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.
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