Source: City of Broken Arrow
Veterans Park on Main Street will be the future home for a monument that honors and recognizes those who served in what is often referred to as “The Forgotten War.”
On Sept. 21, the Broken Arrow City Council authorized the city’s contract with local artist J. David Nunneley for the Korean War memorial sculpture.
“We felt like that it was appropriate to have a memorial for the veterans of the Korean War. A place that youth can go and remember, at least learn about this war,” said Broken Arrow City Councilor Johnnie Parks. “We had a lot of fellow Americans die during that time, and they fought very hard for our country.”
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, nearly 1.8 million U.S. military members served in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, and 36,574 paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The monument will stand approximately 80 inches tall, weigh around 800 pounds, and take 8-9 months to build. The statue will reflect the likeness of a U.S. soldier wearing a heavy coat and holding a rifle while standing in snow surveying the landscape during the Korean War. It will be the second monument at Veterans Park sculpted by Nunneley.
“It’s a good feeling to be honored with the contract, to be commissioned for this monument,” Nenneley said.
In 2005, Nunneley and the City of Broken Arrow installed the Vietnam War monument, American Patriot. That statue depicts Broken Arrow High School graduate, Major William H. (Hank) Miesner Jr., during his time in Vietnam.
Nunneley has completed more than 24 life-size and larger monuments located across the U.S., Mexico and Canada — including many in Broken Arrow and the Tulsa metro area. The cost of the Korean War Memorial is $45,000 and will be paid for through the Parks Capital Fund.
Leave a Reply