BEACON – Joined by veterans and community leaders, Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) announced on Friday that he has bipartisan support for a bill to fix a loophole that shortchanged American soldiers who were held captive by North Koreans during the Korean War.
The issue was brought to Congressman Ryan’s attention by Korean War POW Ray Mellin, 95, and Dick Randazzo, both of Cornwall. Ryan is trying to rectify the issue with the passage of the “Never Forgotten Korean War POW Act.”
Randazzo said the change is not about the money owed, but the recognition to the men who served and were taken captive.
“Now, I think finally, after 70 years, these surviving Korean War POWs will be given what they were entitled to 70 years ago when they left,” he said.
While being held captive by the North Koreans, the American soldiers did not receive their combat pay. Mellin has been trying to get the issue fixed for several years. Years ago, he was pressing former Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney and became frustrated, telling Mid-Hudson News at the time, “The senators and the rest of them would rather raise their own pay than worry about things like this. I am so tired of looking at politics where Democrats and Republicans are fighting among themselves instead of doing things that could really help this country.”
Mellin was a 19-year-old soldier when he arrived in Japan. He was there for 10 days before the North Koreans invaded and took him prisoner. He spent 37 months in captivity, including being forced on the Tiger Death March which killed more than half of the 845 POWs. He described his treatment at the hands of the Koreans as “brutally inhumane” when speaking at Castle Point a while back. Conditions, he noted, improved slightly when the prisoners were turned over to the Chinese after the 13-day march. During that entire time, Mellin was not paid by the US government and Rep. Ryan seeks to correct that.
“Today and every day, I’m working to deliver for the men and women who risked their lives for this country in uniform. Our Korean War POWs are heroes that deserve full recognition for their honorable service,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “I especially want to thank Ray Mellin and Richard Randazzo for their service to this country, and for their continued advocacy on behalf of their fellow Korean War veterans. Together, we will make sure every veteran gets the benefits they have earned.”
Randazzo, with 26 years of government service as Cornwall town supervisor, in addition to his military service lobbied for the bill, saying “Korean War POWs have been trying for years to rectify legislation passed in 1952 that only provided four months of combat pay for them regardless of how long they were held as POWs. Since 2018 I have been working with Ray Mellin who was a POW for 37 months to see if we could get legislation to address this injustice for our aging heroes,” adding “Upon hearing this, Congressman Ryan immediately had his staff research and draft the legislation that we are pleased to hear is being announced today.”
“Enhancing the dignity and well-being of our brave veterans is a bipartisan issue. I’m honored to stand with Congressman Ryan this Veterans Day and support his important new legislation to compensate Korean War POWs for their service,” said State Senator Rob Rollison (R, Poughkeepsie). “Though we can never fully repay their sacrifice, we can strive to continue to honor their legacy, together.”
This legislation amends the Combat Duty Pay Act of 1952 to require that former members of the uniformed services who were captured or entered a missing-in-action status during the Korean War while serving as a member of a combat unit in Korea receive combat pay for each month spent in a captured or missing-in-action status, rather than just a total of four months.
