Jan/Feb 2006 - Korean War Veterans Association

Greetings from the KWVA
National Legislative Director
SYLVIA
By Jack Richardson
BUSINESS
By Roy J. Burkhart, Willow, Alaska
Approximately a month ago, our
KWVA President, Louis Dechert,
asked me to accept the position of
National Legislative Director. I accepted
the opportunity, with some humility, and
have been actively approaching several
areas since that time. I would like to make
this article an introduction of myself so that
you can know a little more about me. In
future editions of the The Graybeards, I
will be bringing legislative issues that
directly or indirectly affect us as veterans.
I was born in Pennsylvania to proud
immigrant coal miner stock. Three generations
of my family worked the mines in
what are now suburbs of Pittsburgh. My
family discouraged me from following
their footsteps. So, in 1955 I joined the Air
Force. Shortly thereafter, I found myself
serving in the Korean Defense effort from
1955 – 1956.
I encountered a medical problem in
basic training, was offered a medical discharge
which I declined, and completed my
tours of duty.
Over the years, complications associated
with the medical problem have contributed
to declining medical conditions,
and I now spend most of my time in a
wheel chair due to limited mobility. I am
now classified by the VA as a 100%
Disabled American Veteran. I look upon
this, though, not as a complication, but
more an act that has slowed me down physically,
which in turn has allowed me to
become more active in veteran issues and
legislative concerns
My wife and I took two very small children
and ventured to Alaska in 1960; it has
been our home every since. We now spend
four to five months of the coldest part of the
winter in southern Arizona, because I
would be almost house-bound otherwise. I
spent a career in real estate until recent
years. Our family remains in Alaska, and
has grown with a son-in-law, a daughter-inlaw,
and three grandchildren being added.
I have been politically active for a number
of years, working on campaigns and
elections. I also have been active in organizations
that advocate for outdoor issues and
access rights, and I am active in the
National Rifle Association (NRA). I am the
President of a Political Action Committee
(PAC) for the Alaska Outdoor Council
(AOC), a group that works to protect all
Alaskans rights to access the outdoor areas
for recreation, hunting, fishing, etc.
I also hold the position in Alaska for the
NRA that is titled the Election Volunteer
Coordinator (EVC). In this position I train
people on election issues and how members
can advocate for our Second
Amendment Rights. I also serve on the
state-wide Alaska Veterans Home
Commission.
Other veterans organizations to which I
belong to as a life member besides KWVA
(of which I am a life member) are Disabled
American Veterans, AMVETS, and the
VFW. I and my wife also advocate for the
disabled of all types, especially disabled
veterans. We will be actively working as
volunteers this next summer when the
Disabled American Veterans Wheelchair
Games are held in Anchorage, Alaska.
I am writing this article from our
nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. where
last week I was highly honored by the NRA
when they awarded me one of two national
awards that they give each election cycle to
two EVCs as the Election Volunteers of the
Year. This was a great honor for me, to say
the least.
While here, my wife and I have been
visiting members of Congress, their staffers
who worked on veterans issues, and other
groups, gathering strategy ideas on how we
can work toward our Federal Charter. I will
bring more information to you on this issue,
as well as other legislative concerns, in
future editions of The Graybeards.
If any of you have any questions to ask
me, or care to communicate with me,
please do so.
My contact information to do so is:
Mobile Phone: (907) 841-9162, Alaska
home phone: (907) 495-6337, Arizona
home phone (generally mid-November to
mid-April) (520) 207-9441. Email in
Alaska: rjburk@mtaonline.net. Email in
Arizona (same months as listed above)
rjburk@cox.net
Sylvia, an orphan in Chunchon, 1951
It was 1951. I was a 21-year-old supervisor
of a 16-man team responsible for
establishing communication at recaptured
airstrips. Today, in reflecting back to
that time, I remember each man well. We
had developed a deep bond of friendship.
Sylvia had represented
a little bit of
home for each of
us. In the care we
had given to all of
the Korean children
in the tent area, we
realized we had
preserved life for
these children.
I remember in
particular a hot
afternoon in the
devastated town of
Chunchon, located
just below the
38th parallel that
divided North and
South Korea. The
army tanks that
surrounded the
area would move
out in a few days
and we would set
up communications for the Air Force unit
that would be moving up later. During
those early days, team members would
bring children they had found back into the
Continued on page 21
7
The Graybeards
January - February F
2006