July 20, 2007

Fellow Veterans, Friends, and Members of the KWVA

On January 1, 2006, New Year’s Day, I prepared a state of the organization report to our membership and it was inserted in The Graybeards Magazine. This had never happened before in our Association’s history. One might have expected that veterans working together for the good of our Order—and for its future—would have been glad to get such a report. Sadly, our experience was that your officers and directors were loudly castigated by a small number of bitter members for making the report.

All manner of insults were directed at your President for giving you a truthful report. The President was castigated by one critic for "politicking"—whatever that is—and "publishing his resume!" The situation reminded some of us of the old saying, "Don't confuse me with facts; my mind is made up!"

Be that as it may, as I began my final term of office after a large majority victory last June, I resolved that we would continue to follow the principles by which we have been proceeding—and by which Bill Norris founded this association many years ago.

This report is up front, in the open, frank and truthful to the best of our ability to make it so.

2004-2005 OBJECTIVES

Three years ago as we were campaigning for office the following objectives were announced—some later called them "campaign promises." If that is what they were, then they were our only campaign promises.

  • 100% legal audit
  • Restoration of legal Bylaws
  • Redress of grievances
  • The Graybeards improvement
  • Increasing efforts to obtain Federal Charter
  • Bylaws reform, to include management procedures reform

By the end of 2005, every one of those objectives had been attained or was under way to completion. The only debatable exception was the matter of an audit, which was and still is the responsibility of the Budget and Finance Committee.

As most members know, we found few if any records when we came into office. This meant that an inordinate amount of time was required to attempt the first audit. The good news is that the investment of time and effort in the initial audit made the accomplishment of subsequent audits faster and timely.

It is a great pleasure to announce that the first year’s audit is completed and will be presented to the Board of Directors at the scheduled meeting of July 2007. And, next year’s audit is well underway and may be completed shortly thereafter. Our financial affairs have never been in better order, which we will demonstrate later in this report.

2006 OBJECTIVES

The 2006 Review and Resolution Report concluded with the following objectives announced for 2006:

  • Increase national respect
  • Obtain a Federal Charter
  • Increase Accountability at every level
  • Concentrate attention on Good for the Order
  • Renew our focus on the 56 years of sacrifice in Korea
  • Remember those who did not return home alive
  • Honor our Korean allies
  • Restore, maintain, and honor our National Memorial

These became the focus of all our efforts and will continue to be through 2007 and June 25th, 2008.

SUMMARY OVERVIEW (AS OF APRIL 28, 2007)

The Board approved a new investment strategy at Bossier City, October 4, 2005. This was near the same time that the markets started falling. The fact is that nearly two years later we have realized significantly increased value and we thank and commend Treasurer Richard Hare, Accountant Boyle Henderson, and our A.G. Edwards agents-team. This team had done exceedingly well for us even before the stock markets’ record gains of the last few weeks.

We also had a very successful and unique fund raiser, authorized by the membership at Bossier City, October 2005. Sadly, for doing so we (the membership, since you authorized it) have been virtually assaulted by a small number of troublemakers and outside "wannabes" who have subsequently attacked the members for authorizing, conducting, and successfully completing the fund-raiser. Their aim was to destroy the favorable financial condition and outlook of the organization. They even engaged in the despicable act, as members, of writing congressional representatives to smear the organization and seek to stifle the consideration of a federal charter for our deserving members.

Their efforts cost every member money as increased accounting, corresponding, telephoning, and legal expenses resulted.

Nevertheless, our financial condition significantly increased. We can remember that when we assumed office—and for the first ninety days or so thereafter—our balance was around $76,000. As of April 28, 2007, our balance was $554,405.82! The conclusion—the facts—is obvious.

We plan on additional fund-raisers for the next two years, as directed by the membership, and look forward to continually improving our financial "bottom line."

Now, let’s take a closer look at what has happened in recent years.

  • Addressing leadership and management reform, when we took office there were 3 or 4 men spending all the money and doing all the travel—and doing what little administration was being done. We now have a full volunteer staff of some forty individuals. You may view the list at any time on the website, www.kwva.org. Click on DIRECTORY OF OFFICIALS at the top menus bar. A shorter list appears inside the front cover of each issue of The Graybeards.
  • The KWVA now has a world class website AND a Management Information System (MIS) without equal—there was neither when we came in.
  • The KWVA has seen a steady increase in the quality, content, and coverage of The Graybeards—simply and superlatively the best.
  • The KWVA enlisted significant increases in first time members in each of the years 2005 and 2006. The increases continue due to Director Jeff Brodeur, the Membership Committee, Webmaster Jim Doppelhammer, Mrs. William Weber (Annelie), and our formal office operation in Alexandria, VA (authorized by the Executive Council, February 2004 and implemented by this administration in November 2006).
  • The KWVA’s transformation into a veteran’s service organization made significant steps as JD Randolph’s outstanding organization and management of the VAVS programs increased our hours up to almost the million hours mark.
  • The National Service Officer, Art Hills, completed the VSO training course, which was equivalent to continuing education credits for attorneys and paralegals. He became the first formal KWVA graduate—and at no cost at all to the KWVA. Thank you, Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), which paid for his mileage, hotel costs, and training!

GATHERING OF EAGLES

I completed the arrangements for Art Hill’s training while in DC on the freezing day of March 17, as a former SF comrade Henry Cook, MOPH Senior Vice Commander, and I were shivering around each other guarding our Memorials as screeching and wailing people were booming away from the anti-war protestors rally area at the Lincoln Memorial. Members BJ Scott and Joe Genduso, and Special Forces veteran Gayle "Beau" Bovee and his wife, Vicki Lee Bovee—Gathering of Eagles Marshalls—stood the cold watch with me all that day. John Penman from South Carolina Chapter #255 was enroute to take part when airport closures turned him around. Colonel Bill Weber also planned to attend but the bitter cold made it unwise for him to do so. Director Jeff Brodeur was likewise enroute until a terrorist blew up his son Vincent in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

I cannot adequately describe the significant impact that Annelie Weber, Jim Doppelhammer, Jeff Brodeur, Jake Feaster, and Warren Wiedhahn have had on our improved membership receipts (our major source of cash-flow)—especially Jim. His fervent brainpower resulted in the contacting of the old drop-outs and "in-actives" with significant impact on revenues (this year). That program along with sending welcome letter and kit were things which I directed the then membership office to do over two years ago.

Jeff’s efforts in membership have accounted for the input of about 100 new members a month for going on two years now. One might ask (as some critics have tried to do), "Then, with all the positive (though not yet maximum) impact that Jeff, Jim, et al, have had, why did our membership not increase more steeply?" The answer to that lies mainly in Jake’s area of operations.

Because of years of neglect and plain mismanagement of membership affairs—including some sixty (60) phantom chapters and departments—we have been forced all during 2006 and this year so far into inactivating hundreds of deceased members. Some of the members involved died as long ago as 1994! Finally, many deceased members were being shown as "active" and subsequently were discovered as being "deceased" during the fund raising campaign.

Without the combined and parallel efforts of the members and/or employees receiving this special mention, all going on at the same time as we were forced to update the membership lists, we would be in a BIG MESS! The fact is that our membership is the largest it has been in the past six years at the present time—and they are actual living veterans, not unrecorded (and thus un-honored) deaths still on the rolls. That situation was a disgrace.

There is another aspect of membership which I need to note and alert all of the membership. For the better part of three years everyone paying attention has heard Jake Feaster and me talking about "accreditation." In simplest terms, accreditation means that Bylaw and Standard Procedure Manual requirements for Department and Chapter formation have been met: [1] EVERY CHAPTER MEMBER IS A NATIONAL MEMBER (exceptions were made for "members" pre-October 5, 2005), [2] EVERY CHAPTER HAS AT LEAST 12 REGULAR MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING, [3] EVERY CHAPTER AND DEPARTMENT IS CONDUCTING AND REPORTING REQUIRED ELECTIONS.

Additional supporting documentation that the accreditation requirements are satisfied are copies of charters, petitions, bylaws, and state incorporations on file at the National Office.

Again in simplest terms, any unaccredited chapter and department, and all non-national members, will be have to be excluded from the KWVA when it is awarded a federal charter. Why is this so? Because the federal charter is awarded to an organization of accountable individuals and units, after federal audit, and not to a collection of hangers- on who are not legally a valid part of the organization receiving the federal charter.

After almost three years we still have departments with hundreds of members claimed who in actuality can document only sixty or so members in three or maybe four actual chapters of the many chapters claimed. Even the Treasurers’ handling the funds are not KWVA members in some chapters.

We have now been warning the membership of this problem for three years. I urge the chapters and departments concerned to get their affairs in order. This situation will not be allowed to accompany this organization into federal recognition status.

I also need to relate that we have been in a bitter, unnecessary struggle and the good guys—the great majority of our members—have not completely won yet. But thank you for what we have accomplished—and remember to thank those who went above and beyond whom I have mentioned. I think it not insignificant that several of these men—Jim, Jeff, Jake—received the President’s Outstanding Member of the Year Award last year (along with Charley Price and Martin O’Brien). I got that—and a lot of other things-- right!!

We need to thank and praise the 2005-2006 Fund Raising Team who have been so unfairly racked by the few critics: Charley Price, Jim Ferris, Bill Mac Swain, Boyle Henderson, and Dick Hare.

I wish that Marty O’Brien were here with us looking at these results, God rest his soul.

We also experienced some of the costs of war as the son of one of our directors suffered critical traumatic brain injury and other wounds in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. The grandson of another was wounded, and I am certain there are others of whom we have not been informed.

In Maine, Maryland, Delaware, Texas, and countless other locations our members have seen the troops off to the war and welcomed them home in the great patriotic tradition of America which was despoiled and despised by too many Americans –and their political leaders--during the Vietnam War. Welcome home, America.

We pledge our best efforts to supporting the Veterans Administration and our partner veteran’s service organizations as we all do what we can "to care for (those) who have who shall have borne the battle, and for (their) widows and orphans" (President Lincoln’s words, the mission of the VA).

We pray for complete healing of the ones carrying on in the victory in battle tradition which our oldest members established in Korea, 1950-1953. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!


National President, KWVA/US
Chairman of the Board