More than 100 former U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) veterans gathered in San Diego on October 24–25 to honor their service and reaffirm the importance of the U.S.–South Korea alliance.
The Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA), headquartered in Virginia, hosted its fourth annual general meeting and U.S.–South Korea Alliance Conference. Attendees included former enlisted soldiers who served in Korea and retired four-star generals who once led USFK. KDVA supports individuals who contributed to the alliance and operates seven chapters, with more than 53,000 members.
Robert Abrams, former commander of U.S. Forces Korea and current KDVA President, said former USFK personnel share “service, sacrifice, and love for the Korean people,” adding that without service in Korea, “one cannot truly appreciate the importance of the alliance.” He emphasized that their mission is to share the meaning of the alliance with American society.
A special session featured veterans sharing memories from their service in Korea. Larry Tressler, KDVA Florida Chapter President, served as a news photographer with the Eighth U.S. Army Public Affairs Office in Yongsan from 1968–1970, documenting military training and high-level inter-Korean talks at Panmunjom.
Tressler returned to Korea in 2023 through a KDVA revisit program for the first time in 53 years. He recalled that at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, a Korean man told him, “I can enjoy freedom because of you.” Tressler replied that serving in Korea “was the greatest honor” of his life, and the two men embraced in tears. He concluded his presentation by singing “Arirang” in Korean on stage, and attendees responded with tears and a big round of applause.
A Defense and Diplomacy Dialogue Forum examined the future of the alliance. Panelists included Abrams, Jung Seung-jo, former Chairman of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff and Honorary Chairman of the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, and Mark Tokola, former Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
Jung said South Korea must expand combined training with the United States and strengthen deterrence against North Korea’s threats, noting strengthened North Korea–China–Russia cooperation seen at China’s recent Victory Day event. He underscored the need to further develop trilateral coordination between South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
Tokola said the alliance is “strategically essential” for the United States and stressed that coordination must include the U.S. State Department’s policy engagement on the Korean Peninsula, not only military cooperation.
Attendees reaffirmed shared goals, including Yun Eui-cheol, KDVA Korea Chapter President and former Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Choi Man-gyu, President of the Association of the United States Army Korea Chapter; Choi Jin-taek, President of the Republic of Korea KATUSA Veterans Association; and Cho Sung-ho, Deputy Consul General at the Korean Consulate in LA.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
