Remembering the ‘forgotten war’
Korean War vets gather at memorial to mark armistice
The steps taken by the Korean War veterans in the honor guard at Monday’s ceremony on the North Shore were not as crisp and long as they might have been 65 years ago, when that conflict began. But they were every bit as proud.
About 50 people, many of them elderly veterans, gathered at the Korean War Memorial for a brief commemoration marking the end of the conflict many people call “the forgotten war.”
Edward E. Stevens, an 83-yearold resident of Collier, was an 18year-old leader of a machine gun squad during the war. Today, he led the ceremony, which was attended by Gangil Song, the New York-based consulate of South Korea, and Andrew Choe, president and CEO of StarKist Co., which is headquartered in South Korea.
“Your mission was to protect and preserve freedom in Korea,” Mr. Choe said. “Thankfully, for millions of Koreans, you were successful. We are forever grateful for the bravery and service made by the Korean War veterans, and we are humbled to be a part of such an important observance today.
“StarKist’s parent company, Dongwon Group in Korea, was able to build its successful business through the peace that was brought to Korea, thanks to the Korean War veterans.”
“Freedom is not free,” Mr. Song said. “Freedom is hardearned, and it needs to be protected.”
The Rev. Young Cho of the Korean Assembly of God Church said the annual July 27 ceremony — which commemorates the date the armistice with North Korea was signed in 1953 — started in the parking lot of his Monroeville church about 20 years ago. After the memorial was dedicated in 1999, the gathering was moved to the North Shore.
“Our congregation felt it was important to honor them and show our appreciation,” the Rev. Cho said of his 100-member church. “My father was rescued
by the U.S. GIs when he was fleeing from Communists in Pyongyang. Without the U.S. military presence, he would have been trapped there, and I would not be here. And I want to make sure that our children and our children's children — both from Korea and the U.S. — remember this war.”
But it’s not only the war that some of the veterans feel is not properly honored. It’s the memorial itself.
Built with $1.2 million raised by volunteers with the Korean War Veterans of Western Pennsylvania, the memorial was dedicated in 1999. Its location, near a fountain and offices and restaurants across from PNC Park, is a blessing and a curse.
Because it is handy, open and shady, people use it for lunch and cigarette breaks, mindless of the meaning surrounding them. Stands for wreaths are knocked down and broken. Skateboarders have worn down the edges of the stone seats that are engraved with the names of soldiers.
“It gets abused. People eat here and leave their garbage here and they don’t even care,” Mr. Stevens said. “It’s just terrible. This is not a park and it’s not a picnic ground. It’s really not a public place. It’s a memorial.”
The veterans group— 350 strong — does what it can to keep the site looking good. Mr. Stevens said he has reached out to city officials and hopes to see signs placed around the memorial reminding people of its importance and perhaps closing it at night.