Whereas Charles Bernard Rangel was born on June 11, 1930, in Harlem, New York, where he was raised by his family and community, and where he would spend a lifetime in devoted public service;

Whereas, at the age of 17, Mr. Rangel left school to enlist in the United States Army, serving as an artillery specialist in the all-Black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division from 1948 to 1952 during the Korean war;

Whereas, in November 1950, during the Battle of Kunu-ri, Rangel, though wounded by shrapnel from a Chinese artillery shell, heroically led approximately 40 soldiers out of a deadly Chinese Army encirclement under conditions of extreme cold and sustained enemy fire, an act of valor for which he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal with Valor;

Whereas Mr. Rangel also received the Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and 3 Battle Stars for his extraordinary military service during the Korean war;

Whereas Mr. Rangel carried his experience of the Korean war with him for the rest of his life, describing the resilience of the Korean people and their nation’s recovery as a source of profound personal inspiration, and later writing in his autobiography And I Haven’t Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress that the Battle at Kunu-ri was the worst day of his life, and that he had not had a bad day since;

Whereas, following his honorable discharge from the Army in 1952, Mr. Rangel used the GI Bill to pursue his education, earning a degree from New York University and a law degree from St. John’s Law School in Queens;

Whereas Mr. Rangel was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1970 and went on to serve 23 consecutive terms representing the people of Harlem and New York City from January 3, 1971, to January 3, 2017, making him the ninth-longest-serving Member of Congress in history at the time of his retirement;

Whereas Mr. Rangel was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, helping to establish one of the most consequential legislative coalitions in the history of the House of Representatives;

Whereas Mr. Rangel became the first African-American Member of Congress to serve on the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and in 2007 became the first African American to chair that Committee;

Whereas Mr. Rangel’s experience in the Korean war forged in him a lifelong and deep personal commitment to the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, a commitment he described in his own words, Korea will always have a place in my heart as I continue to work on bringing our two countries closer while promoting peace between the two Koreas;

Whereas Mr. Rangel authored and championed the Korean war Veterans Recognition Act, ensuring that the service and sacrifice of Korean war veterans received the congressional recognition they deserved, and introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to encourage peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula;

Whereas, throughout his congressional tenure from 1971 to 2017, Mr. Rangel consistently supported the strength and resilience of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance, including through his work on the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, where he engaged on trade policy affecting the bilateral economic relationship between the 2 nations;

Whereas Mr. Rangel was honored by the Korea Society with its highest distinction, the Van Fleet Award, in 2020, in recognition of his decades of service to the cause of Korean war veterans and to the strengthening of ties between the United States and the Republic of Korea;

Whereas Mr. Rangel was honored by the Korea Economic Institute of America alongside fellow Members of Congress for his service during the Korean war and his continued efforts to advance the bilateral relationship;

Whereas, following Mr. Rangel’s passing on May 26, 2025, at Harlem Hospital Center at the age of 94, 70 members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea introduced a resolution in the National Assembly commemorating his life, expressing gratitude for his service in the Korean war, and honoring his contributions to the development and strength of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance;

Whereas the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea further resolved to continue to remember and cherish the values and spirit of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance in his honor;

Whereas Mr. Rangel was interred with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery on July 16, 2025, alongside his beloved wife, Alma Rangel; and

Whereas Mr. Rangel’s life from the streets of Harlem to the battlefields of Korea to the halls of Congress stands as an enduring testament to the ideals of courage, service, and democratic commitment that form the bedrock of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance: Now, therefore, be it