Mural pays tribute to Korean War veterans
As this year marks 65 years since the start of the Korean War, a new 20-foot-tall black-and-white mural in downtown Amherst, Ohio, pays tribute to veterans of America’s “Forgotten War.” It’s the third mural for local artist Mike Sekletar, who has painted the outside wall of a two-story brick building into a historic timeline.
The Korean War mural, which was dedicated during a ceremony this past Veterans Day, features a silhouette of the Korean peninsula surrounded by combat soldiers, fighter jets, a battleship and a nurse.
“Korean veterans that I’ve met are so proud and thankful that a younger guy paid respect to them with this mural,” said Sekletar, a member of Sons of The American Legion Squadron 118 in Amherst. “Truly, it’s a real honor for me to pay my thanks in this way, so I guess the Korean War is no longer the ‘Forgotten War’ in Amherst, Ohio.”
Sekletar’s latest mural, which he finished in three weeks with the help of longtime friend Brian Goodwin, was inspired by the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sekletar liked the “different portraits and scenes that are engraved and juxtaposed” throughout the memorial’s granite wall, which led him to represent various war scenes and branches of the military in his mural. Like his other two murals on the building, Sekletar projected his design on the wall, then outlined the areas to be painted.
One of soldiers depicted in the mural is that of nearby Lorain, Ohio, Korean War veteran Lou Repko behind the wheel of a jeep. The image first appeared on the cover a 1950 issue of LIFE magazine. Repko attended the mural's dedication ceremony on Nov. 11 and handed Sekletar an original copy of the magazine featuring his photo.
The building was a blank canvas until four years ago, when Sekletar began using his talent to “give back to veterans.” In 2011 he dedicated a 20-by-35 mural of the iconic photograph “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,” and in 2013 he dedicated a 16-by-35 mural of artist Lee Teter’s 1988 painting “Reflections.”
“When I stand back from the murals I’m pleased with the way they pay tribute to a few different generations of veterans,” Sekletar said. “Each mural has its own look, but looking at all three together it shows a reverse timeline with Iwo Jima being the first thing you see while driving into town on Park Avenue.
“I’m glad I am able to give thanks to veterans and also give back to my hometown of Amherst.”