This Beautiful essay was written by Laurie's cousin Heather Knock about her Grandpa and Laurie's Uncle Bob Scheff.

Bob and South Dakota Governor Rounds       Heather and Bob (her Grandpa)   at the Memorial            

Heather Knock

English I

Mrs. Jensen

January 12, 2005

The Korean War Memorial

            On September 18, 2004, my parents, my grandparents, a few of their friends, and I went to Pierre for the unveiling of the Korean War Memorial.  It is in honor of the 26,000 soldiers from South Dakota who valiantly fought in the war.  My grandpa, Robert Scheff, is one of those 26,000 soldiers who fought over 50 years ago in Korea.  He was wounded by shrapnel in both his knee and his head and received a Purple Heart for his injuries.

            That morning we set off toward the capital.  There were countless chairs lined up on the side of the road awaiting the parade that would take place later that morning.  Beyond the chairs there were many tents set up around the capital.  Some were information tents and others were selling t-shirts with the memorial on it, but the most spectacular sight of them all was the capital.  It was enormous, with innumerable windows, and there was a gigantic flag draped from the top of the building to the bottom.

            We headed to the capital.  It was crowded with many other people who had also had the idea to tour the capital.  When we got inside, the first things that I saw were the many patriotic decorations that were hung throughout the building.  When I looked past the decorations, I saw many glass cases.  They were filled with pictures and beautiful miniature dresses of the governors’ wives.  There were all kinds of dresses; some were black with sequins and others were white with lace.

            After we were finished touring the capital and we were outside, a fragrance caught my attention.  It smelled of coffee mingled with Krispy Kremes.  The smell was coming from a large tent that had a white sign with vibrant blue letters on it that said, “USO tent”.  My family and I were headed toward that tent when a man caught our attention.  He was wearing a black suit and his hair was neatly swept back.  He was talking to various people, and they were having their pictures taken with him.  We knew at once that this was the governor.  My grandpa went to talk to him and after they were through talking, Judy Haase took a picture of them with her camera. 

            After our encounter with Governor Rounds, we descended the hill toward the memorials.   The Korean Memorial was overcrowded with people, so we decided to visit the other memorials surrounding the capital.  On a peninsula platform there stood five statues, each representing a different branch of the armed forces.  Nearly surrounding the platform where the figures stood was the lake.  It glittered a silvery blue as the summer sun radiated above it.  Hundreds of ducks were gliding across it with grace and elegance.  Then we were interrupted by a loud broadcast over a speaker disclosing that the parade would be starting soon. 

            We walked up the hill and over to where our chairs were.  There were thousands of people already sitting by the side of the road awaiting the parade.  Many of the people there were wearing red, white, and blue, which was appropriate for the occasion.  The parade started with the color guards, and everyone proudly stood up and either put their hands on their hearts or up to their heads to salute.  About 55 bands and flag corps passed through, playing patriotic songs.  Many color guards went by during the two hour parade.  We only had to stand for the first one, but even though we didn’t have to, my grandpa and a few other veterans stood up anyway to salute.  Every time he stood up you could see his admiration and love for his country. 

            Then we headed back down to the lake for the ceremony that was going to be held for the unveiling of the memorial.  We sat next to the lake underneath the tree to hide from the beating sun.  During the ceremony, 26,000 red and blue balloons were released into the sky to represent the soldiers that fought in Korea.  I will never forget that day we spent in Pierre, nor would I trade it for anything.