A bill to recognize and honor the soldiers of the United States and Republic of Korea who served, were wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the present in the defense of the Republic of Korea, to require the placement of a commemorative plaque at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``DMZ War Veterans Recognition Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Korean War, which began in 1950 and ended when the 
        Korean War Armistice was signed in 1953, is commonly known as 
        the ``Forgotten War'';
            (2) a later war in Korea, known only to some veterans and 
        their families as the ``Unknown War'' or the ``DMZ War'', 
        occurred long after the Korean War Armistice was signed in 
        1953;
            (3) according to military documents, the leadership of 
        North Korea issued a declaration of war against the United 
        States in a speech in 1966, which read that ``U.S. imperialists 
        should be dealt blows and their forces dispersed to the maximum 
        in Asia. . . .'';
            (4) the 124th Special Forces unit of North Korea--
                    (A) was trained--
                            (i) to destroy the camps and civilians of 
                        the United States;
                            (ii) to disrupt travel and communication 
                        between the Armed Forces; and
                            (iii) to sabotage and assassinate the 
                        government officials of South Korea and the 
                        United States; and
                    (B) repeatedly confronted the soldiers of the 
                United States and the Republic of Korea when crossing 
                through the Demilitarized Zone;
            (5) since the Armistice was signed, over 40,000 Armistice 
        violations have occurred, many of which involved troops of the 
        United States who were stationed in and around Korea;
            (6) some of those violations, like the capture of the USS 
        Pueblo, caught the attention of the media, although most have 
        not;
            (7) since the end of the Korean War, many soldiers of the 
        United States have died or been wounded in Korea as a result of 
        hostile fire;
            (8) some veterans of the Republic of Korea suffer from 
        exposure to Agent Orange, which was used during a period that 
        began in 1968 and ended in 1969 in and around the DMZ;
            (9) because the hazardous properties of Agent Orange last 
        for at least 100 years, soldiers of the United States who later 
        served in the Demilitarized Zone had been exposed to the 
        chemical long after the Armed Forces stopped using it;
            (10) the military personnel of the United States who served 
        in the Korean War during the period that began in 1966 and 
        ended in 1969 received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; 
        and
            (11) a few of the soldiers who fought and died in the 
        Korean War have been--
                    (A) nominated posthumously for the Congressional 
                Medal of Honor; and
                    (B) awarded--
                            (i) the Silver Star or Bronze Star for 
                        valor in combat; and
                            (ii) the Purple Heart for being wounded in 
                        combat.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Plaque.--The term ``plaque'' means the plaque directed to be 
placed at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. under 
section 4(a).
    (b) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the 
Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service.

SEC. 4. PLACEMENT OF COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE.

    Not later than November 11, 2009, the Secretary shall place on or 
near the grounds of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, 
D.C., a plaque to commemorate the sacrifices of those who served, were 
wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the present in the defense of 
the Republic of Korea, that contains the following inscription (in 
which the bracketed space shall include the date on which the plaque is 
placed): ``Dedicated to the soldiers of the United States and the 
Republic of Korea who served, were wounded, or were killed from 1953 
until the present in the defense of the Republic of Korea. The efforts 
of those soldiers have enabled the Republic of Korea to develop into a 
successful and modern country. Since 1953, the Armed Forces of the 
United States experienced more than 40,000 `Armistice violation 
incidents.' Those incidents have caused the deaths of over 100 soldiers 
of the Armed Forces of the United States and the wounding of hundreds 
more from hostile fire in the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding 
waters. Unknown to most citizens, the soldiers of the United States and 
the Republic of Korea fought and won the `DMZ War' between November 
1966 and December 1969. That war caused the majority of the Armistice 
casualties. We remember the service, sacrifice, and valor of all of 
those soldiers on this 40th anniversary of the start of the DMZ War. 
Their fellow soldiers and their families will never forget them. Let 
this Plaque aid their countries to remember them as well. Placed this 
day, [__________].''.

Summary: DMZ War Veterans Recognition Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to place on or near the grounds of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., a plaque to commemorate the sacrifices of those who served, were wounded, or were killed from 1953 until the present in the defense of the Republic of Korea.