Construction has started on a memorial to UN troops who served in a battle many consider a turning point in the Korean War. The Battle of Chosin Reservoir took place in November and December of 1950.
"I love every Marine who was there," says Richard Carey, who was a 22-year-old Marine rifle platoon commander at Chosin Reservoir. "Bringing them out dead or alive was so important. Thank God we had him on our side."
Carey says Chinese forces outnumbered UN troops eight to one.
"There were a lot of heroic efforts in the Korean War and particularly at Chosin Reservoir," he says.
Carey earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service in the battle. He says he had borrowed a jacket from a British officer and only found out he had been shot when he tried to return it.
"He said, 'There's a hole here and a hole here. Where's the blood, kid?'" Carey says. He says the bullet had hit his belt and was deflected.
"It doesn't matter if you're earning the Medal of Honor or if you're just making sure the truck will start or the tank will run or the bridge doesn't fall into the gorge, which almost happened," says Mark Byrd, a veteran who served in Vietnam and is the sculptor of the memorial. "This memorial is very much about what one person does."
The "Chosin Few Memorial" will be 12 feet tall with polished black granite. It will be engraved with the story of the battle.
The memorial will also include bronze sculptures of 40 people who were honored for their service in the battle. The monument will be topped with a stainless steel "Star of Koto-Ri." Organizers say the star is based on one Marines saw shining through a blizzard the night before they moved out.
"The star gave them hope the skies would clear so they could have air support the next day as they evacuated 100,000 Koreans," organizers say.
Leaders of the South Korean consular office in Dallas also attended the groundbreaking.
"We memorialize the heroic fighting spirits of those brave soldiers. And today, we express our deepest gratitude and respect for their dedication and sacrifice," Consul Leader Hong Seong-Rae wrote in a statement.
"This represents 18,000 people and represents the Korean nation that is so important to us today," Carey says.
Dee Brown Inc and Childress Engineers are designing and building the memorial.
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