Veteran's work remembers the forgotten

GRANTS, N.M. (KRQE) - After spending $20,000 of his own money a New Mexico veteran chose Veterans Day to unveil a memorial to the Forgotten War.

"I decided to build it just to honor our comrades that lost their lives during the Korean War," Grants resident Alfonso Lopez told KRQE News 13.

On Wednesday Lopez shared a lot with the crowd of his family, friends, strangers, law enforcement and veterans that came out for the unveiling.

He had worked on the Korean War memorial for four months

Lopez said it began with a suggestion from his son to put the U.S. flag in his front yard. That's when he said thought of building an actual memorial.

He said he built as he went. People thought he was building a skate park at first because of the slanted wall that now showcases the different branches of the military and an eagle inspired by the Korean War hat he wears.

"It's quite a tribute," Debra Estrada, Lopez's goddaughter and a retired naval nurse, said. "Well deserved."

Visiting the memorial brought tears to her eyes.

Lopez told News 13 he always wanted to build a memorial for the Forgotten War. He'd traveled as far as Washington, D.C., to visit one once, but said he wanted a memorial closer to home.

So Lopez built the memorial in his front yard in Grants.

Lopez wouldn't even allow his best friend and Korean War veteran, Joe Garcia, to see the memorial until Veterans Day. They met at Fort Hood, Texas, during the war almost 60 years ago.

"I felt something in me; I still do," Garcia said. "Very, very emotional."

He also teared up speaking about Lopez's memorial. Although there were tears, there was also laughter.

That's what else Lopez shared as he spoke, shook hands and shared memories with the dozens of people who showed up at his home for the ceremony.

Lopez was proud he'd built a memorial for the "Forgotten."

"This is going to be long-lasting forever," Estrada said.