For years, he was Director of Asian Studies and Adjunct Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas, and served long pastorates in the United States and the Philippines.
In his now classic tome, The Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations (soon-to-be re-issued as 20,000 illustrations), he recounts the following:
Seoul, capital of South Korea – today a thriving city of six and a half million people – was devastated during the Korean conflict in the early 1950s. Kermit Holt of the “Chicago Tribune” recently visited the city and remarked,
“For thousands of American GIs who had fought in its streets, Seoul would head the list of places that they never would want to see again. Yet today the returning ex-GI finds those memories quickly erased when he sees and experiences Korea in prosperous times.”
More than 10,000 war veterans have returned to Korea. All the U.S. and U.N. military personnel who served in the Korean War have been invited to be the guests of the South Korean government. The hotels, meals and sightseeing are free, and the country’s airline, KAL, is offering minimum rates for the returning pilgrims.
In extending the invitation, Jwah Kyum Kim, president of the Korean National Tourism Corporation, explained, “It’s one way to express our appreciation and to show how Korea grew up. Veterans are invited to come back and see the fruits of their sacrifices and discover the difference they have helped to make.”
I share this piece as we approach Veteran’s Day, 2015, in the hopes that my own fellow countrymen and women will follow the example of a grateful Korean nation and remember to take time to say thanks to the Veterans among us.
I fear that far too many of us today in America today take for granted the sacrifices of the men and women who served, suffered, and sacrificed in order that we might enjoy the freedoms that we do.
This year, on Veteran’s Day (Wednesday, November 11, 2015), please take advantage of every opportunity that avails itself to express your appreciation to the service men and women whose sacrifice marks them as “the brave” in order that we may be known as “the free”.
SOURCE: Based on a piece by Dr. Paul Lee Tan in his Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (Dallas, Texas: Bible Communications, 1998), p. 2950, as verified in numerous recent news articles available on the internet.
See for example: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20141111/ARTICLES
/141119991, dated November 11, 2014, which states: "Each year since 1975, the South Korean government has hosted Korean War veterans and their families, in a continual expression of the country's appreciation for American soldiers' sacrifices and bravery. The South Korean government pays for the veterans' lodging, meals and entertainment for the week, which annually includes a commemoration on June 25, the day the North Koreans invaded the South in 1950."
See also: http://www.tanbible.com/. Dr. Tan's biography is available at: http://www.tanbible.com/tol_tour/(B)%20BibleTeachers(Biodata).htm.