Next to the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team monument.

Black stone monument inscribed in Korean and English text, dedicated to the 247 Americans of Japanese ancestry who gave their lives during the Korean War, 1950-1953. Out of all service members listed, at least 14 served in both World War II and the Korean War and died in Korea.

The memorial was erected by the Japanese American Korean War Veterans (JAKWV) to commemorate the integration of minorities into frontline American units during the conflict, as well as to highlight the patriotism displayed by Japanese Americans while the community was recovering from World War II internment.

Unlike in World War II, when there was the Japanese-American 442d Regimental Combat Team (RCT), there were no separate Asian-American units during the Korean War. The Department of the Army dropped the designation Asian-American after World War II, so even an approximate number for the Korean War has not been determined. But the National Japanese-American Historical Society has estimated that 5,000 Japanese-Americans, also known as Nisei, served in Korea with American forces and concluded that over 240 of them lost their lives. Several units did remain predominantly Asian-American, like the 100th Battalion, 442d Infantry, U.S. Army Reserve, and the 5th RCT, both from Hawaii.

When the Korean War began, many Nisei were among the first American troops sent to the peninsula. The United States lacked Korean translators, and because Japanese was the language mandated during Japan's colonial domination of Korea (191045), Nisei soldiers were able to provide valuable linguistic support. During the Korean War, Nisei in the Military Intelligence Service served as interpreters, interrogators, and translators, and provided other linguistic support. During the Korean conflict, there were more Nisei in higher enlisted ranks, in company-grade and field-grade ranks, than during World War II.

Source of information: www.memorialcourtalliance.org, www.alamy.com

THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THE 247 AMERICANS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY, WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE DEFENSE AND FREEDOM OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.

THE KOREAN WAR 1950-1953

(SEE OTHER SIDE)

Dedicated in the year 2001 by Americans of Japanese Ancestry who served in the Armed Forces of the

United States of America during the war in Korea.        

 Japanese American  Korean War Veterans.