‘Christmas in July’: Visiting vets recall the Korean War and the armistice that ended it

SEOUL, South Korea — Dozens of Korean War veterans, including 17 Americans, returned to the divided peninsula to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the fighting between the U.S.-backed South and its communist rivals in the North.

Dick Munson, 87, who was visiting South Korea from Ely, Nev., recalled learning about the armistice while he was at his post called, Christmas Hill, near the front lines, on July 27, 1953.

“I was thinking about the anniversary of the signing of the armistice and excited to be here for that,” he said in an interview before a ceremony Saturday in Seoul. “Those of us serving up there called it Christmas in July.”

South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs hosted Munson and more than 100 other veterans and family members from 16 nations to express the South’s appreciation for the sacrifices made during the three-year war.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/1.592214