The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which was dedicated in 1995, commemorates the sacrifices and efforts of a diverse group of American, Korean and other United Nations forces who fought for three years in what many in the U.S. refer to as the "Forgotten War.”
The memorial’s design was chosen from among some 500 submissions in a national competition, announced in 1988. The winning design, created by four Penn State professors, is made up of five deeply symbolic components, but perhaps the most salient theme of the Korean War Veterans Memorial is the number 19.
This is the number of statues that are positioned throughout “the Field of Service,” the triangular green area that is flanked on both sides by the walkways leading towards the inner part of the memorial. The 8-foot-tall steel statues weigh around 800 pounds each and represent a cross section of the service members who fought in the war. Among those depicted are 12 Caucasian, three African American, two Hispanic, one Asian and one Native American. The statues also represent the four branches of the military that fought in the war. They include 14 Army, three Marine, one Navy, and one Air Force member.
“The design aims to reflect the inclusivity of all Americans who served,” says Michael Embrich, a veteran and former member of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs' Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans.
The statues are scattered throughout the green area to evoke an advance party trekking out from the tree line and wading through the landscape of Korea. The statues are surrounded by patches of Juniper bushes and the ground is punctuated by polished granite strips that represent the rice paddies of Korea. The troops are dressed in thick ponchos which are sculpted as if they are fluttering in the cold winds of Korea.
Reflections of 19 Statues Are Key to Tribute
But why 19? The explanation lies in the fact that the soldiers’ reflections are also a key feature of the memorial. The 19 statues in the Field of Service, plus their reflections equal a total of 38 visual representations of soldiers.
This total, says Embrich, is “a symbolic reference to the 38th parallel, the line that divides North and South Korea, which remains a potent symbol of the war and its unresolved status.” Thirty-eight also references the total months of fighting that made up the conflict.
The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung advanced his troops past the 38th parallel to seize Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Warfare ceased in 1953 after 38 months of fighting. The armistice, the negotiated settlement that stopped the war, established a new boundary that separated North and South Korea at the 38th parallel. This armistice remains in effect today and, since neither side signed a peace treaty, the war never formally ended.
The original design for the memorial originally included 38 statues, but the design was modified after concern from members of the Commission of Fine Arts that the scene of this many troops in the middle of combat would look too realistic.
Other Tribute Features: Mural Wall, Pool of Remembrance
The mural wall, which reflects the statues, lines the south side of the memorial. Made of 41 panels of granite, the 164-foot wall is etched with 2,400 images of servicemen, equipment, and people that were found in the photo archives of the Korean War. The images, which were sandblasted, are grouped by images relevant to each service branch and highlight the efforts of diverse citizens in the war effort.
Along the northern side of the Field of Service is the United Nations Curb, which names the 22 nations that participated in the Korean War. Seventeen of these countries contributed combat units while five provided medical support on the field.
As the visitor passes the Field of Service—and the mural wall and U.N. curb that bound it—they step into the tip of the triangle, which juts into the circular Pool of Remembrance. Surrounded by a grove of linden trees, the reflective pool is encircled with benches where visitors can pause and reflect. One end of the mural wall extends into the pool and features the solemn phrase typed in 10-inch letters, “Freedom is not free.”
The most recent addition to the Korean War Memorial is the Wall of Remembrance, which is placed on the far edge of the Pool of Remembrance. The wall features the names of the more than 36,000 Americans who died in the war, as well as the more than 7,100 Koreans who died while supporting the Army. The Wall of Remembrance was dedicated and opened to the public on July 27, 2022.
