Summary:
This photo is my favorite of all the photos I took of the different veterans memorials. More than any others, I think it brings home the face of the individual soldiers. The hope, the complaints, the struggle. And the determination.

My uncle was in the special forces in Korea. It was a war that people back home may have become ambivalent about. It was the great was against the Red Scare. He never told stories of the things he had seen. But the look in his eyes when asked told you of the ordeal he had been through. He had volunteered to serve his country and gone when asked. He came back, but many of his team members didn't. This memorial is for all of them.

There's a wall of polished highly polished granite to the soldier's right broken into the north and south sections. The north section is engraved with the names of the 22 countries that made up the United Nations forces in Korea.

The south section serves two purposes. It reflects the image of the 19 statue soldiers, making for a total of 38. This represents the famed 38th parallel between North and South Korea. They've also sandblasted faces taken from photographs of actual service people onto the granite wall.

The wall, soldiers, and path point to the Pool of Remembrance. It's a 30' diameter pool lined with black granite and surrounded by a grove of trees with benches. Inscribed are the numbers killed , wounded, MIA, and held as POWs. Nearby is a plaque inscribed: "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met."

It's easy to be so taken by the soldiers that you forget to look at the rest.

Accessibility:
All areas of the National Mall are wheelchair accessible. Each site on the Mall has one wheelchair that can be used by visitors.

Activities:

Area Attractions:
See our City Attractions page for more.

Food & Sundries:
There are restaurants in the area, but you'll have to leave the metro area for more than an expensive meal.

Directions:
Interstates 66 and 395 provide access to the Mall from the south. Interstate 495, New York Avenue, Rock Creek Parkway, George Washington Memorial Parkway,provide access from the North. Interstate 66, Route 50 and 29 provide access from the West. Routes 50, 1, and 4 provide access from the East.

Local Towns:
Alexandria ,  Arlington ,  Centreville ,  Chantilly ,  Dulles ,  Dumfries ,  Fairfax ,  Falls Church ,  Herndon ,  Lorton ,  Manassas ,  Mclean ,  Reston ,  Rosslyn ,  Springfield ,  Sterling ,  Triangle ,  Vienna ,  Woodbridge

Local Accommodations:
Alexandria ,  Arlington ,  Centreville ,  Chantilly ,  Dulles ,  Dumfries ,  Fairfax ,  Falls Church,  Herndon ,  Lorton ,  Manassas ,  Mclean ,  Reston ,  Rosslyn ,  Springfield ,  Sterling ,  Triangle ,  Vienna ,  Woodbridge

Camping & RV:
Burke Lake Park, Greenbelt National Park, Lake Fairfax Park

Commercial:

Notes: