‘THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DAY’
Korean War Memorial unveiled at Montgomery County park
A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered Saturday morning to commemorate an addition to a Montgomery County park that fortified the friendships of two countries: The United States and The Republic of Korea.
“Welcome to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Korean War Memorial and America Korea Alliance Peace Park,” said Grand Master Bong Pil Yang, general secretary of the park committee.
The ribbon cutting ceremony commenced with a “presentation of the colors” from various local veterans associations, as well as renditions of the United States and Republic of Korea’s respective national anthems sung by Ocean County College Professor Sungii Kim.
The flags of the United States, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Republic of Korea were seen blowing in the wind on a particularly hot morning at the park on Kenas Road in North Wales. Organizers hoped this memorial would ensure people never forget the conflict that was often described as “The Forgotten War.”
Former state representative Kate Harper, co-chair of the park committee, underscored the need to remember the fallen American and South Korean soldiers.
“Today is an important day for us,” Harper said.
Harper said there were 40,000 American soldiers who were killed during the Korean War. She added there were more than 100,000 others injured, 2,000 of them from Pennsylvania. Additionally, she said that 138,000 soldiers from the Republic of Korea, and nearly one million civilians lost their lives during the war. While 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, Harper noted that U.S. service members are still there today.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to all of those soldiers who have helped forge bonds that cannot be broken between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America,” she said.
Harper expressed her appreciation to a number of participants including representatives from Montgomery Township, as well as the project’s architect, Joseph A. Lavalle, who also serves on the Upper Moreland Township Board of Commissioners.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, whose Dad served with the United States Armed forces in Ko