The Korean War Veterans Association Quad Cities Chapter 168 will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice and National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day on July 27.
Past ceremonies have included wreath layings, rifle salutes and taps. This year’s 10 a.m. event at the Memorial Walkway at the Rock Island National Cemetery will feature a keynote speech by the Rock Island Arsenal’s commander, Col. Daniel D. Mitchell. He took charge of the U.S. Army Garrison Rock Island Arsenal on July 14, 2022.Â
Col. Mitchell is a graduate of West Point and holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in defense analysis and strategic studies.
The garrison provides facilities and base operations support and services to all Rock Island Arsenal tenants in the areas of law enforcement, crime prevention, security management, fire, safety, information management, facilities engineering, housing, infrastructure maintenance and transportation.
The installation is home to more than 50 tenant organizations providing critical products and services to the armed services. It employs more than 5,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel.
The Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, with the North Korean army’s invasion of South Korea, officially ended July 27, 1953, a day now officially recognized as Armistice Day. The signing marked the end of the longest negotiated armistice in history: 158 meetings spread over two years and 17 days.Â
Last year’s Armistice Day presidential proclamation said:
“More than 36,000 of those American service members were killed in action, along with more than 7,000 Korean Augmentation to the United States Army soldiers that fought with the United States Armed Forces — sacrificing everything to defend freedom and democracy on the Peninsula. Thousands were held in brutal captivity. Thousands remain unaccounted for to this day. Many more service members returned home with wounds of war, both visible and invisible. —
“Today and every day, we continue to remember our Nation’s Korean War Veterans and honor all that they made possible through service to our Nation and our highest ideals.”
