Letter from the Editor - October 2024

The Allen family at the JSA in 2022.

Dear Readers,

This October we celebrate United Nations Day. As an active duty military family, this day is more than just a few typed words on a calendar, it’s a day to be grateful for global cooperation in the name of peace. 

Our family has known both war and peacetime. My husband was deployed to Iraq when we were just friends from our childhood church. After we were married, he deployed to Afghanistan just a few weeks later. Six months after the birth of our son, he deployed to Afghanistan a second time. And like clockwork, two years went by and he was headed to Kuwait for security and sustainment. My goal as a military spouse was to hold down the homefront so he could complete a mission. It often meant lonely nights, him missing celebrations and milestones of our family, and sometimes keeping my hardships to myself, so as not to worry him. It also meant avoiding the news at all costs and just praying for him and his unit to come home safe. Every time the phone rang with an unknown number, I held my breath with my guard each time but was relieved when he called to say hi or a telemarketer. I thought these were the hardest lessons I would learn about war, but I was wrong. 

Overhead view of the Joint Security Area at the DMZ.

When we moved to this side of the world, I knew very little about WWII and the Korean War. As we learned, took tours of the DMZ, and listened to those who had memories of their childhood during the Korean War, I truly realized how valuable peace is to one’s country and cultural identity. Our family has learned that you cannot value peace without understanding the lessons and costs of war.

The landscape of Korea today, shows those sacrifices. A country where families have been separated for so long and the prayer for reunification is apparent. Living here would teach us about the formation of the United Nations Command during the Korean War and how its formation was the perfect example of global cooperation in the name of peace. So many countries came to South Korea’s aid. Many sent military support, others sent food and first aid. Some countries like Australia opened their borders to refugees and continue to do so to this day for those defecting from North Korea. The world came together during the Korean War with a singular purpose, peace. We hope that Korea, a place that we have called home for nearly 5 years now, will one day be reunified under a banner of peace. From our family to yours, we hope your time on the peninsula is just as life-changing.

The United Nations Command oversees the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone. Here is the meeting and negotiation table half in South Korea, and half in North Korea. The door in the back heads to North Korea.

This month United on the RoK will celebrate United Nations Day by sharing stories about international cooperation, collaboration, and cultural diversity. Our authors will show you the memorials around the RoK that honor servicemembers from countries like France, South Africa, and Thailand. Read and learn about the various missions of the United Nations including combating world hunger, human tracking, and how our youth are the voices of the future. See how military families are living a life without borders and using every opportunity possible to teach their children about peace and building international relationships. 

As Editor, I leave with this: every day our actions are a reflection of the future we want to see in the world around us. This month, I pray that you pause and have a moment of self-reflection. We can all do our part for global peace and prosperity if only we make a conscious effort to have compassion in our hearts and minds, respect others and their culture, collaborate with those around us, be open-minded to new ideas, and serve for the good of those around us, not of oneself. This is how we embrace United Nations Day and honor those who made the greatest sacrifice for peace.