Memorial Day weekend was a special day to Costas P. Paskaley of Nashua, NH. As a Korean Army veteran, Paskaley was presented with the Ambassador for Peace medal for his service during the Korean conflict. He immigrated to America from Greece and soon thereafter he was drafted into the U.S. Army at the age of 23 and sent overseas to Korea, serving with the 3rd Army.

The Korean War was a conflict fought from June, 1949 to July, 1953. It saw the involvement of North and South Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and the United Nations Forces led by the United States. One of these United Nations forces was the country of Greece.

After many months on the front lines, Paskaley was summoned to Seoul, Korea to become a Greek interpreter for the Greek soldiers that were wounded and sent to Army hospitals. The Korean Government, through the Korean Embassy in the United States, issued an Ambassador for Peace medal to Paskaley for his serving to Korea.

The official proclamation, in part, reads: ”In grateful recognition of your dedicated contributions, it is our privilege to proclaim you an AMBASSADOR FOR PEACE with every good wish of people of the Republic of Korea.”