Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Unexpected, but Never Again

Written by: Jihye Kim

Whenever I pass by the Oregon Korean War Memorial in Salem, it reminds me of the day in May in Washington, DC, in 2010. It was a sunny day with an unexpected meeting with an old veteran that left a very strong memory, like that day’s strong sunlight. When I lived in Seoul, I had a chance to visit Washington, DC, in May 2009, 2010, and 2011 as a guardian of two teens who received a volunteer award. This business trip taught me the strength of gratitude. Sometimes, an unexpected event can change the perspective of life.

The first year I visited Washington, DC, in 2009, everything was new and great for me. 102 American middle/high school students and 10 international high school students gathered in Washington, DC, in May, and there were educational programs for the students. During my first business trip in 2009, I was busy taking care of two teens in a group of 112 middle/high school teens. I did not have a chance to provide any kind of feedback about the programs. However, from the second visit in 2010, a part of the program started making me a little uncomfortable. One of them was the Korean War Memorial visit because it was not a proud moment in my country’s history, so I complained about this part of the program to my American co-worker who worked for Prudential and designed this program. She was a bit embarrassed by my comment and tried to explain why this program was important for both American and international students. However, she was not able to convince me, and the sightseeing started with my skeptical view of this program.

At first, we visited Arlington National Cemetery, and two students laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. As a Korean, I didn’t want the Korean War to be mentioned repeatedly in this program. It was a sunny day, but my feeling was cloudy, like a gray sky. After this ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, I got on the bus offered by the company to move to memorials in Washington, DC.

When we arrived at the memorial park in DC, a chaperone explained that we were able to see three memorials: the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. A chaperone who was a teacher at a middle school told us that visiting DC was a rare experience, so she recommended that we visit and see all three memorials. Before seeing the Korean War Veterans Memorial, I went to the chaperone, and then I expressed my uncomfortable and frustrated feelings as a Korean to her. I said that it was meaningful for Americans, but this program didn’t care about the feelings of the Korean staff and students. She looked embarrassed by my feedback and my upset voice, but she recommended that I look at the faces on the mural wall and read the quotes on the wall.

While I looked at the wall as per her recommendation, an old man in a wheelchair came to me with a volunteer and started looking at me and listening to my language. He was wearing a military uniform with many badges or medals, so I could figure out that he was a veteran. And then he said to me, “Excuse me.” I looked at him, but I didn’t respond to his words. The sun was very strong, and I was wearing sunglasses, so he was not able to see my furrowed brows. Two or three seconds passed, and he asked me with a shaky and weak voice, “Are you from South Korea?” I was about to say yes and leave the place. Before I even answered his question, he told me that he had fought for South Korea 60 years ago. At that moment, I noticed his tears, and I thought that I had to say something heartwarming with a polite attitude. So, I took off my sunglasses and kneeled in front of him. I looked up at him and told him that yes, I was from South Korea, and I carried out my words to him, “Thank you for your dedication to my country.” His eyes were full of tears, and his face looked so touched. So, I held his hands and told him that I was able to receive a good education in a democratic country with his dedication, and I was able to visit the United States on a business trip finally. He shared his experience about the Korean War with me for about 5 minutes. He participated in the Korean War in 1951, when he was only 21 years old. At that time, he was too young to fight in the war, and he had many near-death experiences during the Korean War.

When he shared his experience with the Korean War, I deeply and sincerely expressed my gratitude for his sacrifices for my country’s freedom. He left the place with a smile, and I went back to the chaperone, who listened to my complaints. I shared this astonishing experience with her. After sharing my story, she told me that the old veteran was going to share his experience about the Korean War and me with his family at the dinner table, and his family would respect him and his sacrifices more.

I visited Washington, DC, with two teens again the following year, in 2011, but I was not able to meet the Korean War veterans again. The old man was the first and last Korean War veteran I ever met in my life. I was told that most of the Korean War veterans had passed away, so if I had ignored the old veteran and his question as I thought at first, I would regret that moment all throughout my life. I think that he had been curious about Korea, where he had risked his life to fight for freedom, throughout his whole life. After meeting with him, the quote on the Korean War Veterans Memorial was delivered to me deeply, “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”