Korea War Memorial at HC Vet Memorial Park

The journey to the completion of this Korean War monument began in 1999 when the Korean War Veterans Lt. Baldomero Lopez Medal of Honor Chapter 175 received its charter. Since then it has sought to build a monument for its namesake. The beginning effort was dedicated on November 12, 2001 at Ed Radice Park in Tampa, Florida. This was a joint effort by KWVA Chapter 175, American Legion Post 147 and Hillsborough County. The monument consisted of an assembly of three flag poles with the center 35-foot pole displaying the US colors with two adjacent 30 foot poles, flying the Florida State flag and the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag. At the base of each flag pole were bronze dedicatory plaques: honoring (1) the US sons and daughters who stopped the spread of Communism: June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953; (2) Florida patriots who sacrificed their lives serving in Korea so freedom would prevail. 1950 to 1953, and (3) the prisoners of war, missing in Action troops who served during the Korean War, 1950 to 1953. On July 26, 2014, the third effort was dedicated here at the new Korean War Memorial in the Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park. Hillsborough County donated $100,000 to construct the beautiful new memorial which features a granite edifice with a map of Korea and the names of Hillsborough County military personnel who perished there during the war. The Lt. Lopez 4 x 8-foot granite plaque with the Inchon seawall rock was moved to the new memorial and properly installed and walls were constructed where individual memorial plaques can be donated. We have rededicated this Korean War memorial through the unveiling of three statues that were not available for the 2014 event. The three statues are: (1) a Korean woman with children who is contemplating those who made the supreme sacrifice, (2) The American Combat Soldier emblematic of Lt. Lopez, and (3) General Douglas MacArthur whose genius in devising the US invasion at Inchon turned the tide of the war.