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| KATUSA Veterans Association Chairman Kim Hae-sung, second from right, and Korea Defense Veterans Association Chairman Vincent Brook, second from left, pose at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Friday (local time) after donating $50,000 to Chairman John Tilelli, third from left, of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, in charge of the establishment of the Wall of Remembrance. Kim Jong-wook, right, the KVA chairman emeritus, and Yoon Yoon-soo, third from right, the chairman of Fila Holdings and a standing adviser to the KVA, also attended the donation ceremony. Courtesy of KATUSA Veterans Association |
By Kang Seung-woo
The KATUSA Veterans Association (KVA) and the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA) have donated $50,000 (61 million won) to the establishment of a remembrance wall in Washington, D.C. that will feature the names of tens of thousands of American and KATUSA soldiers who lost their lives during the 1950-53 Korean War.
KATUSA stands for Korean Augmentation to the United States Army. Under the program, Korean soldiers are given posts on U.S. military bases in the country. The KDVA is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that advocates for the Korea-U.S. alliance by supporting former and current military service members.
The Wall of Remembrance, which will be a permanent addition to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will contain the names of 36,595 U.S. soldiers and 7,174 KATUSA soldiers, according to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation (KWVMF), in charge of the construction.
The donation ceremony was held in the U.S. capital, Friday (local time), with a number of guests from Korea and the United States, including KDVA Chairman and former U.S. Forces Korea Commander Vincent Brooks, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens and senior KVA officials.
"I hope that the Wall of Remembrance can serve as a small token of our deep gratitude to repay the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to protect the freedom and democracy of Korea. We all know that Korea is a prosperous country today, and this proves that their sacrifice has not been in vain," KVA Chairman Kim Hae-sung said during the donation ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
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| A rendering of the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial / Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs |
"Dispatched in 1950, each of these soldiers opened the way for the freedom and peace in Korea, which was an unknown and distant land far from their own home, with patriotism and love for mankind. I strongly believe that the heroism of these soldiers taken place in a distant foreign country of South Korea long time ago will be remembered forever as one of the greatest stories of history through this Wall of Remembrance," Kim said.
Yoon Yoon-soo, the chairman of Fila Holdings and a standing adviser to the KVA, also said, "The establishment of this wall is not just about the construction of sculptures. It should be a symbol of solidarity and alliance between the Republic of Korea and the U.S.A., and confirm the close cooperation between our two countries going forward."
The construction of the wall was initially proposed by a handful of U.S. Congress members in 2011 and then, the U.S. Congress passed the "Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act" in 2016.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the monument, which President Moon Jae-in attended, was held on May 21, 2021, and the dedication ceremony is scheduled for July 22.
According to the KVA, the Korean government has paid 97 percent of the total budget of 24.2 million, and many Korean companies have offered their full support to the monument project.
It also launched a six-month fundraising campaign from September 2021 to March 2022.
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