Here it is early March and winter is still with us. Everyone I talk with is more than ready for winter to be over and for the sun to shine and melt all the snow that has fallen this year. I
think everyone will feel better when spring actually gets here.
Even though it has been very cold and snowy, our business continues.
That is a good thing. I have several things to mention this time
that have been both personal and interesting to me.
As I write this I am in Houston visiting with ROK (Ret) Rear
Admiral Chong Dae Kim, who is an Elder in the Sae Eden
Presbyterian Church in Seoul, Korea. Since 2007 this church has
been holding annual events in Korea and the United States for Korean
War veterans to show their appreciation and thanks for what we did
for them.
I spoke to a large group of Indiana and Illinois veterans last year
in Chicago at their excellent program there. This year they have invited
ten Korean War veterans and their spouses from Texas to visit
Korea. I plan to make this trip in June along with the others who have
been invited. In June, 2016 they are planning for another large event
in the United States, this time in Houston. This is another large group
of very appreciative Koreans doing their best to make sure we know
how much they care.
In early February, Tom McHugh, our Fund Raising Chairman,
received an email from a Korean telling us he wanted to donate
$5,000 to the KWVA. Since it was not connected with anyone we
knew, we didn’t know whether it was real or not. But, at the end of
February, we received a check from Mr. Kim Neochang that was
indeed a valid document.
The note with it explained that it was from a Korean gentleman
whose mother carried him as a baby on her back in July 1951 while
fleeing from the Chinese. He had been hoping to find a way to thank
the Americans, and had just found out about our organization. He
thought this was a good way to do it. He has a home in Seoul, Korea
and another in California, so he is apparently doing quite well these
days. Needless to say, I wrote him a very nice thank you letter.
Here are two other good things that have happened. General Shin
and LTC Hong hosted a dinner for ten Korean War veterans in Dallas
on January 28 because they were in the area to pay a call on Lockheed
Martin. It was a great opportunity for us to get to know them better
and for them to see what Texas veterans are like close up.
Also, Bob McCubbins, of the Raymond G. Davis Chapter #19 in
Atlanta, told me recently that he had been invited to a dinner at the
General Counsel’s residence, where he met the Ambassador to the U.
S., Ahn Ho Young, and U. S. Ambassador to Korea, Mr. Sung Y. Kim.
Later, the new Consul General, Seong-jin Kim, and MPVA Minister
Soon-Choon Park, from Seoul, surprised them by asking them to
attend their chapter’s Christmas party. Not only did they attend, but
they paid for the party and presented Freedom medals to those who
had not received one previously.
Big things will be happening in New York City on June 25 this
year at Carnegie Hall. We have been informed that Junghoon Kim,
Chairman of the American Veterans of Korea Foundation, is planning
a major event there for the Korean veterans in the New York area.
National Director and New York State Commander Sal Scarlato has
been appointed to a committee that will help with the planning and
publicity and provide bus transportation for veterans in the surrounding
area who wish to attend. I am told this is the first of several annual
events to be held around the country to recognize Korean veterans.
Two more items of importance in this issue of the magazine I hope
you will note. There is additional information on the July 22-27
Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. This will be an exciting event,
with the recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Korean War
Memorial and a special name reading ceremony of those who were
KIA that will be conducted by Col. Bill Weber’s Wall of
Remembrance Foundation.
Dr. Jongwoo Han will once again have a large group of Korean
veterans’ descendants from around the world and several high school
teachers there to continue promoting the legacy of the Korean War.
We will have a good chance to interface with many of these young
people to help build the understanding of what we did.
I again remind everyone of the Board of Director’s election taking
place at this time. We need your vote for 4 of the 7 candidates listed
on the ballot in the previous issue of The Graybeards magazine.
PLEASE VOTE, AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VOTE ALSO.
In this letter I have tried to show just a few examples of how the
Korean government and the Korean people are trying to show their
continuing and long lasting gratitude for what we did many years ago.
I hope you have had a chance to be a part of one of their programs. I
believe they sincerely want those who served there to know of their
appreciation.
Larry Kinard, President
Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. (KWVA/US)