Hundreds turn out to the Korean Veterans Memorial Dedication

RJG.com: Hundreds turn out to the Korean Veterans Memorial Dedication

FERNLEY--Retired U.S. Navy Commander Kirk Lippold said of the reason memorials are dedicated, "We as a people can remember and thank those who served our county and protected our freedoms, and in many cases ,thank those willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice."

On Saturday, an estimated 250 people turned out to the Korean Veterans Memorial Dedication at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery to remember and thank Korean War veterans who answered the call to serve and donned a uniform during the conflict, which ran from June, 1950, to July, 1952.

The memorial was a project of the Korean War Veterans Association Northern Nevada Chapter and was spearheaded by Fernley resident Bob Wallace, who said the entire project took 15 months.

"I'm just so happy this many people came out to see it, and for the complements we've received," Wallace said.

Invited guest Seung Bai Parker, and oriental medicine doctor, said on June 25, 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea at the 38th Parallel, which divided the two countries.

At that time, North Korea was "heavily armed with tanks, and was supported by Russia," said Parker, adding that coming to the aid of South Korea was the United Nations, and, in particular the United States.

Parker went on to say the war is often called the "Forgotten War," and when he immigrated to the U.S., and to Reno, he and his family and many other Koreans had not, and have not, forgotten the sacrifices soldiers had made in that conflict.

"They will remain in our hearts forever." Parker said.

Additionally, the church he attends--the Korean Christian Church--provides a lunch for Korean veterans each year.

Commander Lippold said soldiers choose a "life of consequence," adding of a soldier's commitment, "They choose not just to follow a normal path; they choose because something in their hearts said they need to give back to this nation. It's a feeling unlike anything you can describe."

Lippold also spoke of the "Forgotten War," saying, "It's not the 'Forgotten War.' Look at the memorial and remember those who served--those who never came home and those who are still missing in action--because we will never forget their sacrifices."

Fernley resident James Gruhn recalled wartime battles, saying it was trench warfare, and s both sides "took pot shots at each other."

While under gunfire, Gruhn said he was anxious while in the trench, and that once, he was hit.

"It happened very quickly, and you don't hear them (bullets),"said Gruhn, who served in Army Company L of the 25th Infantry Division in Heartbreak Ridge and was in the front line when he was seriously wounded by shell fragments which lacerated his spleen and left kidney.

Eventually, when he returned to the U.S., he went on to attend San Jose State and then took a job and retired with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Also wounded was Corporal Wallace, who served 14 months with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Punch Bowl area in North Korea.

"Our casualty rate was 99%, and I was the least wounded," he said, adding that he was wounded in the left arm and leg by a mortar round, but remained in combat after his wounds healed.

Wallace said of the memorial, "I don't care if they (soldiers) were in Germany, or on the East Coast; they all served and helped."

Assisting Wallace and the KWVA were a band of volunteers that included Bob Gaddis, Jim Club and Gary Philipart, who showed up on the weekends to help construct the memorial.

Gaddis said he volunteered in honor of his father, who is a Korean veteran. He noted some of the veterans were older and needed the extra help. "It'll (memorial) bring people Fernley. They'll drive out to go and see it," said Gaddis of the memorial.

Companies that donated to the project were Nevada Cement, American Ready Mix and Walmart.