제1회 글로벌힐링아트 청소년 에세이 대회, “자유는 공짜가 아니었다”

[특집] 제1회 글로벌힐링아트 청소년 에세이 대회, “자유는 공짜가 아니었다”

작성자 : 사람과사회 작성일 : 2025-09-09

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지난 7월30일부터 8월20일 사이, 풀러톤 잠전용사 기념비에서 개최된 제1회 글러벌힐링아트 청소년에세이 대회 수상작(참조기사 16면) 수상작을 주최측의 허락하에 게재한다.  (편집자 주)

왼쪽 세번째 1등 우신정학생, 오른쪽 세번째 2등 장이레학생, 오른쪽 두번째 3등 케이티김학생

1등 수상작 (Shinjung Woo 우 신정, West Ranch High School, 12th To Korean War Veteran)

First, I would like to express my deep and sincere thanks to the 36,591 veterans who fought for my country during the Korean War. Without their sacrifices, Korea might not be a free nation today or perhaps might not even exist.

While learning about the Korean War, I came across a story of one veteran that touched my heart, and it was Ted Williams’s. I discovered that Ted Williams was not just one of the greatest baseball players in history, but also an amazing fighter pilot who risked his life in battles for freedom. It deeply moved me to know that, even though he was a world-famous athlete, he set aside a comfortable, luxurious, and recognizable life to serve his country during a perilous time.

In school classes, I was told the Korean War is sometimes called a “Forgotten War.” This was because many people in America did not know much about Korea, and also because the soldiers were not well-received when they came back home. I think that makes the sacrifices of Ted Williams and other veterans even more meaningful, because their decision was not for recognition, but for something greater—freedom and peace.

If I were in Ted Williams’s situation, choosing to go to war, I’m not sure if I could really put down all the fame and the recognition from a safe world. But he did. He made a choice that eventually led me to write an essay about him. It would have been so easy to stay in the spotlight and continue the life that all people dream about. But he did not take the easy way. This choice might have been a shock to the fans and especially painful for his loved ones. His action reminds me that freedom comes from people who are willing to give up everything for others. It also made me wonder myself, ‘Am I ready to give up everything for others?’

As a fan, if Ted Williams had not gone to war, he could have hit even more home runs and broken more records. But I believe that the war could have been way worse if veterans like him had not fought as if the land they were stepping on was their own country. Who knows? If his 39 flight missions did not exist, maybe we might have even lost the war!

Today, Korean students like me can live peacefully, study, and dream about the future because of the sacrifices of Ted Williams and other heroes. I will never forget this, and I will be ready to give up everything for others, like he did for us.

Thank you so much, Mr. Williams, and all the veterans. I will always remember you.

Sincerely

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2등 수상작 (Leere(Joy) Jang 장 이레, Sunny Hills High School)

Dear American veterans of the Korean War,

On June 25, 1950, war erupted on a peninsula most Americans had never seen. You crossed oceans to defend a country and a people you did not know, believing that freedom was worth the risk. Because of your courage, South Korea stands today as a thriving democracy—and my generation gets to dream freely.

I’m writing to thank you. You were young—many barely older than I am now—yet you left home, family, and certainty to fight in brutal winters and unforgiving terrain. You faced fear, scarcity, and loss, and still kept moving forward. You did not fight for glory or recognition; you fought so that strangers halfway around the world could live without tyranny.

That kind of selflessness is hard to comprehend—and impossible to forget.

The cost you bore was immense. So many never made it home; many who did carried invisible wounds. When I study the history of those years and think about the bitter cold, the long nights, and the friends you lost, I realize how much I owe you. The Korea I see today—innovative, vibrant, and free—was built on your sacrifice.

Sometimes I try to picture what your days looked like—the weight of a pack digging into your shoulders, the sting of winter wind during a long watch, a creased letter from home tucked close to your heart. The challenges I face now—exams, late buses, awkward first attempts at leadership—are small beside what you endured. But your service doesn’t make my struggles meaningless; it gives them direction. Because you stood firm, I get to grow up where a young person can speak freely, study what they love, serve their community, and dream without fear. That ordinary freedom is your extraordinary gift, and I promise to use it well.

Your example challenges me. You didn’t fight so that I could live comfortably; you fought so that I could live responsibly. I want to honor you by the way I live: by working hard in my studies, standing up for what is right, and serving others who feel unseen. I will keep learning about the war you fought and share your stories with people my age who might not know them—so that your courage is remembered not just in monuments, but in our choices.

Thank you for proving that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they believe in something larger than themselves. I will carry your legacy with me and try to meet the freedom you preserved with gratitude, integrity, and service.

With deepest gratitude,

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3등 수상작 (Kate Kim 케이티 김, 12th grade / Sunny Hills)

Dear Richard DeWart,

I want to begin by telling you that I’m not very good at writing letters, especially lengthy ones like this. So if it’s alright with you, I’ll start by talking a bit about myself.

I’m 17 years old, the same age you were when you made the brave decision to enlist in the United States Navy.

Personally, I’m terrified of just about everything: bugs, the dark, heights, the ocean, public speaking, and even my mom’s mysterious, stomach-turning smoothies. So I can’t even begin to imagine how much courage it must have taken for you to make that decision.

And yet, here I am, curled up with my stuffed dinosaurs, writing this letter to you about your bravery.

As I sit here writing, I remember that I’m only two months away from adulthood myself.

And it makes me wonder how you felt when you first entered battle at just 18 years old. Were you scared? Eager? Overwhelmed? I probably would have panicked on the spot. And maybe you were scared too. No, you probably were.

It’s almost laughable to think that you weren’t scared to go into battle. And yet, reading stories about you on the Internet, I can’t help but doubt that you were.

For instance, I read about how you gave your sweater to a fellow soldier after hearing him complain about the cold. I don’t think I could have done that on a battlefield where everyone must have been freezing and starving, especially when I can barely bring myself to give up the last slice of pizza to my brother.

I also read that you checked on the health of the Marines every night and hoped to become a doctor someday. I want to be a doctor too. And yet I wonder: could I have really forced my exhausted, starving, and battle-weary body to check on others every single night? I’m not quite sure.

As I kept reading, I came across accounts of how, despite your own injuries, you ran into the line of enemy fire to rescue your wounded comrades. At first, I couldn’t understand it. Part of me even thought you had lost your mind. But then, as I pictured myself in your shoes, I began to understand the depth of your courage and the strength it must have taken.

You were wounded yourself, yet you chose to run again and again into danger to save your fellow Marines. You did not hesitate. Even as enemy fire rained down, you focused on what mattered most: saving lives. In your final act, trying to reach one more wounded Marine, you made the ultimate sacrifice.

That kind of courage leaves a permanent mark on the world. You didn’t just serve; you exemplified what it means to be a healer in the midst of war. As an aspiring doctor, I can’t help but admire your dedication and selflessness.

So, here are my final words to you, Hospitalman De Wert — courageous medic and true hero of the Korean War. Thank you.

Your name and your sacrifice will never be forgotten. Through your bravery, you helped

Kate Kim - 12th grade / Sunny Hills preserve the freedom and peace of Korea, and your legacy lives on in every medic who follows in your footsteps, and in every life saved by someone inspired by your story.

Your story has made me think more deeply about what kind of doctor — and person — I want to be.

With the deepest respect and gratitude,

Kate Kim