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"Freedom is Not Free"

The Korean War is sometimes called "The Forgotten War." The conflict claimed 54,246 American lives, nearly as many as Vietnam. Yet for some reason it has passed into the history books with relatively little attention. But not everyone has forgotten the Korean War.

The new Korean War Veterans Memorial located at Veterans Memorial Boulevard and North Causeway Boulevard in Metairie stands to remind us of the 80,176 Louisiana soldiers who fought in Korea and of the 588 who did not return alive. In the center of the monument is an inscription which reminds us that "Freedom Is Not Free." The inscription goes on to read "They answered the call to defend a country they never new and a people they never met." On the 8 pillars flanking these words are the names of those from Louisiana who died in the war.

Korean War Veteran Jim Thibodeaux recalls the dedication ceremony for the monument which was held on Sunday, November 10 of 1996. William E. Barber was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. Thibodeaux was about one mile from Barber during the bloody fighting at the Chosin Reservoir in the North Korean mountains near Manchuria.

Thibodeaux lost his best friend at Chosin. James Caillouet of Houma died in Thibodeaux's arms on December 7 of 1950. The action at Chosin was among the most savage and miserable in history. 20,000 allied soldiers fought against a surrounding force of 120,000 Communist Chinese in bitter cold which dropped as low as 30 degrees below zero with a wind chill factor of 100 below. The dead froze solid almost immediately. Of the 20,000 allied troops engaged, 3,000 were killed and another 6,000 wounded. It is estimated that the Chinese suffered 28,000 dead and 15,500 wounded.

During the Korean War allies from 17 nations fought under the flag of the United Nations for the freedom of the Republic of Korea and won. Total allied losses were over 297,000. Most public school history books devote less than one page to the Korean War. It took our country four decades before a national monument was finally erected to those who served in this conflict. In July of 1995 a monument was dedicated in Washington D.C.

The monument at Veterans and Causeway was created by the Louisiana Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association. If you'd like to contribute to this organization please call 282-0228.

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