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KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

Click here to see an enlarged view of the statues.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. It was dedicated on July 27, 1995. The memorial commemorates the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed services during the three-year period of the Korean War. The war was one of the most hard fought in our history. During its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, 54,246 Americans died in support of their country. Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action or lost or buried at sea. In addition 103,284 were wounded during the conflict. As an integral part of the memorial, the Korean War Honor Roll was established, honoring those U.S. military personnel who died world-wide during the war.

Click here to see an enlarged view of the Memorial Wall.
The Memorial Wall

Statues:

The 19 stainless steel statues were sculpted by Frank Gaylord of Barre, VT and cast by Tallix Foundries of Beacon, NY. They are approximately seven feet tall and represent an ethnic cross section of America. The advance party has 14 Army, 3 Marine, 1 Navy and 1 Air Force members. The statues stand in patches of Juniper bushes and are separated by polished granite strips, which give a semblance of order and symbolize the rice paddies of Korea. The troops wear ponchos covering their weapons and equipment. The ponchos seem to blow in the cold winds of Korea. The statues are identified below:

Click here to see a large view of the layout of the statues.

Pos
Serv
Duty
Race
Weapon
Pos
Serv
Duty
Race
Weapon
 1.
Army
Lead Scout
Caucasian
M-1
11.
USAF
Air-Gnd Contr
Caucasion
Carbine
 2.
Army
Scout
Caucasion
M-1
12.
USMC
Asst Gunner
Caucasian
Tripod
 3.
Army
Sqd Ldr
Caucasion
M-1
13.
USMC
Gunner
Caucasian
Mach Gun
 4.
Army
BAR Man
Afro-Amer
BAR
14.
Navy
Corpsman
Afro-Amer
None
 5.
Army
BAR Asst
Caucasian
Carbine
15.
USMC
Rifleman
Asian-Amer
M-1
 6.
Army
Rifleman
Afro-Amer
M-1
16.
Army
Rifleman
Caucasian
M-1
  7.
Army
Gp Leader
Caucasian
Carbine
17.
Army
Rifleman
Hispanic
M-1
  8.
Army
Radio Opr
Caucasian
Carbine
18.
Army
Asst Gp Ldr
Caucasian
M-1
  9.
Army
Army Medic
Hispanic
None
19.
Army
Rifleman
Native American
M-1
10.
Army
Fwd Obsvr
Caucasian
Carbine
          


Mural Wall:

The Mural Wall was designed by Louis Nelson of New York, NY and fabricated by Cold Spring Granite Company, Cold Spring, MN. The muralist, sculptor and architect worked closely to create a two-dimensional work of art adjacent to the three-dimensional statues. The wall consists of 41 panels extending 164 feet. Over 2,400 photographs of the Korean War were obtained from the National Archives. They were enhanced by computer to give a uniform lighting effect and the desired size. The mural, representing those forces supporting the foot soldier, 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 of 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. It is organized by service as shown below:



Pool of Remembrance:

The point of the triangle enclosing the statues reaches into a circular pool approximately 128 feet in diameter. Water is fed into the pool from its bottom and it flows over a stepped weir to give a pleasant rippling sound. Surrounding the pool are 28 Linden trees shaped to create a barrel effect, which will allow the sun to reflect on the pool. Seven benches, located under the trees, provide a place for visitors to rest and reflect on the terrible price the youth of America paid during the war. On the wall that extends into the pool area, written in 10-inch silver letters, is the reminder:

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE


Honor Roll:

A kiosk containing the Korean War Honor Roll stands at the west entrance of the Memorial. It is serviced by a Park ranger, who provides assistance to visitors. The Honor Roll computer contains the names of all military personnel who lost their lives during the Korean War, including the individual's name, service, rank, service number, date of birth, hometown or county of entry into the service, cause of death, date of death and, if the information is furnished to ABMC, the serviceman's unit, awards, circumstances surrounding the death or missing in action and photograph.

You may send in information and/or a photograph to the Commission about an individual serviceman who was killed during the war. You can obtain a form with instructions, which is available in Adobe.pdf format, through the link below. If you do not have a copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader currently installed on your PC you will need to download and configure your free copy before you can read and print these instructions.

Download ABMC form with instructions

United Nations' Curb:

The curb running along the northern side of the statues contains an alphabetical listing of the 22 nations that participated in the Korean War. Seventeen nations provided combat units and five medical support. As the curb extends into the circular pool it has inscribed the following:

  Killed in Action Missing in Action Prisoners of War Wounded in Action

U.S.A.

 54,246 8,177 7,140 103,284

U.N.

 627,246 469,267 92,770 1,060,453


Dedication Stone:

At the point of the triangle leading to the American flag is the Dedication stone, which reads:

OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS
WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY
THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET


The memorial was established by the American Battle Monuments Commission, but is administered by the National Park Service.


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