Six years ago, when John Stevens, Don Reid, and several other veterans founded the Korean War Memorial Foundation (KWMF) in San Francisco, the thought of a formal Groundbreaking Ceremony was no more than a dream. And since the Foundation had no staff, little support, and very little initial funding, it was an implausible dream at that. But on Saturday, July 11, 2015, in the Presidio of San Francisco, that dream finally came to life, as 550 Korean War veterans, their families, donors, and other supporters turned out under a brilliant blue sky for this truly impressive and memorable event.<\/p>\n

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Click here to watch the video of the full ceremony.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

A number of distinguished guests were onstage for the ceremony, including former Secretary of State George P. Shultz (a welcome last-minute addition to the program), San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, Korean National Assembly Member Kim Jung-hoon, Presidio Trust Chair Nancy Hellman Bechtle, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Korean Consul General Han Dong-man, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, Korean War Navy Cross recipient and 1st Marine Division Association Chaplain Denny Weisgerber, Presidio Trust Chief of Park Development & Operations Michael Boland, and Korean War Veterans Association 1st Vice President Warren Wiedhahn. Joining these dignitaries onstage were KWMF\u2019s President Judge Quentin L. Kopp (Ret.), Vice President Man J. Kim, Secretary John R. Stevens, Treasurer Donald F. Reid, and Executive Director Gerard Parker.<\/p>\n

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Front Row, From L to R: Michael Boland, Supervisor Scott Wiener, Consul General Han Dong-man, Mayor Edwin M. Lee, National Assembly Member Kim Jung-hoon, Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, Secretary George Shultz, Chair Nancy Hellman Bechtle, and (at lectern) KWMF Executive Director and M.C. Gerard Parker<\/p><\/div>\n

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The ceremony began with the Star-Spangled Banner. This was followed by the Korean National Anthem, sung by a group of young Korean students from Kyungbuk College who are currently in the Bay Area on a summer exchange program.<\/p>\n

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Students Singing the Korean National Anthem<\/p><\/div>\n

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Chaplain Denny Weisgerber then gave the Invocation. He included a moment of silence for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Korean War, some of whom are buried in the National Cemetery just across the road from the Memorial site.<\/p>\n

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Chaplain Denny Weisgerber, GySgt, USMC (Ret.)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Next came a very special guest, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz. Secretary Shultz, a Marine, began by giving a resounding \u201cSemper Fi!\u201d shout-out to all Marines in the audience. He then spoke of the long, close relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea, and of the many memorable visits he made to Korea during his tenure as Secretary of State.<\/p>\n

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Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz<\/p><\/div>\n

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KWMF Executive Director and Master of Ceremonies Gerard Parker then requested that all Korean War veterans present, and then all donors present, stand and be recognized. The audience gave both groups an enthusiastic round of applause in appreciation.<\/p>\n

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From L: Representative Kim Jung-hoon, Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, Secretary Shultz, Nancy Hellman Bechtle, and Gerard Parker<\/p><\/div>\n

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KWMF president and Chairman Judge Quentin L. Kopp (Ret.) was next on the program. He introduced and thanked a number of distinguished guests in the audience, and then spoke of how short the public\u2019s memory can be, specifically about the Korean War. \u201cOur purpose on this historic site,\u201d he said, \u201cis to remind post-1953 generations of that struggle. This memorial constitutes a noble undertaking accomplished by hundreds of Koreans and Americans who insist we remember when freedom was preserved on part of an Asian peninsula, which one day must be wholly free.\u201d<\/p>\n

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KWMF President & Chair Judge Quentin L. Kopp (Ret.)<\/p><\/div>\n

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KWMF Treasurer Donald F. Reid, a Marine veteran of the Korean War, then read a statement of support from Senator Dianne Feinstein. \u201cIt is fitting indeed that a permanent memorial be located here,\u201d Don read, \u201csince San Francisco was the embarkation point for so many who fought in that war, and the end of the journey for so many who returned through the Golden Gate, both living and dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

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KWMF Treasurer Donald F. Reid<\/p><\/div>\n

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San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee then spoke of \u201cthe long-awaited Groundbreaking at this wonderful site,\u201d and added that \u201cWe in San Francisco will always remember the Americans who fought in the so-called Forgotten War, with their brothers and sisters from South Korea. All of us have benefitted from their selfless service to protect our freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

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San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee<\/p><\/div>\n

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The next speaker was a distinguished Member of the Korean National Assembly, Kim Jung-hoon. In addition to his governmental duties, Representative Kim is Chairman of the American Veterans of Korea Foundation (AVKF), a non-profit organization that supports American veterans of the Korean War as well as their families and descendants with a scholarship program and other activities. On behalf of the Republic of Korea, Representative Kim congratulated and thanked KWMF President Quentin Kopp and former KWMF President Pete McCloskey for \u201chosting this memorable event.\u201d Then he said, \u201cI would like to convey my deepest gratitude to Korean War veterans and their families who devoted themselves to protect freedom and peace in the Republic of Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Korean National Assembly Member Kim Jung-hoon<\/p><\/div>\n

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Representative Kim was followed by Nancy Hellman Bechtle, Chair of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors. The Presidio Trust is the Federal agency that so generously provided the priceless real estate upon which the future Korean War Memorial will stand. Chairwoman Bechtle spoke of the Presidio\u2019s long history since its founding in 1776, from the Spaniards to the Mexicans to the Americans. , and emphasized that it is \u201ca place that honors and recognizes its military history.\u201d She continued, \u201cThis memorial commemorates the Americans and South Koreans who fought and died in that war.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Presidio Trust Board of Directors Chair Nancy Hellman Bechtle<\/p><\/div>\n

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Next on the program was Presidio Trust Chief of Park Development & Operations Michael Boland. He began by thanking all the veterans in the audience, saying, \u201cToday is about honoring your service.\u201d He mentioned the \u201cgenerations of soldiers who have served here, and kept our nation safe while also supporting our local community.\u201d He stressed that this legacy opf service is still strong in the Presidio to this day. Michael then thanked John Stevens and Don Reid of KWMF for their dedication and years of hard work in helping to achieve this Groundbreaking milestone.<\/p>\n

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Presidio Trust Chief of Park Development & Operations Michael Boland<\/p><\/div>\n

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Warren Wiedhahn, Colonel, USMC (Ret.), representing the Korean War Veterans Association, in which he serves as 1st Vice President, then came to the lectern. He pointed at the Golden Gate Bridge, visible just beyond the Memorial site. He reflected on his own experience leaving for and returning from the Korean War under that very bridge, as did so many others. And he remarked how appropriate this location was for a memorial to that long-ago, faraway war.<\/p>\n

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Korean War Veterans Association 1st Vice President Warren Wiedhahn, Col, USMC (Ret.)<\/p><\/div>\n

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94-year-old KWMF Secretary John R. Stevens, Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret.) spoke next. With eloquence and grace, he thanked all those who had helped bring us to this momentous day, including all donors, particularly the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for its $1 million pledge; Michael Boland and his able Presidio Trust staff for their strong support; KWMF Vice President Man J. Kim, whom John described as \u201cthe most generous man I know;\u201d Representative Kim Jung-hoon, for his efforts in getting the $1 million pledge approved by the Korean National Assembly; and finally, Korean Consul General Han Dong-man. The Consul General and his staff, John said, had been steadfast and tireless in their efforts to raise funds among the Bay Area Korean community.<\/p>\n

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KWMF Secretary John R. Stevens, LtCol, USMC (Ret.)<\/p><\/div>\n

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John then introduced, with great pleasure, Consul General Han. When the crowd applauded the Consul General, he stated that the applause was misdirected, and that John Stevens deserved it more, for his leadership. He thanked all the donors, including the Korean community leaders. He then expressed his deep gratitude to the Korean War veterans present, who had sailed away under the Golden Gate Bridge sixty-five years ago \u201cto defend a country you never knew and a people you never met.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Consul General Han Dong-man<\/p><\/div>\n

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One of the day\u2019s highlights came when Consul General Han asked Judge Kopp to step forward, and then presented him with a check for $1 million. This generous grant from the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs brings the Foundation\u2019s total funds raised to date to $3.3 million, within striking distance of the ultimate goal of $3.5 million.<\/p>\n

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Judge Kopp accepts $1 million check from Consul General Han<\/p><\/div>\n

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Then the speakers and other distinguished guests moved from the stage to a cluster of gold shovels in a nearby mound of earth for the symbolic Groundbreaking Ceremony.<\/p>\n

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From L: John Stevens, Secretary Shultz, Mrs. Shultz, Don Reid, Representative Kim, Mayor Lee, Consul General Han, and Man J. Kim<\/p><\/div>\n

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From L: ROK Marine Corps veteran Bruce Kim, Nancy Bechtle, Judge Quentin Kopp, John Stevens, Charlotte Shultz, and (right foreground, in profile) Supervisor Scott Wiener<\/p><\/div>\n

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With adequate funding now in place, the Presidio Trust plans to begin major construction in early fall, and the Foundation hopes to have a gala Opening Ceremony of the completed Korean War Memorial in the late spring or early summer of 2016.<\/p>\n

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Artist\u2019s Rendering of Future Korean War Memorial by Art Zendarski<\/p><\/div>\n

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Click here for additional photos from the ceremony.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"