I’m writing my first “President’s Message.” The filing deadline for officers and directors of KWVA, Dec.
15, 2015 passed and it turned out that I was the sole candidate for National KWVA President. I wish there
had been other candidates. Since there weren’t, I’ve known since that date that I would be the incoming
President.
The one huge advantage that gave me was that I could from that date forward work hand in hand
with our outgoing President, the very capable Larry Kinard. I can only hope to live up to the standards
that have been set by Larry. He has been most generous and patient in explaining the many behind-the-scene
administrative details involved in running the KWVA.
We made an onsite visit to Charleston, IL. Jim Doppelhammer,
Sheila Fritts, and Alex Switzer very competently handle a variety of responsibilities that are vital to
the overall operation, including administration of our KWVA website. One change that has already been implemented
(as of 4/1/2016), which was prompted by Treasurer Tom Gregg, was to decentralize some of the treasurer’s
work load by shifting the writing of checks to Doug Sager, Sager Financial Services, located in Charleston.
As always, a major concern to the future of KWVA is the recruitment of Korean War and Korean Defense veterans.
One of our incoming Board members, Colonel (Ret) David Clark, former Chairman of the Dept. of Defense 60th
Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee, will now be our chairman of the Membership Committee.
David has all the necessary qualifications to do an outstanding job. The age of KWVs makes bringing in younger
members vital to the future of KWVA.
Along with declining membership comes declining income. Unfortunately,
expenses do not decline at the same rate as income. Our 2017 budget as it stands today has expenses exceeding
income by some $29,000.
Fund raising is an important source of income. The goal this year from the sale
of tickets is $70,000. Please consider purchasing tickets as individuals and chapters.
In the past we’ve
received significant contributions from our generous friends in Korea and from Korean-American citizens
who continue to express their appreciation for our sacrifices during the Korean War. To add to our financial
woes, we are to be the host VSO for the 2017 Veterans Day event in Washington, D.C. It will be an honor
and give our organization some much needed recognition.
To prepare for taking on that role, Jim Fisher,
Executive Director, and Tim Whitmore, Ceremonies Chairman, have been attending meetings of the 2016 host
VSO, The Polish American Veterans organization, to get some understanding of the planning and costs involved.
Another new Board member, Paul Cunningham, has agreed to take on the Special Committee Chairmanship of the
2017 Veteran’s Day Committee. Paul is eminently qualified to carry out this responsibility to a successful
conclusion on November 11th, 2017.
Treasurer Tom Gregg has established a separate banking account specifically
for this event. Any contributions received to assist in financing this event, if identified as such in the
check memo section, will be deposited in this separate account. It is still deductible as a contribution
to a 501(c)19. We’re looking at an expense of $40,000 to $50,000.
Now that you’ve read about some of my
immediate concerns and where my—and hopefully your—energies will be directed, I’ll share with you a few
enjoyable experiences from a recent trip to Korea.
On June 17th, Barbara and I departed Kansas City for
Dallas, TX, where we joined others, including Larry and Bettye Kinard, for an international flight to Inchon
Airport, Korea. We were guests of the Sae Eden Presbyterian Church in Seoul. (In case you are wondering,
the entire trip to Korea was hosted, i.e. paid for, by the Sae Eden Church.)
Participants were Korean
War veterans and family members of KIAs and MIAs from the Korean War. Each day was planned with activities
from 8 a.m. until early evening. Ceremonies and demonstrations were conducted at the National Cemetery and
at various ROK military venues. Korean War veterans were always the honored guests.
We visited the Joint
Security Area at the DMZ and looked into North Korea territory. That was a haunting experience. We visited
the Eighth Army Headquarters and had lunch in the dining hall with GIs, an experience neither of us will
soon forget. We also attended several banquets at which our entire group were honored guests and treated
as royalty.
The week was capped off with a beautiful concert at the Korean Broadcasting Theatre which,
as with everything else that week, was for the sole purpose of honoring Korea War veterans and families
of KIAs and MIAs.
Upon returning to the U.S., we flew into Washington, D.C. to attend a ceremony commemorating
66 years since the invasion. Another ceremony held on the following day commemorated KATUSAs killed in the
Korean War. The name of each KATUSA was read. I was honored to read KATUSA names for fifteen minutes after
the opening ceremony, in which wreaths were placed at the Memorial in their honor.
I hope in this first
of many to come President’s Messages I haven’t sounded too pessimistic. The concerns I’ve pointed out should
be viewed as challenges to each member of the KWVA. I don’t think it is any secret that our membership losses
due mainly to death are exceeding our intake of new members. This one fact and attempts to overcome it with
new members are the biggest challenges we face. Our future depends on building our membership.
Tom Stevens, President
Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. (KWVA/US)