Many years ago the Korean War was fought to stem the advance of communism and to let the enemy know that we would stand up and draw the line in defense of our friends. Although the war resulted in little change in national boundaries it did convince the Soviet Union and China that we would stand by our allies in time of trouble.
To fully appreciate the situation you have to know what the country was like when we went there and what it is today. We brought South Korea out of the dark ages and put them up at the top with the most advanced countries of Asia, if not of the world. And at the time we didn’t have a clue as to what we were bringing about. Now I thank God for letting me be a part of such a wonderful thing.
For the most part the Korean War has been played down by historians, and those who died in that effort were more or less forgotten by all, save their friends and families. I hope that the marker in Lima’s public square will serve as a reminder of what was accomplished there, and at what cost in suffering and death to the heroic men of many countries who served and died there.
I would like to thank the City of Lima and the Civic Center board for allowing us to erect this marker to keep the memory of our fallen comrades alive.
— Dillon Staas, Lima
