizabeth Khan, came to Korea and accepted the medal on his behalf."