NSA student and Republic of Korea Major Jinki Lee participated in a ceremony in Salinas hosted by Congressman Sam Farr and presided over by ROK Consul General Shin Chae-hyun honoring Korean War veterans. Major Lee helped pass out the Ambassador of Peace medals to surviving veterans or their family members. The occasion led Major Lee to reflect on his father's experiences as a young boy during the Korean War. He shares his moving thoughts in the linked story here.

Jinki Lee graduated from the Air Force Academy of the Republic of Korea and is an F-16 instructor pilot. He developed his interest in the ROK-U.S. alliance through the Max-Thunder and Foal Eagle combined exercises while in the fight squadron. Before arriving at NPS as a student in the NSA Asian Security Studies curriculum, he studied military strategy at Korea National Defense University. He is writing his thesis on the ROK-U.S. alliance.