The Korean War Veterans Memorial stands in West Potomac Park on the National Mall, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial. Congress authorized it in 1986. President Bush broke ground on June 14, 1992, and Presidents Clinton and Kim Young Sam dedicated it on July 27, 1995. Cooper-Lecky Architects produced the final design, after the competition winners withdrew.
Frank Gaylord sculpted 19 stainless steel figures, a patrol platoon in full combat gear among granite strips and juniper bushes. Each is about 7 feet (2.2 meters) tall. A polished granite mural wall, 164 feet (50 meters) long, carries more than 2,500 sandblasted images by Louis Nelson.
A pool of remembrance, 30 feet (9 meters) across, is ringed with linden trees. A Wall of Remembrance, unveiled in 2022, lists 36,634 American and 7,174 South Korean names. The National Park Service manages the memorial.
Comments