Veterans Start Anew in Bid to Gain OK for Korean War Memorial

The decision by a group of veterans to accept a new site for their proposed International Korean War Memorial will touch off a fresh round of public hearings and environmental reports, city officials said.

“It’s really like beginning all over again,” said Niki Lupo, executive assistant to the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission, which last week gave preliminary approval for the veterans to place their sculpture next to the Osgood-Farley Battery at Angels Gate Park in San Pedro. “It’s back to square one.”

New Project

Said Dave Conetta, the Recreation and Parks Department official who has handled the project: “It’s a new project, as far as I can see.”

Jack Stites, executive director of the committee proposing the memorial, said his group expects to draft plans for the new site within two weeks. Once those plans are drawn up, they must receive preliminary approval from both the Cultural Affairs Commission and the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission.

Before those approvals can become final, the monument proposal will require a new environmental impact study and at least one more public hearing by his agency, said Conetta. The plans also must be approved by the California Coastal Commission.

Historic Designation

And, because the Osgood-Farley site has been given a historic designation by the state, Lupo said a new agency--the Office of Historic Preservation, a branch of the California Department of Parks and Recreation--must also give its approval.

Asked if he is concerned about obtaining all these approvals, Stites replied: “I can’t help but worry. Maybe not worry, but I look at it that I’ve got to do my homework. I’ve got to do this right because there still could be ambushes and pitfalls ahead of us.”

Image Too Aggressive

During the past six months, Stites has certainly become familiar with pitfalls. His group initially proposed placing a monument next to the Korean Friendship Bell at Angels Gate Park--a site that Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley offered in 1986.

But some in the community opposed the plan. The Cultural Affairs Commission--after a series of hearings and a task force study--decided that the proposed sculpture, which depicted a battle scene, presented too aggressive an image. Last week the commission voted that a slightly redesigned combat scene could be placed in the park just south of the Osgood-Farley Battery, which houses a military museum.

Act as Watchdog

A leader of the neighborhood group that has opposed the memorial said Tuesday that while her organization, Friends of the Friendship Bell, remains cautious about the veterans’ plans, it will act only as a watchdog and not oppose the monument at the Osgood-Farley site.

“It still can be seen from the bell and therefore, how it is handled is of the utmost concern to us,” said Colleen Clement, spokeswoman for the Friends. “But we will not be fighting the location.”

Backed by Chosin Few

The memorial, called the International Korean War Veterans Memorial, will honor the veterans of 22 Allied nations that participated in the Korean conflict. It is backed by the Chosin Few, a nationwide group of mostly Marine Corps veterans who fought in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir.

Monday afternoon, at the Holiday Inn in Torrance, the board of directors of the Chosin Few formally accepted the Cultural Affairs Commission’s recent decision. Stites said the decision was unanimous and that he was “delighted” with it because “I’m no longer compelled to do everything I do based on how it’s going to be compatible with the bell.”