Photo : YONHAP News
A funeral for retired U.S. Army Colonel William Weber, a decorated Korean War veteran iconic for his left-handed salute, was held in the U.S. state of Maryland.
Weber died on April 9 at the age of 97.
The ceremony took place at Resthaven Memorial Garden in Frederick on Friday local time, attended by a hundred guests. Among them were South Korea’s Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang Ki-Chul and Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Soo-hyuck.
President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol each sent condolence messages to pay their respects.
The retired colonel had served as chairman of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, and played a big role in constructing the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Washington D.C. in 1995. He also led efforts to erect a Wall of Remembrance at the park, an ongoing project expected to be completed this July.
As a soldier, Weber served as a member of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and took part in major Korean War operations, including the Incheon landing. He began saluting with his left hand when he lost his right arm and right leg in combat.
As a veteran, Weber had said it was his duty as a free man to restore the freedom of others who had lost their liberty. He indicated Koreans did not owe him for his sacrifice, but that if freedom had been achieved, it was one’s duty to give the same to the people in the North.
Weber will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
‘Left-Handed Salute’ U.S. Korean War Hero William Weber Remembered
Source: Matira Matibay
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