Thursday, July 29, 2021
by Kirsten Clark
INDIANAPOLIS – In total, 195 bricks generously donated by several donors in honor of Indiana’s Korean War fallen and missing servicemembers were placed in the street during a ceremony July 24 on Monument Circle at the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
More than 350 people attended the dedication ceremony recognizing Indiana veterans of the Forgotten War that took place between 1950 and 1953.
“These bricks around Monument Circle will help give these families some closure and prevents their veteran stories from being forgotten,” said J. Stewart Goodwin, Indiana War Memorials executive director and retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general. “Their names are there – approximately one million people will walk past here this year. We aim to educate, honor and keep the Korean War in the front of people’s minds.
“We don’t want anyone to ever forget those that went before us, or those who come after us,” he added.
Until the end of World War II, Japan maintained control of Korea. But when their own country required a focus on rebuilding efforts, the island nation relinquished much of Korea, leaving it vulnerable. Prior to 1950, the Soviet Union and China were already attempting to advance communism throughout Asia, thus the U.S. and U.N. efforts in the region during this time began as an attempt primarily to prevent the spread of communism.
“When Korea began, there wasn’t a proper plan in place to address this conflict,” Goodwin said. “It had been just five years since World War II ended and there was not much change in technology and weaponry, and they were somewhat forced to use similar tactics.”
After World War I and World War II, the U.S. was not in the best position to fight yet another war, far from home.
“This was a different part of the world – different topography, different time, different war, and very different attitudes towards war.
“The super stars from WWII were mostly gone. They were using the same equipment in a different environment. Russia is providing people and tactics; China had its strengths,” said Goodwin. “The American people generally had no interest in Korea and really no fear of communism yet. In 1950, there was no definitive act of war such as the attack on Pearl Harbor to rally the American people.”
The U.S. Congress never declared actual war during those years. The conflict at the time was called a ‘police action’ and Congress became less sensitive to those servicemembers who risked their lives in the conflict. Veterans of the Korean War were not treated to the fanfare and celebrations veterans of WWII were treated to, and the so-called police actions in Korea became known as “The Forgotten War”.
The Korean War’s Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) left behind families who were also frequently forgotten.
“Not many people today think of Korea as significant to military history or to U.S. history for that matter,” Goodwin said. “Veterans and their families soured because of how they were treated while fighting in this conflict and how they were treated when they returned home. Why would they keep their equipment or talk about their experience or preserve it? They felt no one cared anyway.
“It is very important to recognize and affirm Korean War veterans – we want them to know their service mattered, and that they made a difference. We must continue to tell their story and make sure veterans of the Forgotten War are never forgotten,” he added.
Guests to Indianapolis can see the memorial bricks in the street located on Monument Circle, around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. To learn more about the brick program, visit https://www.indianawarmemorials.org/.