On the 70th National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin commemorated the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement that brought an end to the Korean War in 1953. The war began June 25, 1950, after tensions on the Korean peninsula reached a fever pitch.

"Seventy years after the signing of the armistice, and the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty that followed soon after, our ironclad alliance is stronger than ever," Austin said in a July 27 Department of Defense news release. "In the words of our alliance motto, 'We go together' — and we will continue to do so, shoulder to shoulder."

The secretary recalled the sacrifices made during the three years of conflict, which resulted in more than 36,000 American casualties and losses among allied forces, the release reported. He pledged a continued search for the approximately 7,000 U.S. service members who remain unaccounted for.

"We have a solemn duty to continue looking for answers for American families whose loved ones still remain missing in action seven decades on," Austin added, according to the release.

In his message, Austin acknowledged the nation's ongoing obligation.

"America also has a sacred responsibility to take care of our Korean War veterans, their families, their caregivers and their survivors, and to ensure that they get the benefits they deserve," he said in the release.

Austin lauded the significant strides made by the Republic of Korea in the decades following the armistice, applauding its flourishing democracy, economy and innovation, which he had witnessed during his visits, according to the release. He praised the steadfast alliance between the U.S. and South Korea, strengthened by the Mutual Defense Treaty, which sees American troops serving alongside South Korean forces to uphold peace.

Austin noted Americans should never forget the horrific cost of the Korean War and the bravery of those who stood and fought against aggression in harsh terrain and terrible conditions, the release said.