May 11, 2006

WHY WE NEED A FEDERAL CHARTER
[H.R. 3476, S.1512, 108th Congress]

The purpose, for which this Association was formed, does not require a Federal Charter.” A member whom I respect very much recently made that statement. My mental answer was, “yes, and certain aircraft can fly without engines, but they sure do help in cases where you are going somewhere!

The founding purposes of the Korean War Veterans Association (note there is a plurality of purpose not a singular one):

  1. To organize, promote and maintain for benevolent and charitable purposes an Association of persons who have seen honorable service during the Korean War at any time between September 3, 1945 and the present time, both dates inclusive, and of certain other persons, with the qualifications for membership set forth in the Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. Bylaws.
  2. To grant charters to groups of members at large of the association.
  3. To provide a means of contact and communication among the members of the association.
  4. To promote the establishment of, and to establish war and other memorials commemorative of any person or persons who served in the Korean War.
  5. To aid needy Association members and their spouses and children and the spouses and children of persons who were members at the time of their death.
  6. To establish and maintain a national headquarters.
  7. To do any and all things necessary or proper for the accomplishment of the foregoing business and objectives of the association, including, for such purposes, to contract and pay for personal and other services, to contract for, buy, take by deed, gift or devise, hold, possess, manage, borrow, rent, lease, loan, assign, convey, sell, and dispose of in any manner real and personal property, and to act as trustee, or be a beneficiary of a trust.

Founder Bill Norris enunciated five principles long before the incorporation (above purposes) of the KWVA. These principles were—

  1. To support the ideals this Great Country was founded on;
  2. To maintain the dignity and pride of the Korean War Veterans who served this Country when asked to;
  3. To work towards the recognition of those who did not return from the Korean War;
  4. To maintain and foster the comradeship between the men and women who served during the Korean War;
  5. To perpetuate the memory and reason which required our service during the Korean War.

With the assistance of a Staff Workshop, I more recently announced a Mission Statement which states the above purposes and principles as:

THE MISSION OF THE KWVA/USA is
DEFEND our Nation
CARE for our Veterans
PERPETUATE our Legacy
REMEMBER our Missing and Fallen
MAINTAIN our Memorial
SUPPORT a free Korea

I have highlighted in the foregoing those provisions which would be supported and/or enhanced by a Federal Charter.

Let’s look at some practical examples. We have one delusional member who always insists that the KWVA has hundreds of Veterans Service Officers (VSO, same abbreviation, singular or plural) working with/for the VA and always has. His ranting to the contrary notwithstanding, the KWVA does not have a single VSO working with or for the VA—we are not qualified to license and maintain a single service officer in our own behalf. Those few who may be licensed are accredited by someone else, not the KWVA, and assists those other veterans organizations (Legion, VFW, DAV, etc.) to assert that young veterans of Korea Service should join those organizations because the KWVA is not interested in helping the younger Korea Service Veterans.

One very real problem this presents is that there is no VSO representing the upwards of 2 million Korea Service Vets—or the 1.5 million Korea War vets (50-53)—for the era 1950 thru 1965 when the Vietnam War officially began. Only a very foolish person would argue that there is no difference in health concerns, claims, pensions, GI Bill, job assistance, etc., etc., etc., between the Korea Vet (1950-1965) and the WWII vets who went before them OR the Vietnam Vets who followed them. Differences are why we have age-graded degrees of specialization in every other marketing, sales, and production activity in America—AND in health care, lending, small business assistance, and education. But NOT for Korea Veterans—good principles are disregarded for these old guys!

Until approximately three years ago no one apparently knew, or cared, that countless veterans of those portions of the Korea War/Service era that corresponded to Vietnam War years ALSO had some Agent Orange exposure. Oh yes, the Vietnam Vets let everyone know, loud, clear, and long, about themselves (and they eventually got the “green”) but there is not a man alive who can take an oath and swear to it and back it up with evidence (I say this because people do lie, you know, and hindsight is perfect, after all) that they had even heard about the Korea Vets, the FORGOTTEN WAR and defense men and women, being exposed to Agent Orange in Korea. HOW MANY MEN (AND/OR THEIR FAMILIES) SUFFERED HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DAMAGES BECAUSE THEY HAD NO ADVOCATE? INCALCULABLE! I care and we all should do so, I believe.

Another example is the concern and actions, only within the past three to five years, regarding cold weather injuries for Korea Vets, other than those of the 1st MARDIV and attached units, Nov-Dec 1950. 1stMARDIV had an advocate, the Chosin Few for a select and narrow group of Korea Vets).

Yes, any of the other organizations comprised overwhelmingly of WWII veterans—and more lately Vietnam Veterans (no frost bite in Nam)—could have, could have, could have jumped in the gap. They did not do so. They are not advocates for the Korea War and Korea Service Vets. Shoulda, woulda, coulda! Korea War and Korea Service vets, catch as catch can.

This whole argument is wasted effort and self-serving, carried on by those who want to see the KWVA disappear and the status quo continue, to hell with those who perish or suffer as a consequence.

There may be some practical reasons why we can’t afford to be a federally chartered VSO—there are NO mission and purpose reasons supporting refusing to do what we can to become one.

I received a call and letter from a member in Arizona Friday, 10th. “Lou, the US Army has just issued a press release of all friendly fire casualties of WWII, VN, and Desert Storm. Korea War omitted. Is this their policy?” My answer would have to be that we have been kept so invisible at the VA, Dept of Defense, and Washington, DC, that they don’t even omit us intentionally—we just do not even exist!

You might say, “Lou, you are overstating the case aren’t you?” No, I am not! Last Veterans Day, and the one before, every public newspaper in Washington area ran special coverage on the Vietnam Memorial and the WWII Memorial. Not a mm of print on the Korea Memorial.

Two years ago the new $23 million Smithsonian exhibit opened to a “black tie” invitation reception—several hundred were there (I was there with my wife). The Exhibit’s name is “America through the Wars.” You start with roughly three magnificent hallways on the Revolutionary War with many of General Washington’s personal items on display. You pass through a little of 1812, a lot of Civil War, some WWI, a lot of WWII—by this time you have covered 2/3 of the entire exhibit area. You pass through a narrow hallway roughly 12 feet long which is the Korean War (it is simply designated “Cold War” - what a slight to Korea Veterans, and every other veteran 1950 to 1990!) - and then the rest of the floor is devoted to the Vietnam War with a real Huey unloading, etc. as the leadoff.

It is as though nearly 37,000 dead, 8,000 missing, in three years, and all of the territory we defended, retained, and grew into the world’s ninth largest economy- communism’s first defeat in open combat with the West - was nothing compared to THE VIETNAM WAR, 58,000 killed and 4,000 missing in ten years! And free Vietnam perished in 1975!

Something is wrong with that picture, even though it is indicative of the attitude that we have allowed to birth and grow in this country regarding the Korea War. Heck, even the name which few of us have protested—Korean War—implies that some one else, some other Nation, fought it. It was an American War.

Good Lord, to the veteran who needs help, this is not an academic pursuit, fellow members; it is reality.

Let me be clear and then I will close, probably already having written too much: In the election campaign of 2003-2004 I stated, and wrote on the screen of a discussion group, that a charter was of no consequence to me personally. But after becoming President I found out that it is a very important matter to thousands of good men, members and non-members alike, who were unwilling to have the sacrifices of themselves and their buddies slighted by the US Government.

I spent seven months in combat in Korea, yes, but then I spent four combat tours in Vietnam, a combat mission in Bolivia, a stint in Romania when it wasn’t cool to be in Romania—so I did not and do not need Korea as my combat credential. But I find men everyday that gave their guts for this country in KOREA—and some of their families who are still grieving their guts out—because WE have allowed the US Government to ignore those sacrifices, 1950 until this very day.

Millions of Korea Vets (to the public and the governments of the world we represent them all, not just the 17,000 who have paid up) deserve our service to get a Federal Charter or die trying. I intend to try to measure up to all Korea vets and will die trying. That memorial on the Mall is just as much theirs as it is mine.

Surely those who cannot join in that mission of honor require a heart check, followed by a gut check.


Louis T. Dechert, National President
Korean War Veterans Association, USA
March 2006