In the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, nineteen soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines slog in sodden rain gear.

Slightly larger than life, these stainless steel statues represent the men who fought, were wounded, and died in the cause of freedom during the Korean War.

They walk beside a granite wall etched with the words “Freedom is not free” and the faces of 2,400 men and women. Officers and enlisted men. Doctors and nurses. Chaplains, medics, mechanics, supply officers. Digitally reproduced from photographs, these are the faces of actual Korean War veterans.

Voices tend to fall silent as families stumble across the Korean War Veterans National Memorial. Like the conflict it commemorates, the memorial comes as a bit of a surprise. It is raw, stark, and honest.

As you view the soldiers from every side, you can’t help but wonder how heavy were those packs? How far did they march? What dangers lay hidden in their path?

Many of us know what little we know about the Korean War from watching reruns of the television program M*A*S*H. The Korean War Veterans National Memorial offers a chance to honor the 1.5 million servicemen and women who served in this chapter of the ongoing fight for freedom.

Did You Know: 

Korean War Veterans National Memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

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