Susan Kee’s mother was just 10 years old 68 years ago when she remembers hearing an aircraft overhead. Looking up she saw a star on the wing and had a great sense of relief to see that the Americans had come to Korea.
Kee’s family later immigrated to the United States where they became citizens and made a life for themselves. Now, after retiring from a successful corporate career Susan Kee has made it her personal mission to travel the country and meet and thank as many Korean War veterans as she can. She came to visit the Fountain Hills Veterans’ Memorial to speak to veterans and all Americans on Memorial Day.
Kee remembers speaking with a man who had been taken prisoner that brutal winter in the battle for Chosin Reservoir. She said the veteran told of the prisoners having to bury their own dead. They were given no shovels and had to use their bare hands and rocks to dig out the frozen ground.
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Susan Kee’s mother was just 10 years old 68 years ago when she remembers hearing an aircraft overhead. Looking up she saw a star on the wing and had a great sense of relief to see that the Americans had come to Korea.
Kee’s family later immigrated to the United States where they became citizens and made a life for themselves. Now, after retiring from a successful corporate career Susan Kee has made it her personal mission to travel the country and meet and thank as many Korean War veterans as she can. She came to visit the Fountain Hills Veterans’ Memorial to speak to veterans and all Americans on Memorial Day.
Kee remembers speaking with a man who had been taken prisoner that brutal winter in the battle for Chosin Reservoir. She said the veteran told of the prisoners having to bury their own dead. They were given no shovels and had to use their bare hands and rocks to dig out the frozen ground.
There were 36,000 Americans killed in the Korean War and there are still 8,000 missing in action.
Kee was wearing a necklace she said was given to her by Peter Griffin, whose brother died in Korea. The necklace includes the dog tag of John Griffin, who was a paratrooper who died on Easter Sunday 1951, two days after his unit was dropped into battle.
Peter Griffin told Kee he wanted to visit the place where his brother had died and asked Kee if she could help.
She was able to help and eventually stood on the hilltop in Korea where John Griffin was killed along with others.
“It was the greatest honor of my life to be standing there on that hill as a free person,” Kee said. “The sacrifices made by Americans will forever remain in the landscape of South Korea.
“Every day I remember these heroes and thank God for the precious gift of freedom that they gave me.”
Kee said that there is a saying that a true soldier fights not because of hatred for what is in front of him, but his love for what is behind him.
“I represent the millions of people around the world for whom your loved ones gave their all for our freedom,” Kee said.
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