May - Korean War Veterans Association

Ch 259 Commander
Tine Martin and
retired Indianapolis
Firefighter James
O’Donnell visit at a
recent “Salute to
World War II” veterans
in Indianapolis
sinking of the USS Indianapolis by a Japanese submarine after it
had delivered the atomic bomb that was used to end the war with
Japan. That weapon was loaded on U.S. bombers on a Pacific
island, then dropped on Hiroshima. He and other survivors drifted
in the ocean for five days before being rescued.
Jim told the gathering of having seen some of his shipmates
die from shark attacks and other causes during that long wait for
help.
Retired Marine LtCol Greg Ballard, the Mayor of
Indianapolis, has provided similar ‘Salutes’ for Korean War and
Vietnam veterans, with the support of business owners and volunteers.
We awarded an Honorary Membership to a distinguished veteran
of WWII during our May meeting. Former Navy Medic,
Silver Star, and three-time Purple Heart recipient John
Pequignot, of Fort Wayne, IN, has been awarded recently the title
of “Outstanding Hoosier” by the Indiana Governor.
John has also been a vital member of the production staff of
the “Tell America” television broadcasts from Fort Wayne. He
assists Ch 259 member James Yaney in conducting interviews
with veterans for local and Internet broadcasts countrywide.
If it had not been for the success of the World War II troops,
South Korea would have been under Russian Communist domination
at the end of the Pacific War. The United Nations stopped
Stalin from taking over the entire peninsula, drawing the line at
the 38th Parallel.
In accepting his appreciation for the chapter’s gesture, John
explained that his fellow Navy veterans of the 1940s have been
passing at a rapid rate, which makes having another veterans unit
much needed companionship.
John Quinn
Saggi32@aol.com
264 MOUNT DIABLO [CA]
We hold our monthly meetings at the Lesher Auditorium, John
Muir Medical Center. One of the features of our meetings is a helmet
that is placed on a table. It is used for voluntary contributions to
defray our chapter’s operating expenses. The helmet saw considerable
action in Korea and “survived” its many dents.
Special mention goes this month to highly decorated disabled
veteran and member Robert Terry, who is driven to every monthly
meeting approximately 27 miles from East Oakland, CA to Concord.
The “helmet” front and center at every Ch 264 monthly meeting steals the
show from the chapter’s officers in the background
The sign that appears at all of Ch 264’s meetings
Our April meeting was very well attended. We discussed
plans for the “Ice Cream Social” at the Yountville Veterans
Home, the oldest and largest such facility in the United States.
Refreshments are always available. At the April meeting we
received a large selection of magazines from the U.S. Coast
Guard, which covered many aspects of the modern Coast Guard.
The previous month the U.S. Air Force provided us with materials
describing its current structure.
Stanley J. Grogan, 2585 Moraga Drive
Pinole, CA 94564
Bob Hooker and John Bellardo talk with disabled veteran and Ch 264 member
Robert Terry as other attendees listen in
41
The Graybeards
May – June 2010