Introduction
The Korean war was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. It is also known as the “forgotten war” in US history since not many Americans remember it. However, the designers of the Korean war memorial tried to change the name of this war through their memorial design.
Korean War Memorial was opened in 1995. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, DC and lies South to the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is a symbol of honor for the army veterans who served in it.
What is the Korean War Memorial Made of?
The memorial consists of 19 soldiers made of stainless steel and represents all the four military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. There are Juniper bushes planted around the statues which gives a natural effect of soldiers marching through rice fields to it.
There is a black granite wall next to soldiers for honoring those who supplied medical, spiritual, basic and fire support to the veterans. It contains more than 2500 photographs engraved on its surface and reflects the courage of the standing soldiers. It reads this inscription, “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.” The memorial is shaped like a triangle with two long granite walls combined together at the pool of remembrance.
Then there is the United Nations wall that lies to the North of the soldier statues. It lists all those countries that offered their troops, supplies and medical help to the South Korean army. The soldiers in this wall face the direction of the circular pool of remembrance. This pool of remembrance represents soldiers that were wounded, went missing or was killed in the war.
Korean Memorials’ facts and figures:
- The war has a number of facts and figures associated with it. Here are 7 Korean war memorial fun facts that every US citizen needs to know:
- All the 19 soldiers made out of stainless steel are more than 7 ft in height.
- Each Soldier weighs about 1,000 pounds.
- There is a 164 ft long black granite wall next to soldiers which weighs more than 100 tons (200,000 pounds).
- A photograph of soldier statues taken during winters was also once used for a 37 cent US postage stamp.
- The 19 statues of the soldiers look like walking through rice fields represent all the four sections of the Military: Army, Navy, Air force and Marines.
- Number 38 is significant to the memorial design since the war continued for 38 months.
- Statues are made of stainless steel only due to the material’s reflective properties. All the other statues present in the National Mall are made from either granite or bronze.
- Some of the veterans of the Korean War are buried with ethnic Korean headstones in the famous Arlington National Cemetery.
Getting to the Korean War Memorial
There are a number of ways to reach the Korean memorials site. Here are the following options:
Metro: You can avail of orange, silver or blue metro line to reach the Foggy Bottom station. From there, walk southbound on 23rd street to reach the Lincoln Memorial and walk past it. The walk will take about 20 minutes.
DC Circulator: You can also avail of the National Mall Circulator bus from the National Mall. it starts at the Union Station and covers Capitol, museums, memorials, and monuments.
Capital Bikeshare: you can also ride a capital bike-share bike from any corner of the city to reach the Lincoln Memorial station.
Opening Hours
Korean war veterans memorial stays open 24 hours a day. There are National Park Service rangers present on duty from 9:30 am to 10:00 pm to answer queries throughout the year, except for Christmas. The memorial doesn’t include any restroom facilities but you can always access these facilities in the Lincoln memorial situated nearby.
Conclusion
The Korean memorial is one of the most popular war memorials in DC which people love to visit during their tour to Washington D.C. It is lit at night in an impressive way to make for a wonderful sightseeing experience.
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