The Missouri Legislature voted Wednesday, May 13, 2020 to designate Kansas City’s Korean War Veterans Memorial as Missouri’s official Korean War Veterans Memorial. State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, R–Lee’s Summit, presented Senate Bill 656 to the Senate’s Veterans and Military Affairs Committee back on Jan. 28, 2020 and now it is confirmed in a vote. Receiving the designation means this is the ONLY State designated War Veterans Memorial in Kansas City, MO.
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated on Sept. 28, 2011. The memorial is in KC Park’s Washington Square Park, at 100 East Pershing Road, in downtown Kansas City across from Union Station. The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial lists the over 900 Missourians Killed in Action, as well as the three Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War, by Military Branch on the South Wall. The Korean War Veterans Memorial also honors Korean War Survivors.
Debra Shultz, chair of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial Board of Directors says this is a huge boost for Kansas City. “This is tremendous for all our Veterans, especially our Missouri Korean War Veterans, and for KC Parks and our City. This will be the only State designated memorial in Kansas City and we anticipate this will help us raise the final funds needed for the sculpture to complete this great memorial.”
The Korean War called 1.5 million Americans into service, and in the end, over 37,000 Americans gave their lives defending freedom on the Korean Peninsula. Over 900 of those individuals were from Missouri, including more than 100 from the Kansas City region. This honors the courage and the sacrifice of these brave Missourians and works to ensure that this war is never forgotten.”