Basic Information
Narrative
For those that have read my posting about the Hero of the Korean War, Lieutenant James P. Carne and his men of the Gloucestershire Battalion during the Korean War, you may be interested in seeing what the battle site looks like today. Fortunately the area that the battle took place has turned into the nicest memorial of any other Korean War battle field I have seen yet. The memorial is located below the large Kamaksan mountain and just outside the village of Jokseong on Highway 56:
It takes less than hour to drive to the site from both Dongducheon and Uijongbu on Highway 56.
The memorial is easy to spot due to this large sign on the side of the highway:
Besides the sign the prominent flags also give away the fact that this area is a Korean War memorial site. The flags were backdropped by Gloster Hill which is where the Gloucestershire Regiment made their final last stand during the Battle of the Imjim:
I have been to the site three times and each time the site has been well maintained and very clean which is not always the case with other Korean War memorial sites I have been to. The memorial is divided in half with a park on one side of the river and the actual memorial on the other. The park is actually a popular picnic area for Korean locals. There are even restaurants and cafes adjacent to the park for visitors to use.
To reach the actual memorial you have to cross over the creek with the use of this bridge:
The bridge is specially decorated with British flags:
Seeing so many British flags just seems so odd considering you are in Korea, but their are many more Union Jacks on display here than Taegukis. Near the bridge is also a plaque and map describing to visitors the Battle of the Imjim:
Just across the bridge and at the base of Hill 235 is this memorial carved in the rock face:
Here is how the memorial looks up close:
Here is a close up look at the inscriptions on the plaques:
Conclusion
The site may be easy to find, but it can be a bit difficult to get to if you don’t have transportation. Buses from Dongducheon run to Joeksong regularly and from Joeksong the site is only a short cab drive away. This is how I first visited the site but I had to walk back to Joeksong afterwards to catch the bus again. I later led a group of Soldiers to the site for a leader development session that I did. This battle has a lot of interesting lessons learned and leadership examples that make for a great professional development opportunity. Ultimately I recommend this memorial to anyone with an interest in Korean War history.
Here is a pretty cool story about a US Marine who was seriously injured in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan and before having her leg amputated decided to walk across the UK with Prince Harry cheering her on:
But among the small group of warriors drawing breath at the special reception laid on for them, none should feel more proud than Kirstie Ennis, an Afghan veteran like Harry, and the sole woman to take part in the 72-day expedition.
She is lucky to be alive. Surgeons have practically rebuilt her in the course of 38 separate operations. She has somehow covered the extraordinary distance on a leg so damaged and painful that her medical team insists it should be amputated – and it will be removed once today’s final agonising mission is complete.
It is just three years since the slender blonde was told she would never walk again. In fact, so exemplary is Kirstie’s determination that she and the Prince have forged a remarkable bond in the past few weeks, when Harry joined 24-year-old Kirstie and the other walkers on their journey. [Daily Mail]
You can read the rest at the link, but I wish Kirstie all the best as she continues her recovery from her injuries
I am a bit surprised that London did not have a memorial of any kind in it in recognition of the United Kingdom’s valiant soldiers who fought in the Korean War until now:
The first public memorial in London to British soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War was unveiled in a ceremony Wednesday along the banks of the River Thames.
The memorial incorporates a bronze statue of a British soldier by award-winning Scottish sculptor Philip Jackson that stands in front of an inscribed Portland stone obelisk on a base of Welsh slate.
The 5.8 by 3.1 meter (19 by 10 feet) memorial is just outside the headquarters of the U.K. Ministry of Defence. It is the last such monument to be erected in the capital of one of the 16 countries that allied with South Korea during the war. Over 300 members of the British Korean Veterans Association (BKVA) attended the unveiling ceremony in Victoria Embankment Gardens in central London.
The ceremony was also attended by 200 British and Korean officials, including the Duke of Gloucester and Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. The memorial is a gift from the Korean government to express thanks to the 81,000 British soldiers who served in the Korean War, which includes 1,106 troops killed and 1,060 who were prisoners of war.
Queen Elizabeth II sent a congratulatory message that was read by the Duke of Gloucester. “The memorial is a fitting tribute to the veterans of that fierce conflict,” she said in the message, “and will ensure that they, and their fallen comrades, are never forgotten.”
“The Korean War was the first UN action against aggression,” reads an inscription on the obelisk. “Although exhausted and impoverished after the Second World War, Britain responded immediately by providing strong naval, army and air forces and became the second largest contributor after the United States. A distant obligation honorably discharged.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link.
