As living memories of the Korean War fade, its consequences become clearer

Korean War veterans from the Republic of Korea salute at a ceremony Thursday at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., commemorating the anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement. The agreement was signed July 27, 1953. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Seventy years ago, the Korean War ended with a cease-fire, not a victory or a peace deal, and veterans marked the occasion Thursday at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C., with some even joining activists pushing for a formal end to the war.

But as most Korean War vets are well into their 90s, they still struggle with America's perceptions of what has been called "the Forgotten War."