A Project by HIST 1000 Students at the University of New Haven
 
Korean War Veterans Memorial: A Case Study
Uncategorized

Korean War Veterans Memorial: A Case Study

Memorializing the Korean War Veterans

This memorial is memorializing the millions of Americans who had fought in the Korean War. The Korean War, fought between 1950 and 1953, was a conflict between North and South Korea. After WWII there was a division in Korea. After Japan’s defeat in 1945, Korea, which had been under Japanese control, was split along the 38th parallel as part of an agreement between the Allies. The Soviet Union occupied the north, installing a communist regime led by Kim Il-Sung, while the United States supported a democratic government under Syngman Rhee in the south.

Tensions had quickly escalated between the two governments, each claiming to be the legitimate ruler of the entire peninsula. The war began on June 25, 1950, when the North Korean forces, backed by the Soviet Union and China, launched a surprise invasion of South Korea, and crossing the 38th parallel. This invasion quickly drew attention as it prompted the United States, under Harry Truman, to lead a coalition made up of multiple U.N. countries to help defend South Korea under the banner of containing communism.

The war was intensely fought across the whole Korean peninsula. The whole war was very push and pull with the occupation of land. Each side had times when they had only a small sliver of land left. However, after a long hard fight, the front lines eventually stabilized back near the 38th parallel. This line is now famously known to divide North and South Korea. The war resulted in approximately 36,000 American deaths. This was not only a fight over Korean sovereignty, but also a key battle in the larger Cold War struggle.

Leomonaci98, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

The “Forgotten War”

This war is often known as “The Forgotten War” because of a few reasons. One of them is because of the timing of the war. WWII had just ended, and people weren’t very keen on the idea of jumping straight back into another war. WWII was fought with the idea of unity and protecting American soil, but the same can not be said about the Korean War which is why the reception home was much more subdued. The Korean War was seen as a loss by America because it ended off as a stalemate at the 38th parallel which is just another reason why these veterans weren’t given a big reception like wars past.

Another reason why the Korean War is very overshadowed in the modern day is because of how it was in-between WWII and the Vietnam War. WWII was seen as a necessary war to keep the world safe. It was something that the citizens of America felt was something that needed to be done. But the Vietnam War was seen as a war of governmental control that we had no business being in. Because of both of these wars that stirred such deep emotions on opposite sides of the spectrum, it’s not surprising that the Korean War ends up being “forgotten” in today’s time.

The Creation of the Memorial

This memorial was commissioned by the U.S. Congress back in 1986. Congress authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a memorial in D.C. Ronald Reagan appointed the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board to recommend a site, design, and raise the construction funds. The committee ended up picking two people, Frank Gaylord and Louis Nelson. Gaylord was chosen as the sculptor of the statues while Nelson was selected to create the mural of faces on the memorial’s wall. Bill Clinton and Kim Young Same (President of South Korea) dedicated the memorial on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice.

Purpose and Cultural Context

The purpose of this memorial was to honor the service and sacrifice that the Korean War veterans gave up their life for another country. Although there was no big reception for these veterans when they got home, that doesn’t take away from the fact that these were people who fought a war for people half a world away. Most of the people fighting in this war were people that had never even heard of Korea until they joined. This is an act that should be remembered and memorialize, which is why this memorial ended up being built.

The cultural context of the time also played a part in its construction. The memorial was commissioned in 1986 and was completed in 1995. This time period reflects the acknowledgement of past conflicts in American history. The 1980s marked a growing recognition of the sacrifices made by service members in wars that had not received significant attention. The Korean War was one of these wars as it was often overshadowed by WWII and the Vietnam War.

This era was also defined by the end of the Cold War. This heightened sense of awareness of the global struggle between both democracy and communism, of which the Korean War was a pivotal moment to, helped lead the idea of needing to remember the fallen soldiers.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, dedicated in 1982, had set a precedent for creating solemn spaces to honor those who served in controversial or “forgotten” wars. Public sentiment in the 1980s and 1990s leaned towards addressing historical injustices, and there was a renewed commitment to ensuring that the service of Korean War veterans was not overlooked. Additionally, the economics and cultural exchange between the United States ad South Korea had strengthened by the 1990s, further solidifying the need to recognize the war that preserved South Korea’s sovereignty. This memorial was part of a broader movement to document and honor the legacy of America.

Design and Symbolism

The Statues

This memorial features a few different aspects that you can look at. One of them being the 19 stainless steel statues that are right in the middle of the memorial. These statues serve as one of the more striking features that are designed to capture the soldiers’ experience during the war. Each figure is approximately 7 feet tall and portrays a soldier from a different branch of the military – Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. This is to highlight the teamwork and unity that was required during this war. The soldiers wore ponchos that appear windblown, symbolizing the harsh weather conditions that were found in Korea.

The statues are deliberately diverse, with facial features and expressions reflecting a variety of ethnic backgrounds to represent the diversity that was found in the armed forces. Each soldier carries equipment specific to their role, such as rifles, radios, and medical kits, which only adds to the realism of the statues. The terrain that the statues are on is a lot of low shrubs which mimics the Korean landscape. Their formation makes them appear as though they are advancing into enemy territory. This helps evoke a sense of tension and uncertainty for the viewer. These statues help show the amount of determination and grit that was sacrificed for those who serve in Korea.

“Korean War Memorial Feb 6” by ~Ealasaid~ is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Mural of Faces

Another feature of this memorial is the mural of faces. This wall is made with a material that makes it reflective. It is etched with the faces of real soldiers, nurses, and civilians. This is supposed to symbolize the personal cost of war. Everyone is affected by war and not just the soldiers but the other nurses that are on the frontlines or the civilians that are caught in danger and the family of people who lost their lives.

The Pool of Remembrance

The pool of remembrance is a shallow, circular pool that serves as a place for reflection on the cost of the war. The pool is 30 feet in diameter and lined with black granite. It’s surrounded by many trees that help barrel affect the sunlight that reflects off the pool. This pool is a place to contemplate the price of freedom and the cost of war.

The Wall of Remembrance

This wall of remembrance is a list of names of the American servicemen and members of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATSUA) who honors the dead, wounded, missing, and POWS. There are 36,634 American names and 7,174 KATUSA members. The wall is made up of 100 granite panels, with each branch of service being represented by a different number of panels. This wall encircles the Pool of Remembrance. There is a key inscription that says “Freedom is not free” which emphasizes the sacrifices that were required to help defend South Korea.

“Korean War Memorial Wall” by joncutrer is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Reception and Criticism

When the Korean War Memorial was first built, many people viewed it as a powerful and necessary tribute to the “forgotten war,” highlighting the sacrifices of those who had served in Korea. Due to the design of the statues that depicted a diverse group of soldiers, this was effectively addressing the lack of recognition that Korean War veterans received.

Contemporary Views and Controversy

This memorial doesn’t have much controversy over leaving the memorial up. However, there has been a major criticism of the memorial which is that there is a significant number of errors and omissions found on the Wall of Remembrance. This includes things like misspelled names, missing names of fallen soldiers, and even names of individuals who did not even die during the Korean War.

Conclusion

Like others, I don’t think that the memorial should be taken down as it has a good meaning and is one of the few representations of the Korean War in America. However, they need to fix all the errors that are on/not on the wall. This should be something that remembers every veteran and not omit any or not write their name correctly. It takes away from the whole reason this was built, to memorialize and remember our veterans who fought for freedom.

References

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *