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As our key ally since the Korean War, the Republic of Korea participated in the Vietnam War to support the United States. From 1964 through 1973, the Republic of Korea sent an aggregate of 320,000 troops to Vietnam, exceeding the contribution level of troops by any free world military assistance forces in the conflict.
In 1972 and on, the presence of the Republic of Korea troops in Vietnam surpassed that of the United States. In addition to its sheer volume, the Korean forces “outperformed other allied troops in lethality, organization, and professionalism.” Military cooperation in the Vietnam War is one of several examples that demonstrate the robust alliance of the United States and Republic of Korea, under shared commitment to democratic principles over the past six decades.
Some of the Korean veterans of the Vietnam War, now in their 70s, have since immigrated to the United States, many of whom have become U.S. citizens by naturalization. Unlike the allied and foreign national veterans of World War I and World War II, the Korean veterans are not eligible to receive medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs. In recognition of their service as a member of an allied force, and now as U.S. citizens, the Korean American community has called for measures from Congress to honor and provide care for the Korean American veterans of the Vietnam War.
Drawing inspiration from this point, Rep. Gil Cisneros (D, CA-39)—a son of the Vietnam War veteran and a Navy veteran himself—has introduced the Korean American Vietnam Allies Long Overdue for Relief Act, otherwise known as the Korean American VALOR Act. (H.R. 5590)
The bill seeks to amend the existing laws to treat individuals who served as allies to the U.S. in the Vietnam War under the Republic of Korea Armed Forces as a full-fledged veteran of the United States Armed Forces for the purposes of granting them access to healthcare by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Korean American VALOR Act was introduced on January 13th, 2020 by Rep. Gil Cisneros (D, CA-39) with five co-sponsors, including Rep. Andy Kim (D, NJ-3), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D, CA-34), Rep. Bill Pascrell (D, NJ-9), Rep. Grace Meng (D, NY-6), Rep. Judy Chu (D, CA-27), and Rep. Suzan DelBene (D, WA-1). It has been since referred to the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, awaiting review.
In the previous Congress, Rep. Gomez (D, CA-34) has introduced a House resolution to commend the service of Korean soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War.