As I write this, July4th/Independence Day celebrations and parades are in the air. Sitting here in my
home I can hear the fireworks exploding at the baseball park a short distance south of us. Our chapter on
this July 4th holiday took part inone of the best parades in Texas, in the city of Arlington. It is estimated
that our three-mile route was lined by about 50,000 people, many of whom waved, applauded, and said “Thank
you for your service” as we passed by. Many of our members had a chance during this time to experience this
same kind of welcome.
It is time again for all of us to count our blessings and realize that we live in a great country. Even
though things don’t always go the way we think they should, we still have freedom and opportunity that most
of the people in the world don’t have.
Director Tom McHugh, National Ceremonies Chairman, Director Art Griffith’s Color Guard, and I took part
in the Memorial Day service in Washington DC by laying a wreath at our Memorial and also at the Tomb of
the Unknowns. To me, these events are solemn and necessary moments that we must continue to be a part of
to show that we still remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War.
We had a large group of people at our Memorial that day who participated in the wreath laying ceremony
with us. During that trip, I also met with representatives from the DoD who briefed several of us on the
final plans for the July 27 program. I can assure you that day will be well planned and a very interesting
and exciting time for all those who are fortunate to be there.
The Transition Team that I mentioned in my last letter met in the DFW area on June 12 to work on several
issues that needed to be addressed before the July meeting. The primary outcome of the meeting was to have
a Business without a Meeting of the Board to take action on some important concerns. During the last week
in June the Board did that and decided on the following items:
(1) Approved moving both the 1st VP to the office of President and 2nd VP to 1st VP with title and responsibility
(2) Approved a recommendation that had been proposed during the March Board meeting in Syracuse to move
the KWVA financial, accounting and bookkeeping activities to the Membership Office in Charleston, Illinois
to eliminate having to transfer these functions with every change of administration
(3) Approved the appointment of Tom Gregg as Treasurer in order to relocate the function closer to the
President’s office
(4) Approved the appointment of John “Sonny” Edwards to replace Director Frank Williams, who has resigned
due to serious family problems and could not attend the Board meetings
John Edwards ran for Director in the most recent election. According to the By-laws, he was the primary
candidate for the vacant position. All these actions will help us move forward.
A week after the Transition Team meeting my wife and I left the DFW airport to attend the 63rd Commemoration
of the beginning of the war and a meeting of the International Federation of Korean War Veteran Associations
in Seoul, Korea. We had been invited by the KVA to attend as a delegate to the 9th General Assembly Meeting
of the IFKWVA, which meets every five years. These delegates are generally Presidents of the respective
KWVA organizations in each of the countries who supplied troops or services in Korea during the war.
The main item on their agenda was the consideration of whether to continue the international organization
because of the age of all the members and their declining ability to attend the international meetings.
The two options presented were:
1. continue the way it is going and let it die a natural death
2. allow descendents to become involved and take over the leadership at some time in the future.
The group voted almost unanimously to get descendents involved and challenge them to carry on the legacy
of the Korean War.
We are faced with the same concern in our organization. At some point we will need to make a similar
choice. The Korean government is very supportive of the decision and at this point will continue to fund
the Federation.
Two very good things about the trip were that it was funded by the KVA and MPVA and Professor Jongwoo
Han arranged a meeting with Pantech CEO BY Park so I could personally thank him for his generous donation
made early this year.
When you read this the July meeting will already have come and gone. This has been a great year for the
Korean War veterans. With Congress naming this the “Year of the Korean War Veteran” and having the DoD funded
to assist us in so many ways, I feel we have come a long way from the days of the “Forgotten War.” Even
though we have had a few problems recently, we have elevated the awareness and acceptance of our organization
to a point that we haven’t had in the past.
Also, I am sure many of you feel as I do that this may truly be one of our last big opportunities to
be recognized for what we did. The DoD 60th Anniversary Committee will cease to exist in September, along
with the effort and funding that has been provided since 2010. We owe a lot of gratitude to General Walter
Sharp and Colonel David Clark and their very capable staff for what they have done for us. It will be up
to us to continue the momentum and recognition they generated during this time.
In closing, I thank the KWVA Board of Directors and all those who have helped and supported me over this
past couple of months as we move forward.
Larry Kinard, President
Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. (KWVA/US)