Korean War Memorial in Pittsburgh hosts special ribbon-cutting ceremony
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It was 1999 when the original Korean War Memorial was installed on Pittsburgh's North Shore, a place to honor, heal and look ahead.
That mission to move onward is now symbolized in a newly dedicated walkway, lined with newly-planed Rose of Sharon trees, the national flower of the Republic of Korea.
The city welcomed a delegation of diplomats from Pohang, South Korea for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony that celebrated the gift and dedication of those trees and the walkway. The day also marked the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement.
The vice-mayor of Pohang, Kim Nam-il, said, "On behalf of half-million Pohang citizens, I express my deep gratitude to the veterans who dedicated themselves to the peace and freedom of Korea. We will never forget we are living in prosperity today thanks to the noble sacrifices Korean War veterans have made."
There was a special emphasis on the inclusion and education of young people. Many of the youth musicians who played at the event are the same teens who clean and maintain the memorial grounds every Saturday, according to the president of the Korean American Association of Greater Pittsburgh, Miran Surh.
"We want to continue, always continue and we never want to forget this ever. That's why we're trying to include our youth. Our children go because we know what they have done, they don't."
Retired Corporal Angus MacDonald was moved to tears during the ceremony.
"We've been forgotten for a long time, when we went and when we came home. We're not forgotten anymore. And it really fills your heart, what these people are doing today," he said.