April 18, 2009

I have heard nothing but good reports on Korea Veterans being added to the front cover to show who The Graybeards magazine is about. Many of those who wrote expressed the thought that they were in Korea in 1951 mid year and later and were not considered to have graybeards and thought this was a very proper addition.

I can report to you that an audit was made by the Internal Revenue Service on January 24, 2009 The main reason we were audited was a third party reported that we conducted a lottery. Our CPA and I spent five hours with the agent and supplied answers to all his questions on our 2006 990 Form. I had hoped we could report something in this edition however, our latest inquiry to the agent finds that he has approximately a month of further work to complete his report.

I do have the following report on some of the things that I had placed on my priority list as Items (1) & (2) to do if elected as President, while (3) & (4) were added from hold over business. (1) The Board of Directors has agreed to place a six month moratorium on any new complaints to the Ethics and Grievance Committee until better guidelines in the Standard Procedure Manual can be approved by the Board. (2) They have also agreed that a Quarterly Financial Report may be placed on the website for download or to be looked at by the membership. (3) A decision was made to not supply the 60th Commemorative Committee with any seed money for their operation at this time. (4) There will also be a Board Meeting in conjunction with the Gathering in July 2009. All of these items were completed with a Business without a Meeting according to the Bylaws. The minutes of this meeting are included in this edition with one other motion included and the vote counts for all business done.

Our Annual Association Membership Meeting is still in work however its dates are mentioned elsewhere in the March/April Graybeards in a block form since we are still looking at many hotels. The dates of the meeting will allow you to set aside a time and also to make flight reservation to the DFW Airport in time to get cheaper rates. The hotel and registration information will be in the May/June edition of The Graybeards.

There are a great many things going on with the KWVA Chapters and again I want to compliment those Chapters who are supplying information and reports on their community involvement to our Korea Veterans magazine. It is always sad when we hear about the loss of a member and I want to remind you that if you know of a member who has passed on to please be sure and let the Membership Administrator know. We need to place the names in our "Last Call" section and to also include them in our Memorial Service at the Annual Association Membership Meeting. I have received information on the death of Mollie H. Snyder a 99 Year old Gold Star Mother who was a KWVA member since 1995. Her son was Walter H. Snyder, Jr. and he was killed in December 1950. She was President of the Gold Star Mothers in 1999 and attended our meeting in Washington, D.C. in 2003. Her death was on February 8, 2009.

I hope everyone takes the opportunity to read each and every resume that also appears in this edition and then votes in the Directors Election. I do expect all, who have decided to place their hat in the ring, did so to make the entire membership their chief reason for running and to do what is necessary to make their decisions the right one for the KWVA, Inc. and not for their personnel agenda. The leadership of the KWVA, Inc. is in your hands. It only requires a little time to take your ballot to the post office and purchase a stamp and drop your ballot in the mail.

William F. Mac Swain
National President, KWVA/US