CHEYENNE – Capt. Jonita Ruth Bovee Bonham was one of thousands of American women who served during the Korean War, and on Thursday, she became the first recognized through an organization’s effort to honor Korean War veterans with the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador for Peace Medal.
The medal is presented by the Republic of Korea to veterans who served during the Korean War. It is a way for the Korean people to thank American veterans who helped defend South Korea.
Renee Bovee, Bonham’s daughter, accepted the medal on her late mother’s behalf at a ceremony Thursday inside the Wyoming State Capitol.
Bovee said she has lived in Wyoming on and off for 40 years after her father and stepmother moved to the state in 1981. Bonham lived in Wyoming with Bovee for the last few months of her life until she died in December 1994.
The Korean War, which took place from June 1950 to July 1953, was between North and South Korea. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea was supported by the United Nations, led by the United States under the auspices of the United Nations Command.
Tim Sheppard, executive director of the Wyoming Veterans Commission, said at the ceremony that of around 1.8 million American service members who fought in the war, more than 36,000 died, and more than 100,000 were wounded.
“In June of 1950, when the Korean War began, the world was suddenly thrust into a conflict that would claim hundreds of thousands of lives,” Sheppard said. “The United States entered the war within days, answering the call to defend a partner nation and uphold freedom. … Yet through that hardship, heroes emerged whose stories still guide us. (Bonham) was one of them.”
E.J. Junod, co-founder and chairman of Vet to Vet Tennessee and a disabled Vietnam veteran, has worked with the Republic of Korea for more than 11 years to locate Korean War veterans and help present them with the Ambassador for Peace Medal.
While Bonham was one in 1.8 million, her story stands out.
She served as an Army nurse during World War II, and later as a flight nurse during the Korean War. While serving in Korea, she was wounded when a U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54 Skymaster went down in the Sea of Japan, breaking into three pieces and sinking.
Regardless, she continued to help other surviving service members get to safety.
Around 4,800 American women served in the Korean War. This has made Vet to Vet’s effort of finding and recognizing female veterans increasingly difficult.
Bonham is the first the organization has been able to find.
With help from the women’s military museum in Arlington, Virginia, Vet to Vet identified Bonham and located her family in July.
Bovee said her mother was highly respected by her fellow service members. When the plane went down, Bovee said her mother was one of approximately 17 survivors, though some reports say up to 28 survived.
“Occasionally, when my mother spoke of this event, she always stressed that this type of emergency was what she was trained for,” Bovee said. “She had been trained to care for the injured, and she had been trained for aircraft emergencies. What she did was to rely on her training and do her job to aid the injured to the very best of her abilities.”
The medal was presented to Bovee by Gilhyun Lee, Patriots and Veterans Affairs attaché with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, D.C.
“Thanks to the contribution of Korean War veterans like Capt. Bonham, the Republic of Korea was able to plant seeds of hope, even amid the ruins of war,” Lee said at the ceremony. “Driven by their noble sacrifices, our relentless efforts have allowed those seeds to bloom across politics, the economy, culture and every corner of society. Their sacrifices and contributions were not in vain, and they deserve to be remembered by all as true heroes.”
Bovee also received items from other organizations in attendance, including a jewelry box with handmade Korean items from the Knoxville Area Korean American Association; a Memorial Appreciation Award from the Federation of Korean Associations of the Southeast United States of America; an American War Commemoration Certificate of Honor from Vet to Vet; and additional gifts from Lee, including two tumblers and a wooden frame for her mother’s photo.
After the ceremony, Bovee told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that receiving the recognition on behalf of her mother is a great honor.
“It’s emotional,” Bovee said. “… This is a marvelous recognition. While she didn’t talk about her military career very much, my family held on to all of her documentation. It was an important part (of her).”