The 823 Badge of Honor Association USA was created on Oct. 10, 1998, on the 40th anniversary of Taiwan’s successful thwarting of a communist invasion. Our membership exceeds 5,000, yet we are but a few of the tens of thousands of American military that have served the interests of Taiwan.
Just as the French and the Germans assisted the US in its War of Independence (1775-1783), our nation supported Taiwan in her time of need. No nation maintaining its struggle for self-determination can do it alone.
Since the bombing of Kinmen from Aug. 23, 1958, a continued US-Republic of China (ROC) relationship allowed a period of calm. These periods of relative calm allowed Taiwan to evolve into the nation it is today.
Taiwan today is known as a thriving democratic republic with a free citizenry.
Taiwan’s prosperity has outstripped the imaginations of many in the world politic. The light from Taiwan’s Beacon of Freedom shines far beyond any body of water.
That light illuminates the minds of the world’s people, who, held captive by despots and tyrants, see the possibility of hope in Taiwan’s example.
We of America’s military past are proud to have served Taiwan, but none is as proud as those in your valiant military. For it is they and the citizens of Kinmen who in 1958 sacrificed, bled and died in order to secure this ephemeral concept called freedom.
In 1998, on the 40th anniversary of 823, your Ministry of National Defense (MND) under the administration of then president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), invited American veterans to receive, as part of a joint military presentation, your nation’s Honor Medal for the 823 Bombardment.
Subsequently, the MND, under former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, presented to American veterans the US-ROC Mutual Defense Commemorative Badge 1955-1979.
Today, Aug. 23, 2008, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) invites us to Kinmen to participate with him in his tribute at the Tomb of the Unknowns, with a subsequent celebration with Taiwan’s 823 veterans and Defense Command military on this, the 50th anniversary of 823.
Fifty years to the day and the date is a long time to reflect back: The veterans of our nations are older now and their numbers decrease daily. Yet it is celebrations such as this 50th anniversary of 823 that allow the benefactors of that sacrifice to join in a salute to them and to their own history.
Why is this celebration important, and why does history matter? Amnesia is as detrimental to a society as it is to the individual.
The historian Daniel Boorstin put it well: “Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers.” Never forget the price paid for your freedom.
I do not invoke the blessings of deity for Taiwan, for the blessings of deity are evident when I look upon your nation’s political and military leaders. Yet even with their courage, the modern era of freedom and democracy is not without risk. Taiwan’s democratic republic has shown the world that a free people can transfer political power without bloodshed; that no despot, tyrant, or any “ism” can dictate to Taiwan’s people how they should live. It is the citizens of Taiwan that will make that decision as they continue to choose their path in the world.
On behalf of the thousands of members of the 823 Badge of Honor Association USA and the tens of millions of American citizens, let me proclaim: “Taiwan, yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever!”
Lloyd V. Evans II is chairman of the 823 Badge of Honor Association USA.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS