Jan/Feb 2006 - Korean War Veterans Association

From the President
Louis T. Dechert
Friends, Members, Veterans,
Regular members of the Korean War
Veterans Organization are veterans of military
service, or they are not legal members.
We make no apology for defending America,
anywhere, anytime. Most of us bought that
right in the first live-fire war open battlefield
of the Cold War, in Korea; and, many of you
have served in the succeeding battles of that
war, still going on, defending FREEDOM. In
the process we enabled a great people, the
Koreans, to birth and nurture one of the
greatest nations in the world today, The
Republic of Korea.
Many years later the Korean War
Veterans Association, USA, was organized
and incorporated by a small group of veterans—VFW
members for the most part, supported
by the VFW in doing so. They were
led by Bill Norris, from New York, a gifted
former non-commissioned officer who
served in 25th Infantry Division in Korea.
In our short life, July 27, 1985 to date -
not a long time - we have seen many
changes; however all changes have been to a
purpose—a mission—that had never been
explicitly stated. While he was President our
Founder carried on the mission, but others
later began to stray from the incorporated
purpose for our existence. For example, Bill
clearly wrote and amended our documents,
in 1986, that the War was still going on, and
that every veteran who served on the
Peninsula since 1954—he called them Korea
Service Veterans—was entitled by their service
to join the KWVA.
In late 2004, I became convinced of that
fact, which as a soldier for over two decades
I had always taken for granted. For this
belief, I was cursed by some, and encountered
considerable resistance for this view by
others. Sadly, I found that many of our 1950-
1954 veterans had the same attitude of
excluding the younger veterans, a regrettable
practice that severely crippled our sister veterans
service organizations when they
shunned the Korean and then Vietnam War
veterans - “no one but us.” Even today, I
have read some of the Chapter Bylaws and
read that only veterans, who honorably
served, 1950-1954, in Korea, can be a member
and that no one else can! Aside to being
contrary to the laws under which we are
incorporated, and the public laws of the
United States under which we have a not-forprofit
status, it is a death wish.
We recently were required to state the
KWVA Mission in twenty-five words or less.
We found that we had no mission statement.
We had a Preamble to the Bylaws (similar to
our incorporation) of some 272 words. Some
of us began working on that and got it done;
you see it above. President Bill Norris would
recognize that Mission with pride; thus, I
have carried on in his tradition. Others may
disagree but they do not have the responsibility
of the President. The Mission statement
carries on the vision of Bill Norris and
the principles of General Ray Davis, MOH,
our late Honorary President for Life.
Part of our Mission is the maintenance of
The Korean War Veterans Memorial on the
Mall at the Capitol. I want to congratulate
two chapters which have signed up to support
that effort. The KWVA was a major
contributing factor in the building of the
Memorial. The need for underwriting maintenance
and improvements goes on round the
clock, daylight or dark, broiling heat or freezing
snow—just as our operations in Korea
did over fifty years ago, and still do. Colonel
Bill Weber, whom many of you know, a Life
Member of the KWVA, and Executive
Director of the KWVM Foundation, has
asked for Chapters to step up and make
pledges to our memorial. He has suggested
raising funds through sales of the Rose of
Sharon, national flower of Korea, for the
Memorial. The two very first chapters to
pledge $2,000 each, this year, were
Maryland Chapter (33), Dundalk, MD, and
Korean War Veterans Chapter (142),
Frederick, MD. These two Chapters are
commended for their generous response to
our Association’s responsibility for our
National Memorial.
THE MISSION OF THE KWVA/USA
DEFEND our Nation
CARE for our Veterans
PERPETUATE our Legacy
REMEMBER our Missing and Fallen
MAINTAIN our Memorial
SUPPORT a free Korea
As an aside, several
people that I have
encountered around
the country have
asked me, not
always in a completely friendly way, why
Maryland Chapter (33) should get all the
money and the rights to wholesaling the
Rose of Sharon (see the purchased ad in
each issue of The Graybeards). I recently
asked Director Bob Banker, a member of
that Chapter. Bob’s answer was encouraging.
The Chapter thought up the idea, the
Chapter designed the flower, the Chapter
contracted with a manufacturer in Korea to
produce the flower, and Maryland Chapter
patented the product. Again, I commend
the Chapter for its initiative, industry, and
diligence in designing and marketing a
unique product that all may utilize in fund
raising activities and have done so over the
years.
Elsewhere in this issue you will find
announcements about a unique fund-raising
program, the opportunity to purchase
tickets for the awarding of THREE of the
Korean War’s primary infantrymen’s
weapons—one winner, three weapons! At
the 2005 Annual Convention a Fund
Raising Task Force was formed under the
Budget and Finance Committee. They have
planned and developed this program (and
another to be announced later) and each
KWVA member will be getting a letter with
additional details. The firm of Daenen
Henderson & Co, CPA will be responsible
for the receipts in the program, under
supervision of the Budget and Finance
Committee and the Task Force.
Part of the problems of the KWVA have
arisen because leadership after Norris and
Davis did not always appear to have cared
very much about how we were going to do
what we were supposed to be doing.
Maybe it was not clear. Maybe it was
because we had no Mission.
We do now.
Good luck and thank you as we set
about carrying out our MISSION!
Louis T. Dechert
KWVA National President
3
The Graybeards
January - February F
2006