Thanks to the generosity of our many donors, we have now raised nearly $3.5 million, sufficient funding to cover all design and construction costs, as well as a long-term maintenance endowment and modest operating expenses. Construction is underway, and we are looking forward to a gala Opening Ceremony this coming July.
Our work, however, is far from over. We are now embarking on an exciting new campaign, one to raise an additional $500,000 to fund our KWMF Continuing Education Program. We are organizing this program in cooperation with the San Francisco Unified School District and the Korean War Veterans Association. We also hope to continue working with the Berkeley Global Institute (BGI) — the organization profiled in our cover story — and to seek the support of other Bay Area and international educational organizations.
Soldier consoling a brother in arms, Hakton-ni, August 28, 1950
The KWMF Continuing Education Program will inform Bay Area youth of the geopolitical causes of the Korean War, the sacrifices made by the United States, South Korea, and our United Nations allies, the war’s outcome, and the lessons learned.
Young refugee with baby brother, Haeng-ju, June 9, 1951
The program will include:
• Korean War themed documentary and theatrical films, PowerPoint presentations, print materials, and lesson plans for local public and private schools
• Visits to the schools by Korean War veterans for informal discussions that transcend generational divides and pass the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of elders to those who will take their place
• Online access to resources about the war, including documentaries, interviews with Korean War veterans, a historical photo archive, and a library of history books, fictional accounts, and personal memoirs about the war
• Guided tours to the Korean War Memorial in the Presidio, with on-site presentations by Korean War veterans and historians
• A university student exchange program between San Francisco and Seoul
If you have educational experience and would like to volunteer your suggestions or assistance, please contact John Stevens at 415 921 1933, usmcable6@sbcglobal.net
If you would like to make a donation in support of the KWMF Continuing Education Program, please contact Eleanor Zapanta at 415 921 1933, eleanor@kwmf.org, or go to the “Donate” page on our KWMF website: http://www.kwmf.org/donate/
We at KWMF fervently believe that future generations of American youth need to understand our nation’s history as well as the true cost of war and the true price of freedom. Give what you can, for those who gave everything they had.
We at KWMF fervently believe that future generations of American youth need to understand our nation’s history as well as the true cost of war and the true price of freedom. Give what you can, for those who gave everything they had.
Major General O. P. Smith, Commanding General, 1st Marine Division at USMC cemetery, Hungnam, December, 1950
As the Spanish writer/philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Help our community remember the past: support the KWMF Continuing Education Program today.