18 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER February 2021
Every name has a story
By COREY BUCHANAN
Local organizations and the Wilsonville government are planning an interpretive center next to the Oregon Korean War Memorial in Wilsonville dedicated to what has been called “ The Forgotten War .”
The groups , which include the Korean War Veterans Association Oregon Trail Chapter and the Korean War Memorial Foundation of Oregon ( KWMFO ), are currently deciding what will go into the center , which will be located at the city ’ s Parks and Recreation Administrative building near the memorial in Town Center Park .
KWMFO Interim Chair Greg Caldwell said the center should be completed in about a year and will feature media and memorabilia about the history of the war and Oregonians who fought in it . The two organizations are raising money to finance the center and the city will maintain it once it ’ s finished . The city is also tasked with maintaining the memorial itself .
“ I think it ’ s a way to honor our veterans . It is a way to educate particularly young people and the public about the service and sacrifice of the Korean War . Third , we want to emphasize that it was worth that sacrifice because of what Korea has become today ,” Caldwell said .
While the memorial includes the
names of Oregonians who fought in the war , Caldwell hopes the interpretive center will serve to further humanize the conflict by telling the vivid stories of veterans , like a photographer who was a prisoner of war for many months after their plane was shot down , and a machine gunman whose compatriots were killed in combat and who fought in frigid temperatures .
“ You can look on the wall and say there ’ s so many names here but what do those names represent ? What is their story ?” Caldwell said . “ It ’ s not just looking at a name on the wall . There ’ s stories behind it , courage behind it , sacrifice behind it , death behind it . They all have different stories .”
The Oregon Korean War Memorial is located in Town Center Park in Wilsonville .
PMG FILE PHOTO
Caldwell also hopes there will be explanations of memorable sayings associated with the conflict such as “ Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met ” and “ Freedom is not free .”
Chuck Lusardi , president of the Korean War Veterans Association Oregon Trail Chapter , said it was important for the organizations to develop the center sooner rather than later since Korean War veterans are dying in increasingly rapid numbers .
Caldwell also hoped that people who visit the center will come to realize the impact the war had on South Korea , which has been one of the world ’ s success stories in terms of
Organizations planning interpretive center at Korean War memorial
economic development and democratic governance in recent decades .
“ Basically , we saved South Korea . If we had not intervened , they would have been a communist country just like the North ,” he said .
Lusardi also said they hope to highlight the Americans who have served in Korea over the many decades since the armistice between the North and South was agreed upon . He added that the memorial has become a popular destination for dignitaries visiting from South Korea and that he envisioned that the center could be used as a part of ceremonies and events that take place at the memorial .
“ The area we ’ re trying to add to that is the younger generation , our students and children who can get a better understanding of what the memorial is all about — why it ’ s there , the costs of freedoms they enjoy day in and day out ,” Lusardi said .
Caldwell said the center will cost $ 150,000 to develop and that they ’ ve received a $ 45,000 donation from the South Korean government as well as $ 65,000 from other donors . The center will be located in a 350-square-foot room .
For more information , visit www . kwmfo . org .
This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Wilsonville Spokesman .
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