By Laura Lane
The South Korean government created the Korean War Service Medal as a way of showing its appreciation to the veterans who safeguarded South Korea from the invading communists in the early 1950s. To be eligible for the honor, a veteran must have served within the territorial limits of South Korea, its airspace or adjacent waters between June 25, 1950 and July 27, 1953.
As an Army mechanic on the front line, Codella qualified for the honor. Although he was never injured, he was involved in a few close calls and has lots of memories. To this day, he still gets together with other veterans to recount them.
"I spent a weekend recently with an American Japanese soldier that was one of my friends," he said. "And I keep in touch with others in Massachusetts and other parts of New York. When we reminisce now, we laugh."
Codella shot many slides while he was in Korea from January to August 1953. He has put the photos on tapes and sent them to four soldiers he remains in contact with. However, he doesn't need the slides to remember what he experienced. "Fighting in the war changed my life," Codella said. "I came back realizing that life is short and anything can happen. I felt stronger and more confident. What was hard was, when we came home, nobody cared."
It's for this reason that the Korean War is often referred to as the "forgotten war."
"I am honored to help the Korean War veterans ... to receive the awards that they have earned," Fuschillo said. "They are acknowledgments of courage that are much deserved and long overdue. It is never too late for us to recognize our American heroes -- those that fought, and those that stood by ready to protect our liberties."
At 75, Codella is now retired. After returning home from Korea, he worked as an auto and bus mechanic before finally landing a job as a supervisor for the Transit Authority. He has a son and two daughters, who are married and live on Long Island.
Although he recently thought of returning to Korea, he decided against flying once war broke out in Iraq. Codella probably wouldn't recognize the country today anyway, considering that when he was last there it had been reduced to a sea of rubble and bombed-out buildings, he said.
He did make it to Washington D.C., though, to see the Korean War Memorial. There he met a number of South Koreans.
"I don't think we ever realized how much the Korean people appreciated us," Codella said. "The people who attended the ceremony in Washington were very warmhearted, and it was so encouraging for me. I think they are the only country we ever fought for that really appreciates what we did for them."
