Korean War MemorialA friend of the family was in town the other day. A number of years ago, she and her late husband spent time in Korea overseeing a group of volunteers for a multi-national church. I played tour guide and took her and my mother to see many of D.C. sites, including the Korean War Memorial. The friend asked me to take a picture of her at this memorial, which I gladly did. When it snowed Wednesday night, I made a point of going back Thursday afternoon to take more pictures. While the Korean War Memorial is unique, it is most striking in the snow. I wish I'd gone out earlier in the morning, but the roads were icy and I didn't want to risk my car on the ice and among incompetent drivers. But enough of that.
The Korean War Memorial features 19 stainless steel statues representing a squad on patrol: 15 Army, 2 Marines, 1 Navy corpsman, and 1 Air Force forward air observer. The most eye-catching element of this memorial is a 164-foot long, black granite wall with photographic images etched into the granite depicting service personnel, equipment, and people involved in a war dubbed “a police action” by the United Nations. To this day, the two Koreas are still considered to be at war, though a demilitarized zone at the 38th Parallel keeps the two countries at bay.
4 comments:
You are a devoted photographer -- going back in the snow because you are always thinking about what would make a good shot, even of shots you had already taken.
The snow is an incredible touch to this picture. You were dead-on when you decided to go back. What an impact it has!
Debi: Thanks! I probably should have posted a "no snow" picture as comparison. Still, I'm glad I went out. Hopefully, the next time it snows in these parts it will be on a Saturday night. Then I can go out on Sunday morning and not fight with five jillion commuters!
I know you posted this two months ago, but I just found your blog so...
Anyway, have you ever seen this monument at night? It has such an unsettling look to it. Amazing. If you're ever near there with your camera and the sun is down, go see what I mean.
Anon: Welcome! I just found your comment. I was just at the Korean Memorial the other night and took a couple of pictures. It is quite haunting.
My ideal photo opp for this memorial would be covered in snow and night time.
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