Korean War Memorial groundbreaking set for April 12

Servicemen from Hudson County who fought in the Korean War of 1950-53 will soon be honored with a waterfront memorial in Jersey City, N.J. The memorial will be located at the foot of Washington Street in Veterans Park, adjacent to Liberty State Park and the Morris Canal Big Basin.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the site on April 12, 2001, at 2:30 p.m. Among the dignitaries attending will be Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, Hoboken Mayor Anthony Russo, Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria, and officials from Stevens Institute of Technology.

The winning design for the memorial structure and sculpture is the product of a competition that was initiated in Stevens' Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering. Since early 1999, the continuing project has been supervised by Dr. Siva Thangam, department head for Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Henry Dobbelaar, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor of Civil Engineering.

The Korean War Veterans Association of Hudson County sponsored the competition and will coordinate the building of the monument with Stevens and the Parks Department of Jersey City.

The memorial itself will be contained by two semi-circular walls, within which will stand three obelisks, each supporting a flagstaff. At the center of the display will be a sculpture on a block pedestal with circular plinth, representing two soldiers in combat gear, one injured and the other supporting him.

The monument will display the legend "They Came . They Fought . They Died for Freedom." It will also list the following casualty figures: "54,000 Dead . 103,000 Wounded . 8,110 POWs." An honor roll of the 127 Hudson County residents who died in the war will appear as a central feature of the memorial.

Sometimes called the "Forgotten War," the military action in Korea was conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. When the Russian/Chinese-backed North invaded the U.S.-supported South in 1950, President Truman made the decision to commit troops. When the cease-fire was signed on July 27, 1953 at Panmunjom, officials of the Eisenhower administration presided. The two Koreas have remained divided since that time.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

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