The lives of those who served in what is known as the ‘forgotten war’ were remembered during a moving service at Maitland Park this morning.
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About 35 people gathered at the park’s war memorial to acknowledge the anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
“It’s important for us to have a ceremony remembering this war so these soldiers are not forgotten,” Maitland RSL sub-branch president and chaplain Eric Bell said.
“The service these men gave is no less important than what was given in WWI or WWII.
“But the Korean War does tend to be forgotten because it was a policing operation so it wasn’t given the credence of an actual war. And for a long time afterwards these men had to fight for their rights.”
The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces launched an invasion of South Korea.
Personnel from the Australian Army, RAAF, and RAN fought as part of the United Nations multinational force, defending South Korea from the community force of North Korea.
An armistice was signed three years and one month after the war began.
While the final death toll from this war is thought to be in the millions, it is often referred to as the ‘forgotten war’ as its significance is often overshadowed by Australia’s higher profile battles in the world wars and the Vietnam War.
“This service is not about glorifying this war, there was nothing glorious about it, but some of the acts these men performed were quite glorious and brave,” Mr Bell said.
