The three remaining Korean War veterans in Congress introduced legislation on July 27 calling for a formal end to the war after 62 years in a state of armistice. The resolution—authored by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.?), and Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas)—pays tribute to the war’s veterans, its victims, and divided families; calls on the international community to support the formation of a unified Korea and assist efforts to promote denuclearization, economic prosperity, human rights and the rule of law on the Peninsula. “The fact that the Korean Peninsula is still technically in a state of war is wrong,” Johnson said in a joint statement. “The people of Korea, our American veterans who served during this war, and their families all deserve the closure that a formal ending to this conflict—and reunification of North and South Korea—would bring.” Some 5.7 million Americans served in the war, and the US suffered 54,246 casualties from 1950 to 1953. The war also claimed the lives of 2.5 million Korean civilians and the separation of 10 million families.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…