Vice President Mike Pence made a pit stop in California en route to Hawaii for a repatriation ceremony for the 55 sets of remains belonging to alleged American military members who served during the Korean War that have been handed over by North Korea.
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran himself, spoke of the importance of the two guests who joined the vice president in California.
On our way here, the vice president made intentional stop in California. We picked up probably the two most important passengers on that plane: a man and woman who were 4 and 3 years old — little girl and little boy in the 1950s — when they sent their father[s], then young men, both pilots, both first lieutenants, both went to fight in the Korean War and they recalled to me and recalled in media reports that last hug and that last kiss to their father before they went to that war and ultimately never came home, both shot down, remains never found. They dedicated their lives for the last 60 years finding out what happened to their fathers, what happened though those patriots, warriors who went to fight for us, for every generation of Americans.
Truly honored to be traveling on Air Force 2 w/ @VP Mike Pence—as he receives the remains of American war heroes (finally) returned by North Korea. Several military families on board. VP interview coming Thursday morning—on @foxandfriends! pic.twitter.com/pgtLD0ote7
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) August 1, 2018
The vice president shared the identities of his honored guests in a tweet early Wednesday morning.
As we travel to @JointBasePHH, Karen & I are honored to be joined by Diana Brown Sanfilippo & her husband Robert. Diana lost her father in the Korean War during a recon mission. We’re also honored to have Rick Downes, whose father was lost while operating radar on a B-26 bomber. pic.twitter.com/R1LDX28mch
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) August 1, 2018
They will be Pence’s special guests at the repatriation ceremony that is scheduled to take place at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Hegseth also noted that the ceremony has a very personal meaning for Pence, whose own father was a Korean War combat veteran who did make it home. He explained:
Americans have spilled blood on foreign continents for decades, Korea being a great example. The forests, the mountains, the riverbeds, the jungles, the forgotten places in the forgotten war. Those men can not and should not ever be forgotten. Speaks to the commitment of our government and speaks to the commitment of President Trump and Vice President Pence.
The mood on that plane, guys, was as somber and serious and honorable as I have ever seen, this vice president, very focused, it’s personal to him to, as you’ve mentioned. His father was a combat veteran in Korea who did come home. His father had always told him those heroes are the guys who never came home. Those same words come from the lips of guys like myself and Marcus Lutrell and Sean Parnell and vets of every generation. We know who to truly remember and today we remember them.
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