JULY 23, 2026 — This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, signed at 10 a.m. July 27, 1953, in Panmunjom. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) joins Americans in honoring all who served during the conflict.
The agreement ended a war that began June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into North Korea. Signed by U.S. representatives, the People’s Republic of China and North Korea, the pact halted the fighting. However, South Korea refused to sign, deeming a divided Korea unacceptable.
North Korean troops captured the South Korean capital of Seoul before U.S.-led United Nations forces pushed them back to the Chinese border. By November 1950, China entered the war.
Nearly 1.8 million Americans fought in the Korean War with 54,246 who were killed in action. More than 2,000 died from noncombat injuries, and thousands were taken prisoner. Today, over 7,600 U.S. troops remain missing in action (MIA).
An estimated 1.2 million Korean War veterans are still alive in the U.S. today, the vast majority in their late 80s or early 90s. They represent about 6% of the nation’s veteran population.
These service members belonged to the Silent Generation, known for traditionalist behavior and working within the system rather than changing it. Many were born during the Great Depression in 1929 and 1930, grew up during World War II and saw their fathers serve overseas.
Entering the armed forces, they found a rapidly modernizing logistics system that contrasted sharply with their childhood’s scarcity. By 1950, American commissary food standards were the best in the world, offering a massive variety of products and national brands. To handle this influx, plastic film and wrapping machines enabled prepackaged fruits and vegetables.
This technological boom transformed how military families shopped, as commissaries fully transitioned to self-service. Instead of handing a list to a clerk, customers selected their own items. This aligned with a booming advertising industry as both civilian and military stores targeted customers with flashy displays to push specific items. TV and radio commercials used big wording to grab consumers’ attention, while elaborate in-store displays and bright colors piqued shoppers’ attention.
Maintaining these modern features and utilities required a new funding stream. Consequently, on Jan. 1, 1952, all U.S. Army commissaries began collecting a surcharge to pay for equipment, supplies, utilities and merchandise spoilage.
While domestic commissaries thrived, the war zone in East Asia presented a much harsher reality. Families could not accompany troops to duty stations in South Korea until the late 1950s, after the political and military situation stabilized.
With stability achieved, the military established a permanent presence, bringing stateside commissary comforts to the peninsula. On July 1, 1957, United States Forces Korea was established to support the United Nations Command and defend South Korea. This prompted the start of several commissaries in the country, beginning a legacy that continues today.
In 1959, stores opened at Army posts Camp Walker and Camp Henry in Taegu, and Supply Point 47. In 1961, commissaries opened at Naval Air Station Chinhae, Seoul and Camp Hialeah at Busan.
Stores continued expanding in South Korea throughout the 1960s, including Hannam Village in 1968. In the early 1970s, stores opened at the key Air Force base at Osan and the Army base at Yongsan. Through 2006, commissaries also opened at camps Carroll, Casey, Edwards, Howze, Humphreys, Page, Red Cloud and Stanley.
Today, nine commissaries operate in South Korea: Camp Carroll, Camp Casey, Camp Humphreys, Chinhae, Daegu, K-16 Air Field, Kunsan Air Base, Osan Air Base and Yongsan.
On July 27, 2022, President Joe Biden proclaimed the date would be forever known as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. Three years after the Korean War Memorial was completed, the national observance was established in an amendment of U.S. Code Title 36.
About DeCA
The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees, disabled veterans and other authorized patrons and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which supports the costs of building, modernizing and sustaining commissary facilities. A core military family support element and valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military services and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
By Tamara Eastman, DeCA Historian
Defense Commissary Agency