Bills
| 3.23.22

Should Congress Allow a Privately Funded Addition to the Korean War Veterans Memorial? (H.R. 1475)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 1475?

(Updated August 18, 2017)

This bill was enacted on October 7, 2016

This bill would authorize the construction of a Wall of Remembrance as part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial. No federal funds could be used in the project, and the construction of the memorial would be funded entirely by private sources.

The Wall of Remembrance would include:

  • A list of the names of U.S. Armed Forces personnel killed in action during the Korean War;

  • The number of members of the Armed Forces who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or were prisoners of war;

  • The number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners.

Following the project’s completion the National Park Service would be responsible for maintaining the addition.

Argument in favor

Building the Wall of Remembrance would honor members of the Armed Forces who were killed, wounded, missing in action, or taken prisoner during the Korean War in addition to recognizing the sacrifices of U.S. allies in that conflict.

Argument opposed

If there’s going to be a Wall of Remembrance built at a national memorial to recognize the sacrifices of U.S. and U.N. soldiers during the Korean War it should be taxpayers that fund it, not private sources.

Impact

Visitors to the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Wall of Remembrance; and the National Park Service.

Cost of H.R. 1475

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would have an insignificant cost to the federal government over the 2017-2021 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) — who served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was a POW — introduced this bill to ensure that a Wall of Remembrance with the names of fallen American soldiers from the Korean War could be built at the Korean War Veterans Memorial:

“Our war memorials are an important physical reminder that the price of freedom is not free. Fittingly, they also serve as places where all Americans can pay their respects to the brave men and women who fought on behalf of our Great Nation...

Sadly, the Korean War and its veterans are often forgotten. And America’s memorial for this Forgotten War is incomplete. That is why this Wall of Remembrance is so important.”

This bill was passed by the House Natural Resources Committee on a voice vote, and it currently enjoys the support of 291 cosponsors in the House — including 122 Democrats and 169 Republicans.


Of Note: The Korean War began after communist North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, and 16 nations sent troops to fight with the United Nations in defense of South Korea. About 5.7 million Americans served in the military during the Korean War, and casualties included over 54,000 killed in action along with more than 103,000 wounded. As of April 2015, there were over 7,800 American soldiers from the conflict who remained unaccounted for.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user Tim Evanson)