New York City Council Member Sandra Ung held a commemorative event for Memorial Day on May 24th for the third consecutive year in front of the “Korean War Memorial” at Kissena Park in Flushing. She paid tribute to the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country and presented awards to the winners of the “Memorial Day Fallen Soldiers Essay Contest” organized by her office.
According to Sandra Ung, Memorial Day is not just a holiday or a long weekend, but a moment for us to pause, reflect, and honor the heroes who gave their lives to protect the freedoms we cherish. In the midst of everyday distractions such as work, family, and other responsibilities, the significance of this day is often overlooked. Those who sacrificed their lives for this country were ordinary people who made extraordinary contributions, and it is important for future generations to remember their service and sacrifices. Their courage, dedication, and selflessness deserve our highest respect and gratitude.
To commemorate Memorial Day, Sandra Ung’s office organized the “What Memorial Day means to Me” essay contest, in which four students were awarded. Among them were Margaux White, a mixed-race student of Chinese descent who can speak fluent Chinese from PS163 Elementary School, Ivana Tai from PS163 Elementary School, Ivan Chen from PS20 Elementary School, and Elena Sotiriou from PS162 Elementary School. These students read their essays and poems aloud at the event.
Margaux White, a student of Chinese descent, who won the essay contest, said, “When I visited the ‘USS Intrepid,’ I received a badge with insignia representing various military branches, which made me admire the soldiers. So, I want to express my respect and remembrance to those sacrificed soldiers.”
Ivana Tai from PS163 Elementary School said, “Through the essay contest, I learned about American history and the wars the United States has been involved in. The soldiers who sacrificed their lives fought to protect America from enemy harm, and our flag waves with the warrior’s last breath.”
The mother of Ivan Chen, a student from PS20 Elementary School, said, “My child is very shy, but the 5th-grade teacher, Fenel Dorsainvil of PS20 Elementary School, encouraged him to participate in this essay contest. Now that he has won an award, it is a great affirmation for my child.”
Accompanied by the melodious music of the Young Lions Youth Symphony Orchestra performing “God Bless America” and “America, My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” people offered flowers at the Korean War Memorial in tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Korean War.
Flushing is a community with the highest density of Korean residents in New York City, and within the largest park in Flushing, Kissena Park, stands a Korean War Memorial erected in 2007. A sculpture of a U.S. military soldier who participated in the Korean War, wearing a helmet and holding a rifle, stands tall in a forward-marching posture, gazing ahead. The stone monument behind it bears the names of 172 soldiers from Queens who sacrificed their lives in the Korean War.
From June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, North Korea invaded South Korea, an ally of the United States, with the support of the Soviet Union and China. South Korea, supported by the United Nations forces (primarily consisting of American soldiers), fought back against the aggression, resulting in over 36,000 American casualties in the Korean War.