Sixty-two years after the Korean War ended, residents of a South Korean town reached out to veterans in New Jersey to remind them that their sacrifice in the 1950s will never be forgotten.
A refurbished monument that honors local veterans of the Asian conflict was unveiled Monday in Jersey City, after vandals had defaced the circular memorial in October. When word of the vandalism reached the city of Uijeongbu, folks there decided to send $100,000 to pay for the repairs.
The memorial’s lights had been ripped out and scratches marred some of the engraved names lining the interior of the structure. Now, the scratches are gone, and 18 new pictures, depicting scenes from modern-day South Korea and moments from the war, adorn the inner ring of polished granite panels.
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Speaking at Monday’s unveiling ceremony, Hyung Gil Kim, deputy counsel general of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York, expressed his deepest gratitude on behalf of all South Koreans.
“The Korean War is not forgotten,” Kim said. “Koreans will never, ever forget the services and sacrifice of your brothers and husbands and your fathers and grandfathers.”
The Jersey Journal reports that new floodlights donated by the Fields Development Group will deter further vandalism.
(READ more at The New Jersey Journal) – Photos via NJ Department of Military & Veterans Affairs