HONORING THEIR SERVICE: Commissaries join US in observing National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day on July 27
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – On July 27, 2022, President Joseph Biden proclaimed that date would be forever known as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. Three years after the Korean War Memorial was finished, the national observance was established in an amendment of U.S. Code Title 36.
This day observes the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement signed at 10 a.m. on July 27, 1953, in Panmunjom. The armistice officially ended the war that began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel separating South Korea from the North.
Six years after the armistice was signed, U.S. military commissaries started operating in South Korea, beginning a legacy of service that continues today.
“National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day is a time to officially recognize the service and sacrifice of our Korean War veterans and their families,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the Defense Commissary Agency director. “We’re proud that commissaries have been in South Korea since the late 1950s, and we are charged to continue delivering a benefit of at least 25 percent or more of patron savings to our eligible patrons there now.”
Nearly 1.8 million Americans fought during the Korean War with more than 34,000 service members killed in action, more than 2,000 dying from noncombat injuries. Thousands more were taken prisoner and over 7,600 American troops remain classified as missing in action.
After three years of violent combat across the Korean peninsula, an armistice was signed by representatives from the U.S., the People’s Republic of China, and North Korea on July 27, 1953, ending the Korean War.
On July 1, 1957 the United States Forces Korea (USFK) was established with the mission of supporting the United Nations Command (UNC) by providing trained and ready forces for the defense of South Korea.
From 1953 to 1959 there were six major supply points for ground troops in South Korea. Of these, three issued rations and made bulk sales: Supply Point 46 at Taejon, Supply Point 41 at Seoul, and the 55th Quartermaster Depot at Ascom City. Three more only issued rations: Supply Point 48 at Busan (previously anglicized as Pusan), Supply Point 47 at Taegu, and Supply Point 39 at Uijongbu.
Families could not accompany members of the armed forces to duty stations in South Korea until the late 1950s, after the political and military situations stabilized. This prompted the start of several commissaries in country.
In 1959, for instance, stores opened at Army posts at Camp Walker and Camp Henry in Taegu, and Supply Point 47. In 1961, commissaries opened in Naval Air Station Chinhae; Seoul, South Korea; and Camp Hialeah (at Busan).
Stores continued to open in South Korea throughout the 1960s, including Hannam Village in 1968. In the early 1970s, stores opened at the key Air Force base at Osan and the Army base at Yongsan. Through 2006, commissaries also opened at Camps Carroll, Casey, Edwards, Howze, Humphreys, Page, Red Cloud and Stanley.
Today there are nine commissaries in South Korea: Camp Carroll, Camp Casey, Camp Humphries, Chinhae, Daegu, K-16 Air Field, Kunsan Air Base, Osan Air Base and Yongsan.
-DeCA-
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.