Ratchaphruek (Golden Shower Tree)
Inside this capsule: a seed of Ratchaphruek (Golden Shower Tree) — and a story of friendship that began in 1950. Drag the capsule to face its label; the QR code is real.
The flower of Thailand
Photo: Banswalhemant · CC BY-SA 4.0
Thailand's national flower. Its cascades of yellow bloom in the hottest season — grace under hardship, gold given freely.
Flower meaning
The ratchaphruek's golden cascades echo the color of merit and giving — Thailand's flower of glory and generosity.
Growing your seed
Free the seed from its compostable kraft shell, then give it what ratchaphruek (golden shower tree) asks for:
Watch it grow
Rod Asanaphon was born in Thailand in 1922. Prior to his military service, he was a teacher. He was drafted into the Thai Army and assigned duty as a medical assistant. He was in the first batch of soldiers that were sent from Thailand to serve in the Korean War. He found the country to be much like his homeland, and he witnessed all of…
A voice from Thailand’s service in Korea · More on Korean War Legacy Foundation
Thailand's Korea veterans are remembered as the Little Tigers who traveled far from the tropics to a frozen front. Each golden bloom from this capsule honors their unlikely, unwavering journey.
“We Remember. We Grow Together.”
Voices from the archive
Stories from veterans, families and participants that carry the same values as the ratchaphruek (golden shower tree) — retold from the record, never invented.
Thailand's 21st Regiment earned the name Little Tigers in the fighting at Pork Chop Hill, and the name is still carried with pride in the Royal Thai Army. (TODO: verify unit lineage)
Source: Royal Thai Army tradition
Help this archive grow
Did someone in your family serve with Thailand in Korea — or were they healed, taught or befriended by those who did? Every entry is reviewed and verified with you before publication.
Share a story1950 – 1953
Thailand committed forces on land, at sea and in the air, its 21st Regiment earning the nickname “Little Tigers” for its tenacity — most famously in the fighting at Pork Chop Hill in 1952. Royal Thai Navy frigates and air transport crews served in the theater as well.
Historical passages are written with care and without invented figures; details still under review are marked for verification before print.
Thai culture holds generosity and composure among its highest virtues. The ratchaphruek's golden garlands, draped across the country each dry season, echo the golden robes of merit — giving as a way of life.
Why the Ratchaphruek (Golden Shower Tree)
Thailand's national flower. Its cascades of yellow bloom in the hottest season — grace under hardship, gold given freely.