Happy Holidays - Korean War Veterans Association
Happy Holidays - Korean War Veterans Association
Happy Holidays - Korean War Veterans Association
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
From the President<br />
William Mac Swain<br />
Ithank all the<br />
members who<br />
made The Annual<br />
Membership<br />
Meeting in Norfolk,<br />
Virginia a success. There were many people<br />
who helped put on this event. Without<br />
their efforts it would not have succeeded.<br />
Those who handled the Hospitality<br />
Room did an excellent job. The tours were<br />
good, and the opening ceremony at the<br />
General MacArthur Museum was a great<br />
way to kick off the meeting. It was good to<br />
have the <strong>Korean</strong> Community involved and<br />
the opening ceremony speaker, Reverend<br />
So, from the 25,000-member <strong>Korean</strong><br />
Presbyterian Church in Seoul, gave a very<br />
good presentation.<br />
I congratulate <strong>War</strong>ren Wiedhahn and<br />
those on his committee for their dedication<br />
to satisfy those in attendance. The banquet<br />
was well attended. Again, Ambassador Lee<br />
came through with his presentation as our<br />
Honored Guest Speaker.<br />
<strong>Korean</strong> American boys and girls gave a<br />
rousing drum concert and adult <strong>Korean</strong><br />
women danced to the drums. They were<br />
very entertaining. We had many of the<br />
Ambassador‘s staff with us, and we thank<br />
him for also hosting the reception before<br />
the banquet.<br />
The Board of Directors, along with the<br />
membership, approved a change of venue<br />
for our next Annual Membership Meeting<br />
when the decision was made to hold it in<br />
the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2009, rather<br />
than in San Diego, CA. Regrettably, it was<br />
discovered there were not enough members<br />
in that area to set up and hold a meeting.<br />
The Committee will have to work hard<br />
to make our 2009 meeting as good, if not<br />
better, than this past meeting.<br />
The Board and the Membership also<br />
approved the holding of the 2010 Annual<br />
Membership Meeting in Washington, DC,<br />
since that will be the start of the 60th<br />
Anniversary of the <strong>Korean</strong> <strong>War</strong>. Plans are<br />
now in process by a National Committee<br />
formed to make this happen. This<br />
Committee will be similar to the 50th<br />
Commemorative Committee in its operation.<br />
The Board of Directors and the membership have<br />
approved holding the Annual Membership meetings in<br />
Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington, DC, and Boston in 2009,<br />
2010, and 2011, respectively.<br />
The 2011 Annual Membership Meeting<br />
was approved to be held in the Boston,<br />
Massachusetts area.<br />
Your Second Vice President, Robert<br />
Banker, represented the KWVA in my<br />
place at the National Cemetery<br />
Administration (NCA) in Washington, DC<br />
on October 16 to update all Veteran<br />
Service Organizations (VSO) on NCA<br />
operations and issues. Martin J. Goge, a<br />
member from Maryland Chapter #142,<br />
represented the KWVA at the final meeting<br />
of the <strong>Veterans</strong> Day National<br />
Ceremony Committee on October 30 in<br />
my place.<br />
As your President, I represented our<br />
<strong>Korean</strong> <strong>War</strong> <strong>Veterans</strong> <strong>Association</strong> during<br />
the <strong>Veterans</strong> Affairs <strong>Veterans</strong> Day<br />
National Ceremony hosted by the Military<br />
Chaplains <strong>Association</strong>. Events included a<br />
breakfast, a memorial presentation of a<br />
wreath by Vice President Richard B.<br />
Cheney, who was also the Guest Speaker,<br />
and a reception in the afternoon.<br />
I was honored to be able to place a<br />
wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown<br />
Soldier with other KWVA members from<br />
Chapter #142 and Ceremonies Chairman<br />
Thomas McHugh following the Memorial<br />
Service. At the same time, your First Vice<br />
President, Jim Ferris, represented the<br />
KWVA in Delaware with Vice President-<br />
Elect Joseph Biden, then a Senator from<br />
Delaware.<br />
I do hope that everyone took time to<br />
take part in <strong>Veterans</strong> Day activities in their<br />
community and to remember those who<br />
gave their all to maintain our freedom.<br />
It is amazing how much of a challenge<br />
the writing of the President Message is,<br />
since it must be made ahead of time. I<br />
should have mentioned in the September/<br />
October issue of The Graybeards something<br />
about the upcoming holidays and my<br />
wish that they be joyful for all. I know that<br />
you were able to give thanks for living in<br />
a free country and being able to celebrate<br />
with your family on Thanksgiving Day.<br />
Finally, I hope you took the opportunity<br />
to worship God for the fulfillment of his<br />
great plans for you and that you took the<br />
opportunity to pray for a better New Year<br />
to come. <strong>Happy</strong> <strong>Holidays</strong> to all.<br />
William Mac Swain,<br />
KWVA President<br />
<strong>Happy</strong> <strong>Holidays</strong><br />
Wishing you...warmth in your home, love in your<br />
heart, peace in your soul, and joy in your life –<br />
during the holidays, and always.<br />
The Officers and Staff of the <strong>Korean</strong> <strong>War</strong> <strong>Veterans</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
3<br />
The Graybeards<br />
November – December 2008
Change language