Our Warmest Wishes For The Holidays - Korean War Veterans ...

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The Burial of Sergeant
Mitchell Wallace
Not all families of MIAs want to
endure the ceremonies associated
with their loved ones’ returns. Their reasons
are personal, and must be respected.
That does not mean that the returning
MIAs/POW should not be accorded the
military rites they so richly deserve. That
was the case with U.S. Army member
Sergeant Michael Wallace, whose remains
were laid to rest at the Dayton, OH
National Cemetery on Thursday, June 22,
2005. An Honor Guard from Fort Knox,
KY provided full military honors.
Sgt. Wallace starved to death in a North
Korean prison camp in 1951. A U.S.
recovery team found his remains in an
unmarked grave near the camp some 53
years later. It took a year for them to determine
that the remains were those of Sgt.
Mitchell Wallace.
The burial of
Sergeant Mitchell Wallace
Wallace’s surviving family members
told the military they would not attend the
service, because they didn’t want to relive
his death. Thus, a local soldier based out
of the National Guard armory in
Avondale, OH worked to make sure Sgt.
Wallace got the homecoming he deserved.
Sergeant First Class Stephen Sharp
accepted the flag on behalf of the family at
the graveside service. The Honor Guard
delivered the folded flag to the family on
their return to Fort Knox.
Members of Western Ohio Chapter 108
of The Korean War Veterans Association
were present to honor their fallen comrade.
They included Eugene Hoening,
James Faller, Harvey Zimmerman,
Herbert McBee, and Kenneth Williamson.
PRESIDENT from page 3
• Anyone can view the Standard
Procedure Manual on the KWVA website.
Added Financial Controls And
Disclosures
• Anyone can view the annual financial
reports in the Nov/Dec issues of The
Graybeards. (You don’t see this much open
information on the national websites of
other Veterans Service Organizations.)
• Three annual audits (so far) by an independent
CPA. There are no prior independent
audits on record going back as far
as 1985.
• The most recent Balance Sheet of
assets roughly equal to what they were
when this Administration was first elected,
even though four times as many members
(volunteers) are now engaged in running the
Association and numerous other improvements
have been put in place.
• Strict controls on checks issued by
KWVA. Two signatures are required—and
the recipient must not be one of them.
Improved KWVA
Communication with Korea and
Korean Community in USA
• Return Visits quotas have increased
each and every year of this Administration,
and the rules have steadily improved to
allow more and more return visits to the
Republic of Korea.
• Rules changed through President’s
efforts to allow spouse (or surviving
spouse) or children of a 1950-1954 veteran
who could not or did not use his return benefit
to return in his place.
• The President has personally scheduled
or facilitated over 20 public gatherings hosted
by the Korean Ambassador in all areas of
the country. Veterans were given expensive
gifts by the Korean Government at each of
these events.
Recognized And Rewarded
KWVA Achievers
• Before 2004 there is no record of a single
individual or chapter ever receiving a
citation, award, or plaque from the National.
Over 400 individuals and departments and
chapters have been officially recognized
and rewarded by this Administration.
Enhanced Kwva Image Within
VSO Community
• The Association has the active support
November-December 2007
The Graybeards