By Brandon C.

While walking the path of the Korean War Memorial, there is a large granite wall that reads the following:

“Freedom is not free.”

Engraved into a large mural, this slogan pays respect to the soldiers of the Korean War. Located just a few minutes from the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial is an impressive tribute to the roughly 36,000 American soldiers who gave their lives in service to the Korean War. On this particularly hot July day, I paid a visit to the memorial and found myself awestruck at the design and craft of the memorial, as I gazed upon the nearly two dozen bronze soldiers laid out before me.

With no prior information on what the memorial might have looked like, one might expect something far smaller, or of less significance, than some of the other memorials in DC.

The Korean War, much like World War I, is often seen as one of the forgotten wars, because many believe its impact was not nearly as widespread as that of the Vietnam War, World War II, or the Civil War. As one author from the Museum of the American GI states, “​​While the US was flourishing with post World War II peace, it became easy to forget that a war was raging oceans away, leading to the Korean War being the ‘Unknown War’ or the ‘Forgotten War’.” (3) I was pleasantly surprised, however, to see that the memorial is anything but small, and it is a fitting way to honor the lives lost during the war. As a nearly 30-year-old veteran of the Washington DC geography the Korean War Veterans Memorial stands as a reminder that, no matter how much the war may be forgotten in the popular lexicon of Americans, it is still an important moment in our country’s history.

First, however, it is important to have a strong understanding of the history of the Korean War before examining the significance of the moment.

General Background

The Korean War was fought from 1950 to 1953 between a multinational UN military force and the North Korean People’s Army. Rather than the multi-continent spanning wars of decades, the Korean War remained entirely contained across the Korean Peninsula. Following an invasion of South Korea in June 1950, South Korean forces were pushed to a small region called Pusan where they worked with UN forces in developing a strategy for reclaiming the Southern region. Slowly but surely by the Fall of 1950 UN forces, led by Douglas MacArthur, successfully recaptured Seoul along with the rest of the South Korean region. Wanting to bring a swift and decisive end to communist forces in North Korea, however, the UN decided to cross the 38th parallel, the line of demarcation between North and South, and continue the war in the North until North Korean forces finally surrendered. Following success in the North, MacArthur desired to press them even further North to the Yalu River, a body of water that forms the border between Korea and China, hoping to eliminate North Korean forces before they crossed into China (and possibly eliminate any potential Chinese threats at the border).

This proved to be a mistake, however, as Chinese forces attacked and successfully drove UN forces back to the 38th parallel. Fighting across the parallel continued for almost two years, with no decisive victory in sight. It was a long, bloody war, and many questioned the necessity of remaining in Korea when the cause seemed to be lost at multiple points. Those who had previously supported the war, now questioned whether it was wise to continue sacrificing American lives for the cause. Even MacArthur was relieved of duty following a highly publicized debate with Truman over the correct military strategy in North Korea. Truman is quoted as saying the following about MacArthur: “I fired MacArthur because he wouldn’t respect the authority of the president. That was it. I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was.” (9) Although the war never had an official “ending,” as South Korea refused to sign the peace treaty, a relative ceasefire was established in 1953 and, following this, no major conflicts have occurred between North and South Korea in the following years.

Constructing the Memorial

Building a memorial to such a bloody and strange war is no easy task, and the Korean War would be no exception. Public Law 99-572, established in October of 1986 to “‘honor members of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Korean War, particularly those who were killed in action, are still missing in action, or were held as prisoners of war,’” created a board of a dozen veterans who provided advice on the memorial’s construction. (2) In September of 1988, President Ronald Reagan chose West Potomac Park, a short distance from the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, as the location for the monument. (3)

The design firm Cooper Lecky Architects was selected following a lawsuit from the national competition held to select the best design team. Burns-Lucas, a design team from Pennsylvania State University had been selected as the original winners of the contest but filed a lawsuit against the veterans’ committee after receiving too many revisions to their proposed plan. (7) The committee argued that: “Once the Penn State architects accepted their $20,000 prize, the committee argues, they relinquished any say in the outcome of the project.” (8) Once Cooper-Lecky took over the design, the formal “breaking of the ground” for the memorial would not be held until Flag Day of 1992, overseen by President George H.W. Bush. (8) Finally in 1995 the memorial was completed, being formally dedicated on July 27, 1995, the date which celebrated the 42nd anniversary of the “end” (in a conflict that is) of the Korean War on July 27, 1953. (8)

The Layout of the Memorial

Finally, this is the memorial itself, captured here in a series of photographs. Each elegantly crafted bronze statue was sculpted by Frank Gaylord, a Vermont sculptor. (3)

The statues are made up of soldiers of different military forces: Air Force, Marines, and Navy Corps. Though the statues predominantly feature Caucasian soldiers, there are a few soldiers of different ethnicities present. (1)

Each statue also has a soldier with their respective position in the unit, whether that be radio operator, gunner, rifleman, or other position.

Across from the statues is a gorgeous black mural, called the Wall of Remembrance. This features some of the images of those who served, arranged in a way that some believe, “When viewed from afar, also creates the appearance of the mountain ranges of Korea.” (1)

Last, but certainly not least, is the Pool of Remembrance at the northern tip of the triangular field of soldiers, which was closed when I went to visit. Currently, there are plans to include a mural of all the names of those who served and died fighting in Korea, including members of Korean Augmentation to the US Army. Further renovation plans are to rehabilitate the memorial, touching up the lettering and such so that the pristine design and build of the memorial remain intact.

Conclusion

The notion that repairs are still important to the memorial, and that they’re working to further improve the memorial is proof, in my opinion at least, that the Korean War and its impact are hardly forgotten. Looking at the bronze statues and faces immortalized in the mural, I was reminded of the words of Robyn Rodriguez from our discussion last week on POW/MIA remains and the importance of honoring them, many years after the war’s end. While the conflict may be over, the sacrifices made should not be forgotten or locked away, but preserved and propped for everyone to see. While the soldiers may be gone, the legacy of their bravery will never die.

Below is footage from the memorial, with some additional information about the design.

Sources:

1. “Korean War Memorial.” American Battle Monuments Commission.

https://www.abmc.gov/about-us/history/korean-war-memorial#:~:text=The%20Korean%20War%20Veterans%20Memorial,period%20of%20the%20Korean%20War. Accessed 24 July 2022.

2. “Korean War Memorial.” US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District

https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Korean-War-Memorial/. Accessed 24 July 2022.

3. “The Korean War Veterans Memorial”. Museum of the American G.I.

https://americangimuseum.org/the-korean-war-veterans-memorial/. Accessed 24 July 2022.

4. “Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance,” National Parks Service.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/kowawor.htm. Accessed 24 July 2022.

5. Forgey, Benjamin. “A March to Remember; Moving Monument to Korea Veterans Surpasses the Tortured History of Its Design.” The Washington Post, Jul. 22, 1995

https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064105/http://www.louisnelson.com/about_lna/press_march.html. Accessed 24 July 2022.

6.https://web.archive.org/web/20121215150517/http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/WashingtonDC/korean.html. Accessed 24 July 2022.

7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/kent-cooper-architect-who-worked-on-vietnam-and-korean-war-memorials-dies-at-91/2018/02/17/f9e3bb8a-1299-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html. Accessed 24 July 2022.

8. Saffron, Inga. “THE KOREAN CONFLICT, 1991 – MEMORIAL RAISES A RUCKUS”. The Orlando Sentinel. Apr. 1, 1991: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-04-01-9103310062-story.html. Accessed 24 July 2022.

9. “Giving Them More Hell.” Time. Dec. 3, 1973 https://web.archive.org/web/20071012203926/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908217,00.html. Accessed 24 July 2022.