Another year has gone and I am still wondering where it went. I have always
heard that when you get to the end of the toilet
paper roll it really spins fast. I think somehow
that applies to all of us Korean veterans at this time of our lives.
As I look back over the year just passed I feel pretty good
about it. We did not add as many members as I had hoped, but we
pretty much held our own. At this stage of our existence that
seems pretty good. I think we have taken a few steps forward and
made the organization stronger and we are paving the way to
maintain the legacy of what we accomplished during the Korean
War.
I am excited about some of the by-law changes that have been
made that will make us a more flexible and efficient organization.
I am also pleased with the addition of the Executive Director and
what he can do for us.
Our relationships with the South Koreans and the other service
organizations are stronger than ever, and we have a very good
Board of Directors who are enthusiastic and willing to make
changes that will allow us to move ahead. We have a strong
potential for increasing the membership through several initiatives
that are being developed. I hope they will pay off for us this
year. There is more to come from all this in upcoming issues of
the magazine.
A couple of interesting things happened last December. Our
local chapter, like many of the chapters around the country, had
a very nice Christmas lunch at our regular meeting that month. I
had the pleasure of sitting at the table next to one of our long time
members, Dr. Bobby Brown, a noted cardiologist in the
Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Many of you will remember him as one of
the famed Yankee baseball players from the late 1940s and
1950s. He served in the Navy during WWII and also as a doctor
in one of the MASH units during the Korean War. He has lots of
stories to tell.
He told me that he and Yogi Berra are the only two living
players from the 1947 World Champion Yankee Baseball team,
and that Yogi’s health is not too good these days. However, Dr.
Brown still looks good, seems to be in reasonably good health,
and still participates in the Yankees “Old Timers Reunion” every
year. We feel fortunate to have him in our chapter.
In December I journeyed to Washington D.C. to attend a planning
session with the Executive Planning group for this year’s
annual meeting this coming July. (Elsewhere in this issue you can
find a notice of the event. Our website also has an announcement
and information. Please note that we will be in the Double Tree
Hotel on 300 Army Navy Drive in Arlington, VA this year, and
there is a need to go ahead and make reservations.) Jim Fisher is
coordinating the planning aspects of the event, along with 1st VP
Col. (ret) Warren Wiedhahn, General Shin, ROK Defense
Attaché, Generals (ret) Bill Maloney, Steve Olmsted and Col.
(ret) Rich Dean, Memorial Wall Foundation.
We expect to have a great program on Saturday, July 25th,
along with the Board of Directors and Membership meeting on
July 23 and 24th. We have invited and expect to have a large contingent
of dignitaries from Korea and a sizeable representation of
Korean veterans in attendance from several of the UN countries
that participated during the Korean War.
This year will mark several significant milestones in the history
of the KWVA, and we want to make it one we will remember.
We will be putting out additional details as soon as they are
finalized.
In this issue you will note a story written by Lt. General
Richard Carey USMC (ret) concerning the Chosin Few
Memorial that is to be erected at the National Museum of the
Marine Corps at the Quantico Marine Base. It appears that they
have acquired enough funds for a ground-breaking ceremony to
be held during the time of our July meeting. We plan to be a part
of that. No details are available at this time, but they will be
forthcoming in future issues of The Graybeards and on our website.
They are still soliciting contributions and would appreciate
any help they can get. The “Chosin Few” is one of our sister
organizations, and we hope to work very closely with them in the
future. I encourage your support of this effort.
The spring Board Meeting is scheduled at the Pentagon
Sheraton Hotel for March 26-28, 2015 in Washington D.C. At
that meeting we hope to discuss some important issues to present
to the membership in July. As you know, these topics will be covered
in The Graybeards prior to the July meeting.
Once again I stress the need for each of you to vote and
encourage other members to vote as well. WE NEED YOUR
VOTE!!!! We have a strong slate of 7 candidates shown in this
issue of the magazine who are running for the 4 vacant Director
openings. Please make an effort to study the qualifications and
select the 4 you think will do the best job of helping to lead this
organization in the next 3 years.
I am very pleased and thankful to each of these members who
have been willing to step up and place their names before you to
be a part of the leadership of the KWVA.
I URGE ALL CHAPTER PRESIDENTS/COMMANDERS
TO MAKE AN EFFORT TO GET YOUR MEMBERS TO
VOTE THIS YEAR.
Larry Kinard, President
Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. (KWVA/US)