Former U.S. President Obama honors Korean, Vietnam War vets for Veterans Day
![Former U.S. President Barack Obama hands out Presidential Challenge Coins to veterans who served in Korea and Vietnam in Washington in photos uploaded to X on Nov. 11. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/12383182.webp?imageId=12383182&width=960&height=540&format=jpg)
Former U.S. President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to a group of Korean and Vietnam War veterans on a flight to Washington over the weekend, thanking them and their families for their service ahead of Veterans Day.
Obama posted a video on X on Tuesday showing him addressing the passengers, who were part of a veterans’ trip to the U.S. capital.
“Hello, everybody,” Obama said in the clip as he greeted the former service members. “As we approach Veterans Day, I wanted to stop by and just say thank you for your extraordinary service. To you, your family, the sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country is something that will always be honored. We are very grateful.”
The veterans were taking part in a program organized by the nonprofit Honor Flight Network, which arranges trips for U.S. veterans from around the country to visit war memorials in Washington.
When the flight carrying about 80 veterans and their family members arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Obama boarded the plane, greeted each passenger, shook hands with the veterans and presented them with a Presidential Challenge Coin, a token of appreciation traditionally given by presidents to honor distinguished service.
Veterans Day falls on Nov. 11 in the United States.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
