The Graybeards - Korean War Veterans Association

How many of
you recognize
this logo?
Well, I can’t say I blame you if
you don’t! We haven’t had
much luck getting the “word”
out or, perhaps, nobody pays attention!
Similar to our brothers-in-arms of the
Vietnam War those of us who served on
the Korean War Veterans Memorial
Advisory Board, realized soon after we
dedicated our Memorial that somebody
would have to “ride herd” to ensure it
would be maintained and honored in an
appropriate manner.
So, those of us who served on the
Board founded the Gen. Richard G.
Stilwell Korean War Veterans Memorial
Foundation, Inc .(KWVMF). We’re chartered,
non-profit, tax-exempt and have no
paid or recompensed personnel. All Board
members serve at their own expense.
Our goal was (and is) to create an
Endowment Fund to ensure monies are
available when needed to maintain and/or
repair our Memorial. How much? Five
million! Is it needed? Yes!
The National Park Service, National
Capitol Region, which has the responsibility
for maintenance of all memorials
and monuments in the National Capitol
Region, simply does not get the amount of
appropriations needed to meet all that
needs to be done. Thus, the NPS NCR
must prioritize efforts and there is no
guarantee our Memorial will get what it
needs when it needs it!
That’s where we can come in. When
NPS NCR can’t do the required maintenance,
KWVMF can donate the monies
necessary and restrict its use to exactly
what we state! Of course, to do that, we
need the bucks! And, sadly, we can’t raise
them quickly enough to meet needs.
This became even more evident within
one year of dedication when major repairs
were needed and there was no agency that
was willing to pick up the tab. And, that
tab was in excess of
$2,000,000!
Fortunately, Congress
came to the rescue
and the money was
made available-BUTthe
litigation as to
who pays the
Treasury back is still
ongoing!
You might think
our Memorial being of steel and granite is
absent any need of maintenance. Wrong!
The Wall must be washed and treated at
least every six months and preferably
three! The sculptures need the same treatment
and periodically, the patina needs to
be restored. Add to that cleaning the pool,
pruning trees, sculpting the ground cover,
maintaining walk ways, erasing graffitti,
and, at times, replacing the antennas on
the SCR 536 radios that weak minded persons
steal, and there is never enough
money in the NPS coffers to do it all.
Not the NPS’s fault! The fault lies with
the budget and appropriations process.
The NPS, as with all federal agencies,
requests what it needs and gets less than
needed. We, all of us, are at fault for not
demanding that the Congress preserve our
heritage!
Think I’m BSing? Next time you visit
our Memorial, look closely at the statues.
You’ll see black spots where the patina
has deteriorated. Next, comes rust! Watch
the Wall when it rains and see the images
disappear because it hasn’t been washed
and treated!
OK, how does the KWVMF raise
By Bill Weber
money? Well, obviously through donations
but they have been few and far
between. Also, we own full copyright on
the Memorial as it pertains to any for
profit use of any images, figurines,
posters, plaques, etc., of any part or the
whole of the Memorial. Sounds like a
winner, right! No way! Most individuals
and/or businesses that violate the copyright
get away with it because we can’t
police them all. Those we catch we give
an opportunity to play “catch up pool”
(they owe us 15% of their net)! If they
don’t “cough up” we take them to court
and will continue to be aggressive in that
regard. But, that takes money also, and we
have to weigh what we gain against what
it takes to litigate.
Plus, once we generate funds we intend
to market directly, items to the public that
depict the memorial. Visit our website:
and you’ll see some of the items we still
have available from the Dedication.
Several Chapters market these items for
us on a 50/50 split of the take. Your
Chapter can do the same. Contact me (Bill
Weber) at my Email:
or, call me toll free at:
1-800 KORAWAR (1-800-567-2927)
OK! So why this pitch in this article?
Frankly, we need help. We need to get the
word out and we need you to think about
making a donation which, by the way, is
tax deductible.
I mentioned earlier our brothers-inarms
of the Vietnam War. They support
their Foundation to the tune of several
Continued on page 43
OK! I’ll help. Here is my personal donation now and I’ll get out and “hump”
to get the $100.00 in my community. Note: Chapters can use this form as well.
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________State: ______ Zip + 4: ____________
Phone: ( ) ______________________Email: ____
I served in: Army Navy Marines AF USCG Other _____
When?: ______ / ______ / ______ to ______ / ______ / _______
Mo Day Yr Mo Day Yr
My outfit was: ____________________________________________________
My donation: $5.00 $10.00 $25.00 $50.00
$100.00 (my community efforts) Other ($ ________ )
Check or MO please payable to: KWVMF, INC. (Do not send cash) and mail to:
RGSKWVMF 920 East Capitol Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20003
Page 34 The Graybeards