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Korean War Veterans Memorial Review

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Korean War Veterans Memorial

Address: West end of Mall at Daniel French Dr. and Independence Ave., The Mall, Washington, DC | Map It
Phone: 202/426-6841
www.nps.gov/kwvm

Category: Memorials/Monuments
Location: The Mall

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Fodor's Review:

This memorial to the 1.5 million United States men and women who served in the Korean War (1950-53) highlights the high cost of freedom. Nearly 37,000 Americans were killed on the Korean peninsula, 8,000 were missing in action, and more than 103,000 were wounded. The privately funded memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, on the 42nd anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. Compare this memorial to the more intimate Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the grandiose World War II Memorial.

In the "Field of Service," 19 oversize stainless steel soldiers toil through a rugged triangular terrain toward an American flag; look beneath their helmets to see their weary faces. The reflection in the polished black granite wall to their right doubles their number to 38, symbolic of the 38th parallel, the longitude established as the border between North and South Korea in 1953, as well as the 38 months of the war.

Unlike many memorials, this one contains few words, but what's there is poignant. The 164-foot-long granite wall etched with the faces of 2,400 unnamed servicemen and servicewomen says simply, "Freedom is not free." The plaque at the base of the flagpole reads, "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." The only other words are the names of 22 countries that volunteered forces or medical support, including Great Britain, France, Greece, and Turkey.

The adjacent circular Pool of Remembrance honors all who were killed, captured, wounded, or missing in action; it's a quiet spot for contemplation.