This story was originally published by the Ledger-Enquirer.
The sky over the National Infantry Museum shone a bright blue with the sun’s yellow rays turning four new bronze statues into hues of gold.
The statues, sculpted by Jay Warren, depict soldiers of the Korean War and honor those who served in the conflict that started over 74 years ago.
One of the sculptures, which weighs nearly 500-600 pounds and stands around 7 feet tall, depicts the late retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. Puckett was a Medal of Honor recipient who won the award for his actions at the Battle of Hill 205 near Unsan, Korea.
Mike Haskey
Mike Haskey
Puckett was a resident of Columbus and died at the age of 97 earlier this year.
The statue depicts Puckett in attire similar to what he would have been wearing at the Battle of Hill 205 while holding a M-1 Garand with a M1911A1 pistol at his hip.
Another statue depicts Gen. Paik Sun Yup, who was in command of the Republic of Korea First Division when the North Korean People’s Army attack into South Korea began June 25, 1950, according to a plaque at the memorial. Paik later became the first four star general in the history of the Republic of Korea Army, according to the plaque.
The other two statues are a U.S. Army infantryman and a Katusa soldier, with the former representing all who fought under the United Nations banner in the Korean war. The latter is representative of the Korean Augmentee to the U.S. Army (Katusa) soldiers who served in the war.
The sculptor
Warren, an Oregon resident and a sculptor of 40 years, sculpted the statues that will stand on the grounds of the National Infantry Museum.
“It’s an honor for me to be able to do this to honor people like Col. Puckett and General Paik and all the soldiers that served under them,” Warren said.
Mike Haskey
Mike Haskey
The statues are detailed with the rise in the threads of the soldiers’ belts visible on the statues. Warren said this was done by 3D scanning the original equipment, printing a copy of it to use on the piece and working it into the clay figure.
Warren said he hopes visitors to the memorial get a sense of the history and the people who stand before them in bronze.
Memorial dedication
Carly Grob, director of communications for the National Infantry Museum Foundation said the memorial “really shows that we haven’t forgotten the Korean War and we are honoring our infantrymen past, present and future by having the memorial here on campus.”
Grob said the memorial also shows the alliance the U.S. has with the Republic of Korea.
“We welcome everyone to come to celebrate and honor this history,” Grob said.
Ledger-Enquirer
Ledger-Enquirer
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