Picture this: you’re walking through what I can only describe as the equivalent to your neighborhood park, its below freezing, children are whining, adults are whispering, and all of a sudden you’re face to face with a stone-cold troop of soldiers.
If you have ever heard of or visited the National Mall you most likely have the basic understanding, that it is not in fact a mall, but rather a national park in downtown Washington D.C. The National Mall is unique in the sense that it is home to some of the nation’s most cherished memorials. However, if you did not know this, and you thought that the National Mall was in fact a real mall, don’t feel bad I was in your shoes prior to my move to DC.
To most, the idea of giant sculptures and landmarks …show more content…
On my rather short excursion to visit one of the more underrated memorials, the Korean War Memorial, I realized how ignorant visitors and locals are when it comes to actually gratifying these little pieces of history. It all started with my Uber ride to the monuments. My Uber driver, William, was a man of many talents. He worked as a part time actor, freelance photographer, and football coach. William, proudly proclaimed that he was a D.C. native, which is why I had no doubt in my mind that he would know where the Korean War Memorial is located, considering that the monuments are such a significant part of DC culture. As we got closer to our destination, William admitted that he had no idea where the memorial is or what it even looks like. Lost and confused, we eventually pull over next to the park police and ask for directions. To my surprise the response we receive is, “Oh, the Korean Memorial, oh yeah, that’s the little one right next to the Lincoln.” I haven’t even seen the memorial yet and so far my impression of it is that it must be insignificant. Getting dropped off at the corner of the Lincoln, I bid goodbye to William, and make my way to what I hope is the Korean War …show more content…
The vast size and the elegance of the memorial says it all, which is why I can only assume, that the small, indistinguishable, and forgotten, Korean War Memorial is something to hide or be ashamed of. Standing in the memorial you start to wonder if the reasoning behind the strange layout is because an architectural mistake was made. Then again it could be an intentional mistake, symbolic of the fact that the Korean War is not of importance or that participating in it was a mistake. From my experience at the memorial, what stuck out to me was how the details, like the shrubbery, the mural, and the layout, do not flow together. The placement and the expressions of the soldiers seems random and out of place, making visitors feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. On their own these details may seem minor, however, when you put them together they all serve as evidence that the Korean War is in fact the “Forgotten War”. Many regard the Korean War in this manner since the euphoric feeling that we associate WWII with, does not exist for this conflict. Now the reasoning behind this could solely be based off of the fact that the Korean War had 1/3 the impact than WWII, in the sense that less troops were sent out. Nonetheless, much of this “forgetfulness” can be accredited to the fact that the United States never won the war. The war
If you have ever heard of or visited the National Mall you most likely have the basic understanding, that it is not in fact a mall, but rather a national park in downtown Washington D.C. The National Mall is unique in the sense that it is home to some of the nation’s most cherished memorials. However, if you did not know this, and you thought that the National Mall was in fact a real mall, don’t feel bad I was in your shoes prior to my move to DC.
To most, the idea of giant sculptures and landmarks …show more content…
On my rather short excursion to visit one of the more underrated memorials, the Korean War Memorial, I realized how ignorant visitors and locals are when it comes to actually gratifying these little pieces of history. It all started with my Uber ride to the monuments. My Uber driver, William, was a man of many talents. He worked as a part time actor, freelance photographer, and football coach. William, proudly proclaimed that he was a D.C. native, which is why I had no doubt in my mind that he would know where the Korean War Memorial is located, considering that the monuments are such a significant part of DC culture. As we got closer to our destination, William admitted that he had no idea where the memorial is or what it even looks like. Lost and confused, we eventually pull over next to the park police and ask for directions. To my surprise the response we receive is, “Oh, the Korean Memorial, oh yeah, that’s the little one right next to the Lincoln.” I haven’t even seen the memorial yet and so far my impression of it is that it must be insignificant. Getting dropped off at the corner of the Lincoln, I bid goodbye to William, and make my way to what I hope is the Korean War …show more content…
The vast size and the elegance of the memorial says it all, which is why I can only assume, that the small, indistinguishable, and forgotten, Korean War Memorial is something to hide or be ashamed of. Standing in the memorial you start to wonder if the reasoning behind the strange layout is because an architectural mistake was made. Then again it could be an intentional mistake, symbolic of the fact that the Korean War is not of importance or that participating in it was a mistake. From my experience at the memorial, what stuck out to me was how the details, like the shrubbery, the mural, and the layout, do not flow together. The placement and the expressions of the soldiers seems random and out of place, making visitors feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. On their own these details may seem minor, however, when you put them together they all serve as evidence that the Korean War is in fact the “Forgotten War”. Many regard the Korean War in this manner since the euphoric feeling that we associate WWII with, does not exist for this conflict. Now the reasoning behind this could solely be based off of the fact that the Korean War had 1/3 the impact than WWII, in the sense that less troops were sent out. Nonetheless, much of this “forgetfulness” can be accredited to the fact that the United States never won the war. The war