60th Anniversary of the start of the Korean War

Several hundred Indian River County residents paused Friday night to pay tribute to veterans of the Korean War by unveiling a new monument at the Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary near Riverside Park in Vero Beach.

The event, which was sponsored by the newly formed Korean War Veterans Association Chapter IRC 318, featured speeches and patriotic songs, all designed to remember the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.

Daniel P. Stanley, a combat veteran of the Korean War, said the event was a fitting tribute to all veterans, no matter when they served.

“We honor everybody who served,” said Stanley. “We know many came before us in World War II and many came after in Vietnam,” said Stanley. “We appreciate all of their efforts.”

Guest speaker for the dedication ceremony was No Kum-Sok, a former North Korean military pilot who defected to the west by flying a MiG-15 to Kimpo Air Base in South Korea. Kum-Sok, who has changed his name to Kenneth Rowe, said he joined the North Korean Navy as a way to train as a pilot, hoping one day that he could fly his way to freedom.

“I thought that as a naval officer, I would have a better chance to escape,” Rowe said.

After defecting to the allies and providing them with a wealth of intelligence information, Rowe, now 78, moved to America and became a U.S. citizen.

After Rowe’s speech, Hobe Sound resident and Korean War veteran Ed Delaney, called out from the audience, saying he was at Kimpo Air Base when Rowe flew his plane to freedom.

“He was only about 21 years old when he did that,” recalled Delaney, who served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. “It was a clear day and I remember seeing this plane coming in the wrong way. He was something else.”

Delaney said Rowe’s defection provided the Americans with a significant amount of intelligence information, and he wanted to meet him personally.

“I really feel that the knowledge we gained from the MiG-15 was one of the reasons that the North Koreans didn’t keep fighting,” said Delaney, who is 81. “I wanted to thank him on behalf of the United States Air Force.”

Peter Popolizio, from the Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 106 in Port St. Lucie, said the new monument on Memorial Island is also a symbol of freedom.

“On this very important day, the beginning of the Korean War 60 years ago, we fought for the freedom of the South Korean people,” said Popolizio. “Today, South Korea is a democracy because of our brave men and women who never shunned their duty.”