Lee Melissa: Veterans’ Support Bill — First ReadingText is subject to correctionLee Melissa: Veterans’ Support Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 22 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:14110. Text is subject to correction.]MELISSA LEE (National): I am wholeheartedly and respectfully in total support of the Veterans’ Support Bill and I congratulate the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Michael Woodhouse on bringing this bill to this House for its first reading. Earlier this year in July I had the great pleasure of returning to my birth country with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Michael Woodhouse to attend the 60th commemoration of the Korean War. You see New Zealand has a proud history of service in defence of our country and of freedom and democracy around the world. I am one of those beneficiaries.In 1950 63 years ago on 25 June at dawn at around 5 o’clock North Korea invaded South Korea. I do get a little bit emotional about this because it does affect my family. I recall my mother talking about not having enough food in the family and yet they took in 10 other refugees so that they had a roof over their heads. They all had to return down south toPusan the only city that North Korea never invaded. My grandfather was shot dead by the North Koreans because he was educated at university. There were a lot of atrocities that actually happened. I am grateful for the advancement of South Korea because without the veterans who went to the call of the UN who actually asked for the veterans to come from around the world I may not be standing here proudly as a member of Parliament in this great country of ours in New Zealand. I apologise for my emotional state but New Zealand owes a great debt to our veterans. I personally owe agreat debt to the Korean veterans the Korea Veterans Association the K-force that actually went to the call of Korea.A total of 3974 soldiers went to the call in Korea in 1950. New Zealand was one of the first countries that went to Korea. There were 1300 navy servicemen who went to Korea as well. A total of 33 New Zealanders died in that war. Although the numbers were not as large as other contingents from around the world we were a proud fighting force that actually fought very very bravely in one of the bloodiest wars we have seen in recent times. When Jim Newman the president of the Korea Veterans Association and all of the veterans whom I lovingly refer to as my dads talk about this bill they talk about the hardship that they actually faced. They gave up their youth to fight for something that they did not even have anything to do with in a foreign country. They were all aged 18 19 20—early in their years. They forsook their education to go and serve in a country that they had nothing to do with. They fought in—and some of them even recall—the coldest winter they had ever known. New Zealand has never seen a winter like that. They talk about their boots and their clothes and that they were not prepared for the kind of cold they had. When their boots actually touched the ground inKapyong they simply broke apart and they split. The veterans did not actually understand the harshness of the conditions they were fighting in.Yet the veterans when they returned to this country still remembered the country that they served in and they are very proud of the developments in the last 60 years of the Korea that has become a leading nation in the world. It has become an economic power around the world. Everybody uses Samsung. Everybody knows aboutGoldStar. Everybody knows about Kia and Hyundai. That growth was made possible by the sacrifices of our very own veterans. I totally totally support this bill because it benefits our veterans who made it possible for me to stand in this House. I commend this bill to the House.