Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington D.C.

Washington, D. C., has a myriad of memorials. We finally got to see one of the lesser-known ones, the Korean War Veterans Memorial. The memorial was authorized by Congress in 1986. In 1992 they broke ground on the site, just south of the Reflecting Pool and just southeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial was dedicated in 1995. It was built under the guidance of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board (appointed by President Ronald Reagan) and turned over to the National Parks Service for ongoing care and maintenance.

The most striking part of the memorial is the set of nineteen statues representing American soldiers. The statues represent fourteen Army soldiers, three Marines, one Navy Corpsman, and one Air Force Forward Air Observer. They stand in the midst of juniper bushes with some granite strips interspersed, representing the rugged Korean terrain. They wear ponchos over their weapons and equipment, protection from the rainy and cold weather.

Korean War Veterans Memorial

A side view

Another side

The United Nations Wall lists the various countries that were part of the armed forces in Korea, along with the casualties. The Pool of Remembrance is right nearby, with the "Freedom is not free" wall as part of the pool. The pool did not have water in it when we visited.

UN Wall and dry Pool of Remembrance

Freedom is not free wall

The Mural Wall parallels the statues and is 164 feet long. The pictures in the wall are from the National Archives and depict various soldiers, equipment, and places from the war.

Statues and Mural Wall

A picture of the wall

The polished black granite of the wall makes a reflection of the soldiers, represent the number thirty-eight. The war lasted thirty-eight months and the dividing line between North Korea and South Korea is the thirty-eighth parallel.

The memorial isn't very big but it is very striking and well worth visiting.

Watching out for us