Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States. It is the 49th state and the United States bought it on March 30, 1867 from Russia. The land is huge, 1,477,277 square kilometers, but the population is very small, 683,478. It has over 3 million lakes. Its capital city is Juneau, and the governor is Sarah Palin, who was the vice president candidate recently for the Republican Party. Alaska is a very cold place. In winter the temperature drops to -60 Fahrenheit (-52 Celcius). There is 275 inches of rain and snow each year. Alaska is very helpful for the United States economy because it produces oil. Jack London, who was a very famous American author, went to Alska when he was 21 years old. He wrote a lot of novels about Alaska, and in total he wrote 78 novels and stories, including 'The Call of the Wild', 'White Fang', and 'Sea Wolf'.

Veteran's Day (Korean War)

When I think about Veteran’s day, I think about my grandfather. Here in the United States there are many veterans of the Korean War still alive today. My grandfather, Sung Muk Lee, is also still alive, he is 76 years old and he is a veteran of the Korean War. When he was 18, the Korean War started, which was June 25th, 1950. North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union and China, who gave them tanks and weapons. South Korea was supported by the United States and many other countries that are in the UN. The Korean War was part of the Cold War. There were 590,911 Korean soldiers and 480,000 American soldiers. During the war, 36,000 American soldiers died in combat, 92,134 soldiers were wounded, and 8,176 soldiers were missing. Also 58,000 Korean soldiers died in combat, 175,743 soldiers were wounded, and 80,000 soldiers were missing.
My grandfather, Sung Muk Lee, was drafted into the army. He got into an elite division of the army and became a staff sergeant. He fought for two years at the front. He told me that many of his friends died beside him during the war. He was with the American soldiers and he learned a lot of English, even swear words. He told me that the American soldiers were very friendly. While he was in combat, a grenade exploded next to him and the shrapnel hit him in the right ankle, and he lost his ankle bone. Another time, while he was retreating, a bullet struck his left leg in the calf, and now he has a bullet scar in his leg. To me he has always been kind and peaceful. I was surprised when I saw his scars and heard stories from the Korean War.
I have to say Thank you for your service and sacrifice to my grandfather and all the other veterans and soldiers who sacrificed their lives in many kinds of wars. We have to respect them because they fought for our country to protect us and that is why we are still alive and free.