Our election process has begun. The CPA has been instructed to honor any ballots that are received with a member’s name and/or with their membership number written on it.

It was unfortunate that the peel-off labels were not put on the magazine as requested. The peel-off labels sent under separate cover arrived after some members had already received their magazine. Others received the labels before their magazines were received. I also received many calls from members who complained that the peel-off labels they received were very hard to remove.

The ballot voting will be finished by May 15, 2012. Those elected will be notified as soon as possible and will take office on June 25, 2012. I hope you have taken the time to vote for those you wish to represent you. I was hopeful that a Congressional Bill Number could be placed on the KWVA Website in February. However, the House of Representatives has delayed that possibility since additional requirements took a higher priority at the beginning of the New Year.

I have contacted the person who will be in charge of obtaining the bill number. He said it would be in the March time period now for the bill to be ready with a number. With that in mind, we must wait a short period later before we can start a campaign to get the bill passed to change the Internal Revenue Service definition of a Korean War veteran.

All Life Members, POW, MOH and Gold Star members will receive a letter in April asking them to respond so our database can be brought up to date. We will be asking all those members contacted to return a special request card mailed to them so we know they are still with us. This is a very important step designed to help us save funds now spent on printing and postage for our magazine.

Your cooperation by answering the request will help us save wasted funds. We have already cancelled sending out many magazines to others who are not members in order to maintain our expenses on our printing of additional magazines and the foreign postage costs to non-paying individuals.

The KWVA Board of Directors is scheduled to have a Board Meeting in Washington, DC. They will be attending “The Gathering” on July 24–28, 2012. During this meeting the Board will attend the commemoration ceremony of the July 27, 1953 signing of the Armistice. All of this information will be placed on the website when plans are completed by the DoD 60th Commemoration Committee. Any Korean War veteran and KWVA members are invited to attend “The Gathering” in July. This will be the 28th meeting of this group.

As a reminder, the 2012 KWVA Membership Meeting will take place in St.Louis, MO during October 10–14, 2012. The hotel will be the Doubletree Hotel St. Louis at Westpoint. A chapter is setting upthe various events and will also set the required costs of the different events. This information will be available in the May–June and July-August issues of The Graybeards, and on the KWVA website from May through August.

In the January, February, and March timeframe, required reports were sent to all those states in which the KWVA does business to fulfill our being a Foreign Corporation in that state. Also, an audit of our finances has been contracted and is now in work for our report to Congress, along with our accomplishments as a Congressional Chartered Association. Liability Insurance for our Directors and Officers, as well as our Media Liability for the website and the magazine, have been renewed.

It is a very busy time for our Treasurer and President, who are responsible for these items being taken care of and ensuring that our Internal Revenue 990 Form and other paperwork is correct and signed and submitted on time. During this period we are a little behind in answering questions of the membership, so we request that you give us a little leeway regarding answers.

We made a personnel change at the Membership Office. Our previous Administrative Assistant resigned in February and moved to a new state where she could no longer serve the membership. Our new Administrative Assistant has been contracted and trained and is now doing all the necessary membership data processing. If you call the Membership Office you might say, “Welcome, Jamie.” (Yes, her first name is the same as the previous assistant’s.)

Thanks to all our members who work in their communities to show that not only did they serve in the military in defense of the United States, but they are now serving in VA hospitals and clinics and “Telling America” that the Korean War was a major war that stopped communism from ever spreading in the world.

William F. Mac Swain
National President, KWVA/US

I hope each of you has started the New Year with the idea that it certainly will be better than 2011. The main purpose for making New Year resolutions is to set in motion an opportunity to look back and correct many things that each of us have forgotten to do and we promised others we would do. It also gives us time to evaluate some new things we should be doing.

At our ages, most of us are retired. Many of us are no longer contributing to things that are important in our lives. It is a good time to take a look at what we might contribute to society. Many of us have been a little more fortunate than others, so little things that we can do sometimes mean a lot to those who no longer can contribute by doing things such as visiting old friends and those who are in the hospital, or delivering meals in our communities. We just become sedentary and do nothing except gripe about little things that are not very important.

You know, I see many older ladies who do not get out of the house often. I see others who gather just to sit and talk as they crochet or knit gifts for others who may not have warm hats to wear because they lose all their hair from chemo, or who can’t even afford to buy one.

I also know many men who never have been very sociable, who meet with people they used to work with, and then find that a couple of them have similar problems. They find something to do together to keep their minds busy and even form some type of group so others can join them for breakfast or lunch or go together to visit shut-ins.

I note from many of the newsletters I receive from different chapters that they have scholarship funds. Some still arrange to be available when there is a problem with one of their chapter friends. I truly believe that those of us who are retired still have much to offer and can still make a difference in our communities.

We also get a lot of exercise when we get up and go someplace, rather than just sitting and thinking that the whole world is going to pot. I know many of our members have major health problems. And, many are 100% disabled veterans. They find it difficult to get to the VA. Yet, those of us who are still able to drive could make sure that we furnish a little help getting those vets to the VA facility or, even better, becoming a VA Clinic or Hospital Volunteer. You are never too old for this.

I am very hopeful that a Congressional Bill Number can be placed on the KWVA website in February so our members can ask their U.S. Representatives or Senators to support the change of the IRS Manual. The definition of a Korean War veteran in the IRS’ 501(c)19 Veterans Association says only a veteran who served during June 25, 1950 through January 31, 1955 is considered to be a Korean War veteran.

This change is necessary so any armed services veteran who has earned the Korean Defense Service Medal may be considered as a war veteran by the IRS. They have maintained the peace in South Korea since January 31, 1955.

The Armistice was not a Declaration of Peace, only an agreement to stop the firing of weapons. The peace in South Korea has been broken many times in the last 59 years, and South Korea is still in danger of being attacked again. If this bill is passed by Congress, we can solicit membership of over one million people--plus eligible Korean Veterans.

As I mentioned in my previous President’s Message, the KWVA will be contacting all of our Life, POW, MOH and Gold Star members to check on them so our database can be brought up to date. We have found that many times we do not receive any information about a death, especially of those members who are not in a chapter.

We will be asking all those members contacted to return a special request card mailed to them so we know they are still with us. This is a very important step to save funds now spent on printing and postage, which are becoming critical. Your answers will save a lot of wasted funding when we need it.

The KWVA Board of Directors will have its first Board Meeting in Washington, DC. The members will be attending the 28th yearly meeting of “The Gathering” in 2012. During this meeting, the Board will also attend the ceremony for the July 27, 1953 signing of the Armistice. This information will also be placed on the Website when information is furnished by “The Gathering.” Any KWVA members who wish to do so can attend.

As a reminder, the 2012 KWVA Membership Meeting will take place in St. Louis, MO, October 10 – 14, 2012. The hotel will be the Doubletree Hotel St. Louis at Westpoint. A chapter will be setting up the various events and will also set the required costs of the different events.

As soon as it is available, information about the meeting will be in the March-April issue of The Graybeards and on the KWVA website.

Our election process has begun. Those who are running for the various open offices have their resumes in this edition of our magazine. The Ballot for Voting is included. The election will be completed by May 15, 2012. Those elected will take office on June 25, 2012.

I hope you will take the time to vote for those you wish to represent you

William F. Mac Swain
National President, KWVA/US

We have completed our Board of Directors Meeting and the Annual Membership Meeting successfully. The Standard Procedure Manual changes were approved by the Board and ratification of some Bylaw changes were made by the Membership. A new Budget for 2012 was approved by the Board and Membership. The meetings were hosted by Chapter 299 and they did an excellent job on the arrangements. The Korean War National Museum announced their move to the New York City Area. Information was given on JPAC operations to find and identify POWs & MIAs and their schedule for the next few years. A Virtual Museum and how it will work on the internet was also shown. Future plans about what is in store next year by the VA was presented and The Cold War Families told what their purpose was and what they would like for the public to know about some of the problems they have noticed in the way that our MIAs have been looked for. Other Committee Reports will be included in the Minutes of the Board and Membership Meetings. Also our flag, lost some years ago, had a replica presented to the KWVA by Chaplain Angel and the VA Hospital in Indianapolis as a gift. It will be used at the Memorial & Veterans Day Ceremonies each year when the Flags of the VSOs enter and leave the National Cemetery Rotunda.

The DOD Anniversary Committee sponsored a reception on the arrival date so they could introduce themselves to our members and hand out information about their plans for the next couple of years. They also sponsored an evening at the movies where they showed two movies. The first one was called the REAL MASH and had the actual Doctors and Nurses who commented on the TV MASH show, while the actors from the TV MASH show also commented on their roles. It was highly interesting and a good time for all with popcorn and drinks furnished. A second movie called HOLD AT ALL COSTS about Outpost Harry was also shown and it was typical of many battles and was narrated by actual Army personnel from both the United States and also from China. I imagine many who saw it could really relate to other times and battles. Members attended a reception hosted by the Korean Ambassador who had a prior commitment, but sent three of his Attaches to attend. A reception line was set up so all who attended the banquet could meet the Generals present and Col. Clark, the head officer of he DOD 60th Anniversary Group. Our Guest Speaker was the recently retired Four Star General Walter L. Sharp who gave his perspective on how prepared the South Koreans are in case of an attack. General Lee, Seo Young represented the Korean Ambassador and said a few words to the membership about how much the Korean Government and people appreciated the help given his nation. Col. David J. Clark also spoke and gave the members more information about the DOD 60th Anniversary Committees mission through 2013.

The Board of Directors decided to meet in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with “The Gathering”, in July, 2012. The membership approved the Boards recommendation to have the Annual Membership Meeting in the St. Louis, MO area on October 10 – 14, 2012. The hotel will be the Doubletree Hotel St. Louis at WestPoint. A chapter has already contacted the hotel and a contract has been signed. Also the membership approved the Boards recommendation to have the 2013 Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. and “The Gathering” will also be invited to be a part of this 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice on July 27, 1953. It is planned to use the same hotel that “The Gathering” will use in 2012 when it hosts the KWVA Board meeting.

The Annual Meeting in Quincy, MA was my last Annual Membership Meeting as the President of the KWVA, Inc. and I must say that it has been such an honor to have served as your President. I have had many opportunities to represent Korean War Veterans and I hope that I have fulfilled those times with honor and in a satisfactory way. I thank all of my staff who have supported me. As I complete my last 6 months of my term I hope that the path established will have been completed and the next Administration will have something they can build on.

In other news I am very happy to report that the United States and North Korea have signed an agreement to return to North Korea in April 2012 and again search for MIA/POW that were missing in action within North Korea. I can report that the KWVA was present at an April meeting and informed the current Administrative Personnel that the Korean War Veterans Association certainly supported a plan to return to North Korea as a humanitarian endeavor.

We will be contacting all of our Life Members, POW, MOH and Gold Star members to check on them so our database can be brought up to date. We have found that many times we do not receive any information about a death especially of those members who are not in a chapter. At our Memorial Service, a list of 1,451 members, by States, had passed away since the July 2010 Annual Membership Meeting. Many of the deaths were reported after years of receiving the magazine. We will be asking all those members contacted to return a special request card mailed to them so we know you are still with us.

I wish the membership a very Happy New Year. Our election process will have begun and those who will be running for the various open offices will have their resumes in the January – February Edition of our magazine. Voting will be completed by May 15 and those elected will take office on June 25, 2012

William F. Mac Swain
National President, KWVA/US

We are preparing for our Annual Membership Meeting in Boston now. By the time you receive this magazine we will have completed our meeting. I look forward to seeing and meeting many of our members from the Boston area and surrounding states.

In July of this year the Board of Directors attended “The Gathering,” which is a group of Korean War veterans who have made it a point to be in Washington DC for the past 27 years to attend a ceremony conducted at our Korean War Veterans Monument. There are many members of our Association who have attended. There are, of course, non-members who also attend.

The ceremony this year was not quite up to par, so the Association and those who direct “The Gathering” are looking into a way to not let this Armistice Day Ceremony fail expectations, especially for the remaining 60th Anniversary years. The Board of Directors attended a reception at the Capitol during this time frame and met some of the members of Congress, as well as some of the Korean hosts for this reception.

I have the opportunity to give you some future dates that will have happened just before you receive the November-December issue. First, my Ceremonies Group will be in Washington DC to attend the Veterans Day Ceremony at the National Cemetery. This information was included in the July-August issue. November and December also have many Korean Military Remembrance days. Notable are November 25th, CCF Counteroffensive into North Korea; November 27th, Chosin Reservoir Battles; November 29th, Battle of Kuno-ri; December 10th, Wonsan-Hungnam Campaigns; December 24th, Hungnam Evacuation Operation completed.

There are many other battles in Korea that each of us can remember during these months in the 37 months of the Korean War. Special and religious dates are: November 24th, Thanksgiving; December 16th, Hanukkah; December 25th, Christmas. I hope you all have the opportunity to gather with your family and remember all those who are not now present with you and to thank your God for all the blessings bestowed on you and yours.

We Korean War veterans are very blessed to still be able to celebrate these dates, pray for our country, and show our patriotism.

There are many good things in the works at this time. I have information that the Korean War Monument Foundation has been given Korean paintings worth five million dollars to be used to raise funds for the Monument Wall that will contain the names of all those killed in action from the United States. The wall will be placed in the Korean War Monument area.

Also, I have recently received information that the Korean War National Museum is planning on building in New York City. You may think this is not a good move, since they have always been trying to build the museum in Illinois. But, I believe that the new Board of Directors for the museum has information about funding that may have affected that decision.

The museum has asked to make a presentation at our Annual Membership Meeting this year. This was granted; further progress information will be placed in The Graybeards and on our website. I suggest that you check their website at www.kwnm.org also.

Congress has been going from one crisis to another all this year. Consequently, the bill about the Korean Service Veterans I reported on during the May-June President’s Message has fallen in priority. I hope to hear more about it so I can update you of its progress in a later issue.

I also reported that we received 5,000 books on the Korean War for our “Tell America Project” from the Korean government. We have, but a problem about shipping them to us has arisen, since our contact at the Embassy has returned to Korea and a new attaché has been assigned.

Somehow, the message did not get passed on that the books were to be shipped to the KWVA. We have already had some calls from chapters, but until we solve the shipping problem from the Embassy in Washington, D.C. to us, we must wait for the approval to do so from the Korean government. Most political problems within governments are not solved easily.

Our election process has been modified to help with the problem of some members not receiving their Graybeards soon enough to send in their ballots on time. Since the bylaws must be changed properly, the change approved by the Board of Directors was inserted in the July-August issue of The Graybeards and will be approved at the October Annual Membership Meeting. There is a detailed explanation in this issue of why the change was necessary and the date changes.

If you wish to run for an open office in the Board of Directors for the 2012 Election, please be sure and look in this issue for the date your submittal will be due.

William F. Mac Swain
National President, KWVA/US

I went to South Korea during June and I was amazed at the changes I saw in just one short year. When there in 1951 and 1952 there were no paved roads and yet as I traveled to different areas in June I traveled on modern highways, through at least 50 tunnels blown through the mountains, and through cities that now have modern buildings that line the streets. I sat on a bench along a plaza outside a McDonalds and watched as teenagers came out and mounted themselves on motor-scooters and delivered hamburgers to the businesses around the area. Inside the McDonalds there were individuals with their computers using Wi-Fi hookups to surf the web and look at their e-mails. It was like being in my hometown, only they were talking in a language that I could not understand. Here were individuals going about their business in a free atmosphere, yet having an enemy only a few miles away, who would like to become like them, but not having the freedom to do so. It was a miracle I was looking at that was hard to realize having seen South Korea in the 1950’s era. I thought at one time that the reason South Korea had succeeded in becoming a great nation in just 57 years after the so called armistice was because they began to teach their citizens how to read and write and their education process was very successful. However, I learned it could have been a different reason while talking to a young college student who said that it was because the Korean people are competitive. He mentioned the fact that they decided to compete against the Asian countries close to them. They decided that Japan was a model that they wanted to compete with. You can now see that South Koreans have caught up with their competition and are equal or greater in the Auto, Steel, Electronic, Ship Building and many other Industries and are proud of it. However, they recognize that this would not have happened if they had not had the help of all the nations that came to their rescue. That is why they say many times to us Veterans of the Korean War, “If you hadn’t helped we would not be here today.” They are sincere when they say it. As a matter of fact they are one of our best allies at this time. That is why we could count on them for help in the Vietnam War, Iraq War and in Afghanistan. That is why every American Korean War Veteran should be proud of what was accomplished in South Korea when freedom was won again and then maintained for these 57 years allowing them to become a helper nation just like America.

I do want to remind you of some important dates in September, October and November that are coming up. I must do so to make sure everyone gets the information in a timely manner before they are over and you have not received our magazine yet. In September we have Patriots Day on September 11, 2011. That is what we use to call 9/11. It is now a Public Law 107-89. All American Flags of Individuals, the White House and all Government Office are to be flown at half-mast. A time of silence is to be observed at 8:46 A.M. (EST) which is the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Following that date comes September 16, 2011 which is POW/MIA Recognition Day. This is to honor All POW/MIAs still not accounted for. We Korean War Veterans must remember those POW & MIAs during our war as our missing buddies, who never got to complete their lives as we did, and to remember their families also. I also remind you that the Annual Membership Meeting will be held in the Boston Area October 28-31, 2011 at the Boston Marriott Quincy and you need to get your Registration and Hotel reservations in by the deadline. On November 11, 2011 Veterans Day will occur and there will be many ceremonies in towns and cities. I will be in Washington, D.C. for the National Cemetery Veterans Day Ceremony and will place a wreath at both our Korean War Monument and the Tomb of the Unknown along with my Ceremonies Chairman and Chapter 33 Color Guard.

I want to report that we have received 5,000 books on the Korean War for our “Tell America Project” from the Korean Government. We expect to start soon to notify those Chapters and Individuals, who did not receive any of the first 7,000 books that are on our waiting list. Unfortunately we will still have to ask for those who want the books to pay the postage for us to send them out.

I also would like to remind each member that the Legacy of the Korean War Foundation has donated funds to help pay for the Editor’s cost on our magazine, The Graybeards. This is one of the purposes of this Foundation and I would suggest you visit the website at www.legacykw.org to learn more about it. It is operated by Korean War Veterans as volunteers, so all funds donated will go toward educating the American public about the Korean War and its accomplishments.

South Korea has also been selected to host the 2018 Winter Olympics at the host city of Pyeongchang located in Gangwon Province. It is approximately 110 miles due East of Seoul

William F. Mac Swain
National President, KWVA/US