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