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Not too far from the Lincoln Memorial is a lesser known war memorial - the Korean War Memorial. Shortly after the completion of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial there was an increase of requests for a suitable monument to the Korean War Veterans. On October 28, 1986, Congress authorized the building of a memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor the military forces who served in the Korean War.
A design competition was held, with the winning design submitted from State College, Pennsylvania. The design was then shown to the Fine Arts Commission (FAC) in July of 1989 and approved a few years later with very little revision.
Construction began in November 1993 with Frank Gaylord chosen as the principal sculptor of the statues and Louis Nelson selected to create a mural of etched faces.
Built on 2.2 acres, the memorial consists of 19 life-size, heavily armed soldiers made from stainless steel on a patrol, juniper bushes at their feet to give the semblance of a regular patrol in Korea. Rain ponchos evoke the weather of that time as well as the weariness on their faces. Different races are also portrayed, as the Korean War was one of the first efforts to successfully integrate the armed forces. The men look from side to side; weapons at the ready as if to be under attack at any minute. The effect is striking as you walk up alongside them heading for the wall by their side.
A 164-foot black granite wall is inscribed with the words ‘Freedom Is Not Free’ and is etched with over two thousand photographic images of nurses, chaplains, crew chiefs, mechanics and others. When the wall is viewed from a distance the faces form the outline of hills, reminding one of the Korean landscape. The images were taken from actual photographs of people who participated in the conflict, both on the front lines and behind giving their support in many ways. A low stone wall along the other side of the patrol also lists the 22 other countries which volunteered forces in Korea; including Canada, the United Kingdom and others. A plaque at the flagstaff reads: "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered a call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met".
On July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, the memorial was dedicated by President William J. Clinton and Kim Young Sam, President of the Republic of Korea.
While perhaps not as well known as the Vietnam Memorial Wall, the Korean War Memorial is still striking when you first come upon it. The statues of the soldiers on patrol catches your eye and refuses to let it go; as do the images inscribed on the wall. Now, more than fifty years after the original war, a proper memorial stands to those men and women who served in what has been termed "The Forgotten War".
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