Maloney announces bill to pay Korean War POWs for imprisonment time

<p>Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced legislation that would eliminate the three-month limit on combat pay eligibility for Korean War POWs, allowing the veterans to be paid for the full time they were imprisoned.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 1, 2018, 9:51 PM

Updated 2,179 days ago

Share:

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced legislation that would eliminate the three-month limit on combat pay eligibility for Korean War POWs, allowing the veterans to be paid for the full time they were imprisoned.
Cpl. Raymond Mellin, of Cornwall, was 19 and a battlefield medic when he became a prisoner during the Korean War.
Mellin was held captive for 37 months and saw a fellow soldier shot in the head, but he only received combat pay for three months.
Mellin says for him, the legislation is not about the money but about honoring the sacrifices of prisoners of war, especially those who never made it back home.
“We ended up in our prison camp with a little over 700 men, and 65 percent of them died there. Those are the people we are honoring today. Not me. I am not a hero, I am a survivor,” he says.
Maloney says the pay will be indexed to inflation so it would represent what the veterans should be paid in current dollars.


More from News 12
1:40
Preliminary report uncovers over 100 potential unmarked burials at historic Rye cemetery

Preliminary report uncovers over 100 potential unmarked burials at historic Rye cemetery

2:10
Scattered showers for Friday throughout the Hudson Valley before dry, breezy Saturday

Scattered showers for Friday throughout the Hudson Valley before dry, breezy Saturday

0:12
Police: Woman hurt in Yonkers stabbing

Police: Woman hurt in Yonkers stabbing

0:43
City of Yonkers to run Nepperhan Community Center following financial mismanagement report

City of Yonkers to run Nepperhan Community Center following financial mismanagement report

0:56
Retail prevention plan to include harsher penalties, additional patrols

Retail prevention plan to include harsher penalties, additional patrols

1:47
'Evening in Good Taste' helps feed hungry in Westchester County

'Evening in Good Taste' helps feed hungry in Westchester County

0:45
Authorities: Mahopac man captured sexually explicit images of children with hidden camera

Authorities: Mahopac man captured sexually explicit images of children with hidden camera

0:30
Hearing for New City stabbing suspect rescheduled for next week

Hearing for New City stabbing suspect rescheduled for next week

0:53
Carmel School District closes in on budget agreement following months of debates

Carmel School District closes in on budget agreement following months of debates

0:44
Greenburgh's ex-Parks and Recreation commissioner honored with renaming of multipurpose center

Greenburgh's ex-Parks and Recreation commissioner honored with renaming of multipurpose center

0:37
Virginia man was sentenced to 20 years to life in fatal 2021 shooting of New Rochelle cab driver

Virginia man was sentenced to 20 years to life in fatal 2021 shooting of New Rochelle cab driver

0:34
Westchester DA: Yonkers man sentenced 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison for fatal June 2023 hit-and-run

Westchester DA: Yonkers man sentenced 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison for fatal June 2023 hit-and-run

0:28
White Plains police: Teenager arrested in connection to stabbing of 17-year-old outside gas station

White Plains police: Teenager arrested in connection to stabbing of 17-year-old outside gas station

1:54
Middletown couple fight through lawsuits, zoning problems to open New Paltz cannabis dispensary

Middletown couple fight through lawsuits, zoning problems to open New Paltz cannabis dispensary

0:41
State budget proposal would consolidate Medicaid program used in hiring home health aide

State budget proposal would consolidate Medicaid program used in hiring home health aide

1:35
Double Up Food Bucks program comes to Yonkers market

Double Up Food Bucks program comes to Yonkers market

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

0:23
Ford recalls over 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick cars due to loss of drive power risk

Ford recalls over 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick cars due to loss of drive power risk

1:44
Discover a Gothic Revival masterpiece of art and architecture at Lyndhurst Mansion

Discover a Gothic Revival masterpiece of art and architecture at Lyndhurst Mansion

0:51
Save money while helping the planet with these 12 energy-efficient tips

Save money while helping the planet with these 12 energy-efficient tips