Ilsa Minor | Daily Press Tom Fisher, owner of Fisher Monuments, poses for a photo with a memorial honoring those who served in the “Second Korean War,” a series of battles that took place in the demilitarized zone on the Korean Peninsula between 1966 and 1969. The memorial, which shifts from gray to red when it rains, will be unveiled at the Delta County Veterans Memorial Park in Gladstone Wednesday.

GLADSTONE — Just in time for Veterans’ Day, the Delta County Veterans Memorial Park in Gladstone will be getting a new monument to recognize those who served and died in battle on the Korean Peninsula during a conflict left out of many history books.

The events formally known as the “Korean DMZ Conflict” and colloquially as the “Second Korean War,” were a series of battles that took place in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea between 1966 and 1969. While 92 American lives were lost in clashes with North Koreans in the DMZ, the battles were overshadowed by the larger conflict taking place in Vietnam during the same period.

In 2018, Bob Nachtwey, of Bark River, set out on a mission to have a memorial for those who in the DMZ conflict placed in Washington D.C. His quest put him in touch with Bill Hafeman of the Powers American Legion, who wrote a resolution to create a memorial and have it placed next to the existing Korean War Memorial in the capitol city. Despite Nachtwey and Hafeman’s efforts, the issue stalled, and whether or not a DMZ memorial will ever be built in Washington remains uncertain.

That didn’t stop Nachtwey from seeking other ways to honor those who served in the conflict. The Gladstone American Legion, Post 71, put him in touch with the post’s commander, Wayne Berthaume. Without hesitation, Berthaume said Nachtwey could put a memorial at the Delta County Veterans Memorial Park, which is located between Superior Avenue and North 8th Street in Gladstone and is owned by the Legion.

That got the ball rolling. Berthaume poured the concrete pad for a memorial to sit on. Contributions were also made by Ken Hogan — who served in Korea — and by the Marine Corps League.

The monument itself came from Fisher Monuments and is made of stone that originated in Bessemer. When it rains, the stone shifts from gray to red, something Tom Fisher, owner of Fisher Monuments thinks is fitting for the conflict where blood was shed but is largely unknown.

“We cannot forget these guys,” said Fisher said of the memorial’s importance.

The stone was engraved by U.P. Engraving, of Bessemer, Friday, but all the work was completed behind Fisher Monuments’ Escanaba showroom. Today, the stone will be moved to Gladstone and the monument will be officially unveiled Wednesday for Veterans Day.