in 1995, reporter kathleen koch brought us this account of the memorial to their memory being dedicated in washington, d.c. >> reporter: standing more than 7 feet tall the stainless steel figures shrog across the field toward a distant flag. near by faces of actual support troops from the korean war. at this dedication president clinton and south korean president kim jung-sam credited the soldiers. >> they set a standard that may be equaled but will never be surpassed in american combat. >> in this tribute to all those korean war veterans who set apart their lives. and i give respect to all those who fought in that war. >> reporter: nearly 58,000 americans died in the conflict. this week thousands of their comrades gathered at the washington wall. their once young faces have changed and so has their bitterness over the fact that it has taken so long to erect a monument to what many called the forgotten war. >> for many many years we have ended the korean war and many wars had memorials, and now we have our own. >> reporter: north and south korea still suspicious remain poised in war. an

kathleen koch, washington. >>> just two months after the korean war started, casualties were growing. a hospital ship was getting ready to deploy to korea when it went down at the mouth of san francisco bay. it remains there to this day. in 2001, ktvu's bob mackenzie recalled the story of the wreck of the uss benevolence. >> reporter: in 1950 the u.s. military faced a new war in a place most americans knew nothing about. korea. what was called a police action quickly mutated into a real war. fighting was fierce and casualties were high. there was a sudden desperate need for hospital ships. medical vessels that had been retired at the end of world war ii such as the u.s. s. hope were haul back into service. a hospital ship could carry medicine and supplies out to the war zone then bring back the wounded and give them immediate life saving care along the way. the hope sister ship the benevolence was also called back to service and renovated for duty. in 1950 the benevolence was returning to the bay before shipping out to korea. there were 526 people aboard. as it entered the golden gate