Today we continue our celebration of Military Appreciation Month with a look at the Korean War Veterans Memorial stamp issued in 2003, which marked the 50th anniversary of the armistice that ended hostilities.
Authorized by law in 1986 and dedicated in 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is a touchstone for those who were affected by the conflict. Featuring 19 stainless-steel statues that depict American troops on patrol in a wedge formation, the memorial also includes a Pool of Remembrance and a granite wall etched with images of those who served—all elements that provide a place of solemn remembrance for the war’s numerous veterans.
Photographer John W. Alli, who served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps during Desert Storm, knows how profound those memories can be. With the dramatic photograph that appears on this stamp, Alli intended to honor the experiences of all Korean War veterans, but one particular veteran was foremost in his mind.
“I took this photo with the purpose of giving it to my father for his retirement ceremony,” he said. “He served as a machine gunner with the Marines during the Korean War, and he was a U.S. State Department employee for almost 40 years.”
Hoping to convey the bitter cold of a Korean winter, Alli drove to the memorial in his four-wheel-drive truck during the blizzard that hit Washington in January 1996. Forced to hike the last mile through the snow, he arrived at the memorial before dawn and set up for the shot. Alli says that the experience was a moving reminder of the veterans’ sacrifices.
“As I waited in the dark, freezing weather for the first light of dawn I thought, ‘This is nothing compared to what the Korean War veterans had to endure.’ At the first hint of light I began taking a series of photographs.”
Alli was especially pleased by a photo he dubbed “Real Life,” and the first print, signed and framed, went to his father for his retirement ceremony. The photo later became the basis for the 2003 stamp.
Previous U.S. stamps have also recognized the bravery of Korean War veterans and the significance of the Korean War in U.S. and world history. In 1985, the Postal Service issued the 22-cent Veterans Korea stamp. The Korean War, a 33-cent stamp, was issued as part of the 1950s Celebrate The Century stamp pane in 1999.
USPS Stamp of Approval 