KOREAN WAR MONUMENT

In May of 2011 Jimmy Melver, president of El Paso Texas Flags Across America, and Noel Brown, treasurer, were working at the Old Glory Memorial. Bill Tiller drove in and asked if we had considered building a Korean War monument. We told him we would like to have one. It would require a funding campaign, design, and builders. Mr. Tiller said he would donate the money for the monument if we would do all the work to make it happen. Noel Brown volunteered to be the chairman for the project. Noel started researching design possibilities and talking to Korean War veterans. He met Roy Aldridge, President/Commander of COL Joseph C. Rodriguez MOH, Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) Chapter 49, El Paso, Texas. He is also the President of the Korean War Veterans Association of Texas. Roy Aldridge and the members of KWVA was the key to the design. Humberto and Willie Arriaga from G & H Granite Memorials placed various design ideas on the computer for comment and approval by KWVA and Bill Tiller. The design was approved in September 2011. Mimbela Contractors built the foundation and parking area. G& H Granite performed all the stone work and installation of the monument. The dedication of the monument was Memorial Day 2012. The monument consists of two large blocks and one small. There are 99 names on the Korean War Honor Roll of El Pasoans that were killed in action. There is a map of North and South Korea with the key areas of the war. There are unit patches of the major units in Korea and a short history of the war. The small block shows two tanks and Bill Tiller’s name as the donor. Bill arrived in Pusan, South Korea August 14 1950.