The Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Eric & I walk past the weary

faces of Infantry soldiers at

the Korean War Memorial.

The soldiers are carrying full packs that weigh about 100 pounds.

As we take in the Memorial,
I realize that I am looking
at an accurate depiction
of war.






Just as the Japanese surrendered in 1945, at the end of World War II, Russia invaded Korea.  The United States rushed troops from Japan to southern Korea in an effort to contain the spread of Communism.  Russia and the U.S. bisected the country at the 38th parallel.  On June 25, 1950, North Koreans attacked along the border and headed south to the capital, Seoul.  The United Nations sent troops from 15 nations to southern Korea to defend against North Korean troops.

The conflict escalated with the Chinese attacking from the north late in 1950.  More U.S. troops streamed into Korea and over the next year and a half, Communist troops were pushed back to the 38th parallel.

Reflections of the visitors

merge with the etched

images on the highly
polished wall.

The Korean War was the
was fought without a formal
Declaration of War by the
U.S. Congress.






An armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.  It was a cease fire and no peace treaty was ever drafted or signed. About five million Koreans died in the war.  American casualties were nearly 40,000 dead and 100,000 wounded.

The unfinished war in Korea continues today with soldiers guarding the demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea.  North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Un, continues to agitate on the Korean peninsula, threaten Japan and the United States.