Dedicated in 1995 to the men and women who fought in the first U.N. combined effort in Korea, the Memorial is a eerie and stark reminder of our involvement in the Korean War. The main portion of the monument is nineteen stainless steel figures that represent the four services in a "patrol" type set-up as if moving through the field. Each statue is over seven foot tall and weigh over 1,000 pounds apiece. The details in their construction, especially the facial features is what makes them almost speak to the viewer though. Wearing ponchos and almost stalking forward, the statues are very powerful and moving. From the back, it is interesting to see that it almost appears as though one of the soldiers on patrol seems to be looking up toward the Washington Monument.

To the south of the field of nineteen is a black granite wall 164 foot long with sandblasted images of those who served in the U.N. efforts. Fighting to be seen through the sunlight and dark granite, the faces and figures of those who served can be made out as ghostly apparitions in the background.

Where the two parts of the monuments come together is a silver inlaid reminder, "Freedom is not free" at the base of the American flag. If you walk just around behind the wall, there is also a small reflecting pool.

Very nicely laid out and presented, the Korean War Memorial is a great tribute to a war that is sometimes forgotten.

I highly recommend visiting this memorial if you have the opportunity.

An eerie memorial showing both etched faces looking out and the reflections of statues within, this memorial was quite emotional for me. My grandfather served in Korea, and although I knew his name was not on the wall, I wondered what it was like for the soldiers to march in a foreign land. The wall itself is much like the Vietnam Memorial aside from the "marching soldiers." Stop here. It is another historical place of value.

This is a must-see at night. It will feel very haunting and real. You will be amazed. The doliers are very ghost-like when seen at night. You will also be close to the Vietnam Memorial, which also should be seen at night.

Freedom is Not Free. These four words are etched on the walls of the Korean War monument. It is also the sentiment of this memorial dedicated to the brave men and women who defended our freedom from 1950 to 1953 during the Korean conflict. The memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war. President Clinton and Kim Young Sam, the president of Korea, dedicated it.

Upon your arrival, one of the first things you will see is a group of 19 stainless-steel statues depicting a squad on patrol. WW II veteran Frank Gaylord designed the statues. On a granite curb on the north side you will find a list of the 22 countries that sent troops or offered medical support to South Korea. Over on the south side you will find a solemn black granite wall, which has the actual faces of soldiers etched in the granite. There is also a reflecting pool nearby.

This is truly a monument to be seen at night. The servicemen’s reflections on the granite wall shine though by the moonlight. It is truly a somber and moving place. Here you will find visitors talking in whispers instead of shouts. This is one memorial that should not be missed.

This most recent addition to Washington's catalog of monuments and war memorials, this one dedicated to the men and women who fought in the Korean War was built at the behest of an aging body of veterans who saw their conflict "lost" in the longer shadows of World War II and the Viet Nam War. The building project was approved by Congress in 1986 and dedicated nine years and $18,000,000 later by President Clinton.

My wife and I approached the memorial along a path that passes through a fairly thick stand of trees to the southwest of the Lincoln Memorial. Turning a corner, we were met by a series of seven-foot tall stainless steel statues of soldiers dressed in raingear, rifles at the ready, in point formation. The effect was rather startling: they looked as if they really were on patrol through the stand of junipers at their feet. On close examination, some of the faces looked gaunt, scull-like, and just slightly ghoulish. Shivers tend to run up and down the spine.

On the right, similar to the Viet Nam Memorial immediately opposite and on the other side of the Mall, is another stone wall, this one free-standing and made of polished granite, which is etched, not with names, but with the portraits of more than 2,500 servicemen and women along its 164 foot length. The effect of the etching is rather ghostly, the images fighting through the reflections of the trees and the Mall for your eyes' attention. A bit farther on is a large, round pool with the grim statistics of the war carved in the granite rim: of a total American participation of 1.5 million men between 1950 and 1953, 54,000 died, over 110,000 were taken prisoner, and 8,000 went missing. As a backdrop to the pool stand a flag pole and another free-standing wall stating simply and eloquently that "Freedom is not free."