For a man who’d just returned from receiving a medal at the White House and giving his first press conference, Jesse Pardue was remarkably calm about the whole affair.

“This old country boy’s just glad to be back home,” Pardue confessed. “I haven’t been on a plane in 50 years.”

Pardue is one of more than 20 Korean War veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to receive a medal from the South Korean government commemorating their service in that conflict.

Attending with Pardue were his wife, Betty, and their daughter, Judy Pardue. The Pardue children pitched in and paid for their parents’ plane tickets. It was Jesse’s first time to visit the nation’s capital. “My wife’s been to Washington once before,” he said. “Judy’s never even been on a plane before.”

It was Judy Pardue who chronicled her father’s experiences in the war in a book titled “Jesse Pardue’s Untold Story.”

There was a ceremony, a guided tour of the White House and even a little sightseeing on the side.

“It was a real honor to go to the White House,” Pardue said. “Not everybody could get in, but we had a pass. We got to see the whole thing. I got some real good pictures. I think President Bush was there, but I’m not sure. When we got to that part of the building, they had a guard posted in the hallway and we couldn’t go in there.”

Pardue said that while they didn’t actually get to meet anybody “famous,” he was nevertheless impressed with the whole ceremony.

“The vice president was there and he gave a speech. He wasn’t but about 15 feet from me when he made his speech. I didn’t get to meet him, though. They asked us not to go up there where he was,” he said.

Pardue said a high-ranking Korean military official by the name of Young Han Moon was in charge of the ceremony. Each veteran received a ribbon and a plaque.

“When they put that ribbon around my neck, it was pretty emotional,” Pardue said. “It made me proud to be an American. Moon saluted me and, of course, I saluted him back.

“There was a woman there who accepted a medal for her husband, who died in that war. I don’t mind telling you, that was tough. It upset my wife pretty good. She went up after the ceremony and hugged that woman and all. I’m sure it was hard for her.”

There were several displays about the war, including one that revolved around Judy Pardue’s book about her father’s war experiences. Because of that display, Pardue was asked to participate in a press conference after the ceremony.

“I didn’t like that much,” he admitted. “But I think I did pretty good. I told ’em it’s about time they mentioned the Korean veterans. I said they mention all these other wars we’ve been in, but they never say much about Korea. We went through hell over there. I said I’m glad the ones that fought in that war were finally getting their due.”

In addition to the ribbon and plaque, Pardue also received a commemorative coin, a button and a cap as souvenirs.

“My kids are having a fit, passing it around,” he said. “I’m supposed to get it back day after tomorrow.”