CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea (Nov. 18, 2021) – Two years after Kang Ik-joong collaborated with the youth of Camp Humphreys elementary schools, he donated their Operation Kiddy Car art piece to Humphreys Central Elementary School in an unveiling ceremony Nov. 16.
Tales of Lt. Col. Dean Hess, fighter pilot, Staff Sgt. Mike Strang, chaplain’s assistant, and Col. Russell L. Blaisdell, chaplain, and how their actions in battle saved 1,000 Korean orphans during the Korean War, will be remembered for years to come thanks to the Operation Kiddy Car exhibition.
“About two years ago we had a Soldier that decided he wanted to get this up and running,” said Tiffany Bryant, principal of Humphreys Central Elementary School. “It was a partnership that we put together as a school. We also partnered with Humphreys West. The history was provided of the Kiddy Car project to the students so they better understood what they were getting ready to be a part of.”
Humphreys school administrators educated their students about the importance of Operation Kiddy Car and the symbolism behind creating the piece.
“The stories of their sacrificial love and care for the orphans through Operation Kiddy Car inspires us to serve others selflessly and encourages us to stand strong as we face uncertainty of the future in our lives,” prayed Maj. David Ko, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys chaplaincy resource manager.
A total of one thousand 3-by-3 tiles make up the piece, each tile representing one of the children who was evacuated in 1950. The designs on the individual tiles are of children’s future careers. American students designed 960 of the pieces and Kang donated 40 from some of his other artwork.
“Hundreds of individually designed pieces of art were contributed to this particular exhibit, which embodies the relationship of compassion and commitment between the United States and South Korea over 70 years,” added Bryant.
The background of the exhibit is a shadow uniting the individual tiles. It is a depiction of the transport airplane used to pull the families and orphans from Seoul during the operation, according to Bryant.
“It’s extra special that the artwork commemorating the 70th anniversary of Operation Kiddy Car found its permanent home in Humphreys Central Elementary School,” said Col. Seth C. Graves, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys commander. “Artist Ik-Joong Kang and hundreds of Humphreys elementary students created a masterpiece that serves as a continued reminder of the evacuation of nearly 1,000 Korean children in 1950 and reinforces the ironclad alliance between Korea and the United States.”
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