Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Monument Commemorating NORMASH
They Mayor of Dongduchon welcomed the veterans by hosting a wreath laying ceremony at the monument commemorating NORMASH, located outside the Freedom Protection Peace Museum. The monument was a gift from the Koreans who worked at NORMASH, erected by the Korea-Norway Friendship Association in 1972.
In his speech at the ceremony, Nils Egelien, president of the Norwegian Veterans Association expressed how proud he and his fellow veterans are of the monument commemorating NORMASH. It is a reminder of the Norwegians who died here during the war, but also of the Norwegians veterans who died after the war and until this day. He also included a note of thanks to the Norwegian sailor Reidar Tveit, as a representative of the nearly 400 Norwegian sailors who took part in the Korean War. Egelien went on to say that the veterans were especially proud of the monument because it was the Koreans who created it, indicating the strong heartfelt relationship between the Koreans and Norwegian.
The Normash Welfare House
The group of visitors and their hosts in front of the NORMASH welfare house at the NORMASH site. Photo: Royal Norwegian EmbassyAfter the wreath laying ceremony and a short visit to the Freedom Protection Peace Museum, the veterans and family members visited the NORMASH site. The NORMASH welfare house (picture) is the only physical remainder of the field hospital. During the war, this welfare house was also the only permanent part of NORMASH, as the rest of the camp was made up of tents.
David Randby. Photo: Royal Norwegian Embassy
Visiting the welfare house proved to be an emotional experience, especially as David Randby, one of the veterans, dressed up in his old uniform. Randby served as an electrician at NORMASH, and was only in his early 20s when enrolling to duty in the Korean War.
The last part of the program was a lunch with the Mayor of Dongduchon. The Veterans Association used this time to reach an agreement with the Mayor on how to continue the preservation of the NORMASH welfare house. There was also an exchange of gifts, as David Randby gave his uniform to the city of Dongduchon and Nils Egelien gave the Mayor a newly published book about NORMASH.
Resources and further information
More information about NORMASH can be found on our websites. You may also refer to relevant books such as the recently released book NORMASH Korea i våre hjerter, by the Norwegian Korean Veterans Association. Norwegian Armed Forces Media Center has also releases a film documentary called NORMASH, which will air on NRK later this year.
Many of the veterans thank Trygve Lie, the first elected Secretary General of the UN, for the fact that so many young Norwegians and others decided to take part in the Korean War. Without his call for help, NORMASH might not have been a reality. This fact is now also acknowledged by the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, which recently added a Trygve Lie exhibition to The Korean War Room.