Saturday is National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day—an opportunity to recognize and pay tribute to those who served in the conflict.

The day recognizes the signing of the armistice that suspended the war at 10:00 am on July 27, 1953. Since the 1995 dedication of the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the anniversary of the armistice has been marked by the proclamation of National Korean War Veterans Day every July 27.

The proclamation calls for flags to be flown at half-staff and asks Americans to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The Korean War is often called “The Forgotten War,” but it should be remembered for the 1.8 million U.S. military personnel who served in the conflict—and especially for the more than 33,000 who died in the fighting.

The AUSA Book Program has tried to do its part in recognizing Korean War veterans with several publications.

Combat in Korea is a three-volume series that centers on a crucial period of the war. Edited by William T. Bowers and John T. Greenwood, The Line: January-February 1951; Striking Back: March-April 1951; and Passing the Test: April-June 1951 detail the shifting momentum between the Communist and UN forces in the late winter and spring of 1951. The dramatically shifting positions of the first year of war settled into a protracted stalemate around the 38th parallel that yielded the longest armistice negotiations in history.

Each book in the Combat in Korea series focuses on the combat experiences of front-line soldiers and their leaders. This on-the-ground perspective of the war is also found in Ranger: A Soldier’s Life by Colonel Ralph Puckett with D.K.R. Crosswell. The book is an inspiring autobiography of the legendary Ranger who remained active well into his 90s. Puckett passed away in April of this year and was recognized with the rare distinction of lying in honor at the US Capitol.

Ranger includes a detailed description of then-Lieutenant Puckett’s actions on Hill 205 during the Battle of the Chongchon River. Those actions were initially recognized with the Distinguished Service Cross, but fifty years later, his DSC was upgraded in 2021 to the nation’s highest military award. AUSA’s graphic novel series tells the tale in Medal of Honor: Ralph Puckett.

To date, the Medal of Honor series has published profiles of two other recipients from the Korean War. Medal of Honor: Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. features a former Marine Raider who became a U.S. Army infantryman and sacrificed his life to save the men of his company. Medal of Honor: Tibor Rubin is the story of a Holocaust survivor who moved to America and joined the Army in gratitude for being liberated from the camps. He served in Korea and was recognized for his actions, both as a combatant and as a POW.

These books, along with the full set of issues in the Medal of Honor series, can be read and downloaded for free at www.ausa.org/moh.

Keep an eye out in the weeks ahead for yet another Korean War story with the forthcoming publication of Medal of Honor: Hiroshi Miyamura. And please visit www.ausa.org/books to order Combat in Korea, Ranger, or any other title in the AUSA Book Program. Use the promo code AUSA for select member discounts when purchasing directly through the publisher links.