KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATION CONTINUES WITH "PITTSBURGH REMEMBERS DAY," JUNE 24 General Matthew B. Ridgway Dinner to Highlight the Event

PITTSBURGH, June 15 -- It will be difficult not to remember the "Forgotten War" after June 24.

That's the day the University of Pittsburgh and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum host "Pittsburgh Remembers Day," the next in a series of events to commemorate the Korean War, which started 50 years ago. Primary sponsors for the day include Allegheny County, PNC Bank, and the City of Pittsburgh.

Among the highlights of the day are the General Matthew B. Ridgway Memorial Dinner, a free evening concert with the River City Brass Band, and a street dedication ceremony in honor of Ridgway, a Pittsburgh native whom many military historians credit as the "unsung hero" of the Korean War. (A summary of the day's activities is included.)

"Pittsburgh Remembers Day" begins at noon, with a number of educational and fun activities for the family. Bigelow Boulevard, between the Cathedral of Learning and the William Pitt Union, will feature static displays of Korean War-era and modern military vehicles and equipment, including a Sherman Tank and a MASH unit. Music from the 1940s and '50s will fill the air near Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall.

Also outside will be information booths staffed by representatives of such organizations and groups as Stars & Stripes Omnimedia (stripes.com); Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, distributing free tickets to the River City Brass Band concert; the Korean War Veterans of Western Pennsylvania, offering commemorative pins to Korean War veterans; the Red Cross; the University of Pittsburgh book store; and the Korean community.

Also beginning at noon, inside Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, continuous Korean War educational videos will be shown on a big screen in the auditorium, while the Veterans Resource Center will distribute information about veterans benefits, and the Veterans Administration Health Screening Program will conduct free cholesterol and pressure screenings for veterans. Guided museum tours of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall will be conducted at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The section of Fifth Avenue in front of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall will be renamed in honor of Ridgway at 4 p.m. The day continues with the General Matthew B. Ridgway Memorial Dinner at 5:30 p.m., in the banquet hall of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. Advanced ticket reservations are required. Korean War veterans can obtain one free ticket; additional tickets are $15 apiece.

"Pittsburgh Remembers Day" concludes with a concert by the River City Brass Band, beginning at 7:30 p.m., in the auditorium of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. Sponsored by Morgan Stanley Dean Winter, the concert is free and open to the general public, but seating is limited. For those who do not obtain tickets in advance, a limited number will be available at the Morgan Stanley Dean Winter booth.

For more information, or to obtain tickets for the General Matthew B. Ridgway Memorial Dinner or the concert with the River City Brass Band, call 412-648-7402 or 412-648-7408. More details on these events or other Korean War commemorative efforts planned are available online at www.pitt.edu/~rcss/koreamain.htm.

"Pittsburgh Remembers Day" was planned and organized by the Pittsburgh Committee for the Commemoration of the Korean War, whose members include representatives of the University of Pittsburgh; the Korean War Veterans Association of Western Pennsylvania and the Korean War Veterans Color Guard; Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum; Stars & Stripes Omnimedia, Inc. (www.stripes.com); the Pittsburgh Pirates; National City Bank of Pennsylvania; the Veterans Administration; Pitt Army ROTC and Alumni; Morgan Stanley Dean Witter; the NAACP; PNC Bank; and city, county, and state government.

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