San Francisco breaks ground for Korean War memorial
Quentin Kopp didn’t serve in theater during the Korean War, but the memory of the conflict still looms large in his memory.
That’s why the Air Force veteran and San Francisco political luminary – retired Superior Court judge, former California state senator and more – eagerly accepted an offer to join the board of the Korean War Memorial Foundation, of which he is now president. In 2010, the foundation was established for the purpose of building a memorial in San Francisco, which served as the embarkation point for many U.S. servicemembers headed overseas to fight.
“The Golden Gate Bridge is what they saw” leaving and returning, says Kopp, a 66-year member of The American Legion.
The memorial will be built in the Presidio, a national park and former Army base with more than 200 years of military history spanning three different countries. The location is just outside the Presidio National Cemetery, facing the ocean – and Korea.
“The Presidio has been a marvelous partner,” Kopp says. “This was the best assignment an officer can know.”
On July 11, a large crowd attended the memorial’s groundbreaking, including 550 Korean War veterans, family members, dignitaries and donors. Kopp says the foundation has nearly reached the $3.5 million in private donations required by the Presidio Trust. Among the contributors are the Republic of Korea ($1 million), FedEx ($50,000) and Samsung ($150,000). More than 500 Legionnaires have donated to the memorial, as well as many posts, including Kopp’s own: Post 238 in Pacifica, Calif.
Family foundations with business roots in Korea have also contributed. Also, a service connection between Kopp and the father of an “O’Reilly Factor” producer led to a live shout-out on the Fox News show in March, which Kopp estimates brought in about $7,000.
After construction, future donations will go toward specific features of the memorial, such as a smartphone-friendly, round-the-clock kiosk and educational outreach program. Such endeavors are “a purpose of the memorial,” Kopp says. “They call it the forgotten war for a reason.” In San Francisco, that won’t be true much longer.
Find out more about the Korean War Memorial here.