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The United States Armed Forces suffered 54,000 Americans killed
in action in Korea; 3,275 died there from non-hostile causes. *TOTAL:
54,000 Americans gave their lives in the Korean Theater. There were
92,134 Americans wounded in action in 103,284 incidents. A total of
1,789,000 Americans served during the Korean War from June 25, 1950
to July 27, 1953
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WE MUST NEVER
FORGET... |
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A Medal
of Honor Soldier |
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Korean War Memorial, Washington, D.C., dedicated July 27, 1995,
“Freedom is not free.” Here, one finds the expression of American gratitude to those who restored freedom to South Korea. Nineteen stainless steel sculptures stand silently under the watchful eye of a sea of faces upon a granite wall—reminders of the human cost of defending freedom. These elements all bear witness to the patriotism, devotion to duty, and courage of Korean War veterans. See
http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/WashingtonDC/korean.html
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| It is here
where an inscription summarizes the true meaning of the memorial:
"OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET." |
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Special Tributes |
Sound
As
you approach the memorial, the first things you see
are the nineteen soldiers on patrol heading up hill.
The use of Juniper bushes in the field is to show
the rugged terrain they met. Veterans who visit the
memorial view the granite slabs, located in front of
each soldier, as obstacles that American soldiers
had to overcome. A low granite slab does not do
justice to the many obstacles that they had to
overcome. The ponchos that each is wearing can only
give you a hint as to the miserable weather they
faced. The soldiers at the front of the patrol
represent the first soldiers sent to the Korean
peninsula. Many of the first soldiers were ill
equipped and ill trained yet they persevered.
American soldiers faced foul weather, rugged
terrain, poor equipment, not to mention 54 divisions
of communist Chinese soldiers but in the end they
were able to overcome all these obstacles.