Gratitude in granite

About 15 Korean War veterans crowded for a photo around a 20-inch-high black granite memorial stone donated by the South Korean government, honoring their sacrifices and contributions during the war.

The scene followed the unveiling of the marker at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl on Friday as part of an observance of the 60th anniversary of the war armistice.

"This (the memorial stone) shows that the Korean government really appreciates what the veterans did, and I never expected that," said Korean War veteran Fred J. Ito, a corporal in the 1st Cavalry Division during the war. "It shows that they’re thinking of democracy, freedom, a hope to get along with the whole world.

"The world is still not a safe place, but I’m glad we’re all working together."

Sung-choon Park, South Korea’s minister of patriots and veterans affairs and the ceremony’s keynote speaker, said during the ceremony through an interpreter, "The history of Korea for the past 60 years is the history of the Korean-U.S. alliance. The Korean government and our people have never, ever forgotten the sacrifice and dedication of the U.S. government, American citizens and you, the war veterans."

The memorial stone, flown from South Korea, will be the 60th marker on Memorial Walk leading to the Punchbowl lookout when it is installed next week.

It has a bronze plaque with an inscription, in English and Korean, honoring U.S. Korean War veterans and those who lost their lives in that war.

Several other memorial stones on the walk commemorate those who served in the Korean War.

Jimmy Shin, who was a staff sergeant in the South Korean marine corps during the war and served alongside U.S. Marines, had encouraged the South Korean government to dedicate a Korean War memorial at Punchbowl to American forces.

"During the Korean War a lot of U.S. soldiers were killed," said Shin, president of the Korean War Veterans Association Aloha Chapter, whose members are South Korean soldiers now living in Hawaii. "At Punchbowl we have all kinds of different war monuments up there by the lookout, but Korean War stones, we don’t have many. Finally, the Korean government decided it wanted to put a monument stone there."

Park said he wanted the South Korean government to donate a memorial after he saw during a visit to Punchbowl last October markers donated by other countries but none from South Korea.

Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, U.S. veterans affairs secretary and the event’s commemorative speaker, said, "There is a special trust and friendship between Korea and the U.S. because so many of our young fought together, side by side, six decades ago, and Korea’s many thoughtful remembrances since, like this ceremony today, demonstrate the strength of our alliance."

Friday’s dedication ceremony at Punchbowl’s lower courtyard was the first of a series of events by the South Korean government in the United States to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

"I think the fact that we did the ceremony at Punchbowl is very, very significant for us (South Korea) and for Hawaii because this is the cemetery where many, many Korean War veterans have been laid and where a list of more than 8,000 warriors missing in action is placed," Park said through an interpreter.

Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; Gov. Neil Abercrombie; Hono­lulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell; and state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim also attended the ceremony.