MKWVM
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial located in Kansas City, Missouri is the official Korean War veterans memorial for the state of Missouri.
900+
Missouri Military Lives Lost
37,000
American Lives Lost
103,000
Americans Wounded
1.5 Million
Americans Served
The Missouri Times
Veterans, lawmakers celebrate designation of Missouri Korean War memorial in Kansas City.
Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial
Location: Pershing and Main, Kansas City, Missouri
Veterans sing at the dedication of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial
Source: Columbia Missourian
Missouri's Governor and Jefferson City lawmakers to meet with Korean War Veterans
Source: 93.9 The Eagle
Cierpiot Files Missouri Korean War Memorial Legislation
Source: Missourinet.com
About the Korean War
In June of 1950, the United States rushed to the aid of the Republic of South Korea after they came under the attack of communist North Korea. Many thousands of American men and women were called to active duty to assist the effort — barely five years after the conclusion of World War II.
Although in the beginning it was called a “police action”, the war would eventually call over 1,500,000 Americans to serve during the conflict. Before an armistice was signed in July 1953, the lives of nearly 37,000 Americans, 3,100 United Nations soldiers and 47,000 Republic of South Korean soldiers were lost, and over one million South Korean civilians were killed.
An additional 103,000 Americans were wounded. Over 8,000 are still listed as missing in action. Of those who gave their lives to uphold our nation’s freedom and convictions, over 900 were from the state of Missouri, and over 100 were from the Kansas City area.
Our Mission
To perpetuate the legacy of Korean War Veterans present and past, and the over 900 from the State of Missouri who paid the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives to defend against the terrors of communism.
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About the Korean War
In June of 1950, the United States rushed to the aid of the Republic of South Korea after they came under the attack of communist North Korea. Many thousands of American men and women were called to active duty to assist the effort — barely five years after the conclusion of World War II.
Although in the beginning it was called a “police action”, the war would eventually call over 1,500,000 Americans to serve during the conflict. Before an armistice was signed in July 1953, the lives of nearly 37,000 Americans, 3,100 United Nations soldiers and 47,000 Republic of South Korean soldiers were lost, and over one million South Korean civilians were killed.
An additional 103,000 Americans were wounded. Over 8,000 are still listed as missing in action. Of those who gave their lives to uphold our nation’s freedom and convictions, over 900 were from the state of Missouri, and over 100 were from the Kansas City area.
Our Mission
To perpetuate the legacy of Korean War Veterans present and past, and the over 900 from the State of Missouri who paid the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives to defend against the terrors of communism.
Freedom Isn't Free
Your Support Will Honor Our Veterans
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Honoring His Father, Serving His Community
Staff Sgt. Robert Lewis Kalkofen, now 90, served during the Korean War era as a logistics manager for the Marine Corps. His son, Bob Kalkofen, today serves as vice chair of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial to honor his father’s service, and that of the thousands of other service men and woman who fought in the war.
“I never served in the military, myself, but I do consider myself to be a patriot,” said the younger Kalkofen. “I got involved in the memorial because I have a special connection to that branch of the service (Marines) and I wanted to support that. The Korean War veterans are important to us.”
Kalkofen, a retired funeral director, has been engaged with the downtown Kansas City memorial for 11 years, 10 of which as a member of the board of directors.
“I think the biggest reason for my involvement are the two plaques on the lawn, on the south side of the memorial, where there are 900 names of Missouri citizens killed in action in Korea. Those people made that sacrifice so that we, and the South Koreans, could remain free. We can’t let them fade into history without being named.”
The motto “Never forget the forgotten war” is a bittersweet reminder that the 34,000 Americans who died in Korea from 1950 to 1953 were not as revered as soldiers from other wars had been.
“World War II had ended, and then five years later the Korean conflict came to be,” Kalkofen said. “There was not the buildup there was for World War II. All the weapons, the machinery, even the uniforms, were left overs. There wasn’t the commitment to Korea that there was for World War II.”
The sacrifices made were as real as any war, however, and is remembered annually in Kansas City on Flag Day. Speakers at the memorial, the only certified Korean War Veterans memorial in Missouri, typically come from the military. Volunteers participating come from service groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sea Cadets, and Boy Scouts.
“The American Legion band plays every year and they’re wonderful. It’s a very patriotic ceremony,” Kalkofen said. “People really should come out and see it.”
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington Square Park, 174 East Pershing Rd., in downtown Kansas City, in the area of Union Station, Crown Center and the World War I museum.
#officialstatememorial #mkwvm #freedomisntfree #koreanwarveteransmemorial
Honring His Father, Serving His Community
mokoreanwarmemorial.org
Honoring His Father, Serving His Community Staff Sgt. Robert Lewis Kalkofen, now 90, served during the Korean War era as a logistics manager for the Marine Corps. His son, Bob Kalkofen, today serves a...
A Lifetime of Service to Community & Country
In service to both community and country, Larry Phillips began when he joined the Army and served in Vietnam and Thailand. He continues that service today as vice chairman-elect of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial in Kansas City.
Phillips, now retired from the Kansas City Transportation Authority, became involved in the memorial as a result of his membership in the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“A friend asked if I could help set up chairs at an event at the memorial, and I did. The VFW is a service organization that helps in the community and helping at the memorial seemed like a good way to do that. As time went on, I was just doing more and more things there.”
Phillips said he finds the memorial, located in downtown near Union Station, is always a good place to be. “It’s wonderful for the Korean War veterans to come and visit.”
Like many other hoping to erase the conflict’s reputation as the “forgotten war,” Phillips actually has no direct connection to the military campaign where nearly 34,000 Americans, including 900 Missourians, lost their lives. But the soldiers who fought there deserve to be remembered for their valor and sacrifice.
Among his roles at the memorial’s June 14, 2022, Annual Flag Day Flag Retirement ceremony, he was chosen to make a presentation about those who have been Prisoners of War or are Missing in Action (POW-MIA). According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, there remain more than 7,500 U.S. military still unaccounted for from the Korean War.
When Phillips retired from the military, he joined the municipal transportation authority, first as a bus driver, then moving to management, becoming a dispatcher, and eventually Assistant Superintendent of Transportation.
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial, certified as the official memorial for the state of Missouri, is located in Washington Square Park, 174 East Pershing Rd., in downtown Kansas City, in the area of Union Station, Crown Center and the World War I museum.
A Lifetime of Service to Community & Country
mokoreanwarmemorial.org
A Lifetime of Service to Community & Country In service to both community and country, Larry Phillips began when he joined the Army and served in Vietnam and Thailand. He continues that service today ...
NO FORGOTTEN WAR, NO FORGOTTEN SOLDIERS
“The Korean War is the ‘forgotten war,’ and that means the men who fought there are forgotten soldiers. I didn’t want that to happen.”
The words are those of Missouri State Representative Mike Haffner, a principal supporter of the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial in Kansas City, and the memorial’s campaign to become the official Korean veterans’ memorial for the state.
Although Haffner has neither relatives nor acquaintances who fought in the war, he was not unaware of the fighting that occurred from 1950 to 1953 in which nearly 34,000 Americans,
including 900 Missourians, lost their lives.
#freedomisntfree #officialstatememorial #senatorcierpiot #koreanwarveteransmemorial #mkwvm
No Forgotten War, No Forgotten Soldiers
mokoreanwarmemorial.org
The Korean War is the ‘forgotten war,’ and that means the men who fought there are forgotten soldiers. I didn’t want that to happen.”
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial in downtown Kansas City owes a debt of gratitude to Missouri State Senator Mike Cierpiot, a Lee’s Summit, MO., legislator and businessman who led the effort to have the memorial named the official Korean War memorial for the state.
#mkwvm #freedomisntfree #senatorcierpiot #officialstatememorial #koreanwarveteransmemorial
The Memorial - Thanks Senator Mike Cierpiot
mokoreanwarmemorial.org
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial in Kansas City owes a debt of gratitude to Missouri State Senator Mike Cierpiot.
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Honoring His Father, Serving His Community
Honoring His Father, Serving His Community Staff Sgt. Robert Louis Kalkofen, now 90, served during the Korean War era as a logistics manager for the
A Lifetime of Service to Community & Country
A Lifetime of Service to Community & Country In service to both community and country, Larry Phillips began when he joined the Army and served
No Forgotten War, No Forgotten Soldiers
NO FORGOTTEN WAR, NO FORGOTTEN SOLDIERS “The Korean War is the ‘forgotten war,’ and that means the men who fought there are forgotten soldiers. I
The Memorial – Thanks Senator Mike Cierpiot
The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial in downtown Kansas City owes a debt of gratitude to Missouri State Senator Mike Cierpiot, a Lee’s Summit, MO.,