The ‘Chosin Few’ Memorial, which honors Korean War veterans, has been unveiled at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The granite and steel memorial, located just east of Veterans Lake in the cemetery’s assembly area, commemorates the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea in 1950.
A stainless-steel star, or Koto-Ri, stands atop the memorial. It represents the star that U.S. Marines saw shining through a blizzard the night before evacuating 100,000 Koreans in what is known as the “Christmas Miracle.”
Dallas artists Mark Austin Byrd, a Distinguished Flying Cross-awarded Marine helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and Jenelle Armstrong Byrd created the ‘Chosin Few’ memorial, NBC News reported.
After breaking ground for the new memorial in January, dignitaries were finally able to unveil and dedicate the memorial earlier this month, after more than four years of working to gain approvals and funding.
Several survivors of the Chosin Battle were present to see the unveiling of the 12-foot-tall granite wall, which tells the story of the battle and depicts 40 distinguishable men who were involved in the conflict.
The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir was a landmark conflict in the Korean War. Some historians regard it as the most brutal battle in modern warfare in terms of violence, casualty rate, weather conditions, and endurance.
In October 1950, the United Nations forces turned back North Korea’s invasion of South Korea and were also on their way to capturing all of North Korea. Then, late in November, Chinese troops caught the U.S. X Corps by surprise in the Chosin Reservoir area, encircling and attacking them, and a 17-day battle in sub-zero temperatures ensued.
The UN forces were finally able to break through and withdraw to the port of Hungnam. The retreat of the U.S. Eighth Army from northwest Korea and the departure of the X Corps from the port of Hungnam marked the complete withdrawal of UN troops from North Korea.