KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

The Korean War Veterans Memorial was authorized by Public Law 99-572 on Oct. 28, 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 inaction, or were held as prisoners of war." The site is located on French Drive, SW adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial directly across the reflecting pool from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is open daily 0800 till midnight closing on Xmas day. There is no charge for admission. There are 19 approximately 7'3" tall, heroic scale statues depicting 14 Army, 3 Marines, 1 Navy, and 1 Air Force personnel. They represent an ethnic cross section of America with 12 Caucasian, 3 African American, 2 Hispanic, 1 Oriental, 1 Indian (Native American). The juniper bushes are meant to be symbolic of the rough terrain encountered in Korea, and the granite stripes of the obstacles overcome in war. The Marines in column have the helmet chin straps fastened and helmet covers. Three of the Army statues are wearing paratrooper boots and all equipment is authentic from the Korean War era. Three of the statues are in the woods, so if you are at the flagpole looking through the troops, you can't tell how many there are, and could be legions emerging from the woods. The statues are made of stainless steel, a reflective material that when seen in bright sunlight causes the figures to come to life. The blowing ponchos give motion to the column, so you can feel them walking up the hill with the cold winter wind at their backs, talking to one another. At nighttime the fronts of the statues are illuminated with a special white light; the finer details of the sculpture are clearly seen and the ghosts appear.

The Mural Wall located on site consists of 41 panels extending 164 feet. Over 15,000 photographs of the Korean War were obtained from the National Archives to create the mural. The photographs were enhanced by computer to develop a uniform lighting effect and size, and to create a mural with over 2,400 images. The mural depicts Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel and their equipment. The etchings are arranged to give a wavy appearance in harmony with the layout of the statues. The reflective quality of the Academy Black Granite creates the image of a total 38 statues, symbolic of the 38th Parallel and the 38 months of the war. When viewed from afar, it also creates the appearance of the mountain ranges of Korea. To the south of the Memorial are three beds of Rose of Sharon hibiscus plants. This plant is the national flower of South Korea. Visitors can walk out into a Pool of Remembrance area on a peninsula symbolic of Republic of Korea, which is a peninsula. The pool honors the dead, the missing the POW's and the wounded from the U.S. and UN Forces whose statistics are engraved in stone. Names of all nations involved in the conflict are engraved on the curb stone along the north entrance. The Honor Roll contains all verifiable names of those on active duty who were killed in action, still listed as missing in action, and captured as prisoners of war in the Korean War. Located on site are, Restrooms, Concessions, and a Bookstore for use by visitors.

South Korean Memorial

A largely museum-like War Memorial of Korea opened in Seoul, Korea in 1994. It houses six exhibition rooms displaying over 13,000 items under different themes, including an outside exhibition area consisting of numerous military equipment. Visitors will experience the spirit of national defense of Koreans throughout the War Memorial, which was designed with advice from war experts. Located on the old site of Army Headquarters, the War Memorial of Korea accommodates four aboveground floors and two underground floors in the main building, which stands on an area of about 20,000 square meters. On the green area around the memorial, loudspeaker emissions to foster patriotic spirit can be heard. In cloistered left and right galleries flanking the facade of the main building are rows of black marble monuments inscribed with the names of those who died during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and of policemen who died on duty. The plaza in the museum compound has an artificial waterfall, and around it are widespread rest areas so that visitors can picnic while enjoying the pleasant landscape. In the center of the plaza stands the Statue of Brothers, the elder a South Korean soldier and the younger a North Korean soldier, which symbolizes the situation of Korea's division. A Combat Experience Room provides a special opportunity for visitors to vividly experience life and death situations in night combat which soldiers went through during the Korean War. The special audiovisual effects, lighting, vibration, and even gunpowder odor make visitors feel as if they are right on the battlefield.