Freedom is not free! We hear that so many times and that is also true with the Korean War, June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953. The Korean War is known as a forgotten war, but to families, friends, and communities that lost their loved ones, the Korean War is a never forgotten war. The mission of the Orange County Korean War Memorial Committee is to design, construct, and oversee a monument to honor the memory of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom during the Korean War.
We remember the American and United Nations forces that fought bravely to defend freedom on the Korean peninsula. They served selflessly and answered the call to defend a country they never knew, and people they had never met. Koreans will be eternally grateful for the American Veterans of the Korean War.
Many of our servicemen and women have since passed away, both during the Korean War and at home, and aging veterans are fading away. For this reason, the Orange County Korean War Memorial Committee has resolved to build a monument to memorialize the noble will and sacrifice of the men and women who fought in the Korean War while many of them are still with us.
This Korean War Memorial is not only a symbol of gratitude. This memorial will confirm the friendship between the Republic of Korea and the United States; a friendship cemented in blood during the Korean War. The sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of Korean War Veterans will be able visit the Memorial Monument and be proud of their loved ones. Furthermore, this memorial monument will serve as a bridge to foster everlasting friendship between those who visit the monument and the Republic of Korea as well the Korean American Community.
In 1976, Korean government and President Park, Chung Hee, installed the Friendship Bell at the Point Fermin in San Pedro, California to congratulate America’s 200 years since it gained independence on July 4th 1776.
The Orange County Korean War Memorial Committee has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Fullerton on March 18, 2014 to utilize Fullerton City Park as a venue for this historic Korean War Memorial Monument which will have names inscribed of all 34,024 names of soldiers who sacrificed their lives to keep freedom on the Korean Peninsular and 2,611 of them were Californians.
Our Committee would be grateful for any donations which is tax deductible. Current President of the Republic of Korea, Park, Geun Hae is the daughter of the late President Park, Chung Hee, who presented the Friendship Bell in 1976.
We want to build the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial Monument to honor the American veterans and preserve their imperishable spirit, which brought freedom to the country they did not know.