Special KWVA "W in Your Dream Vacation Fund-Raiser" Information ...

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Several years ago Douglas J. Halbert decided he wanted to find a KATUSA with whom he had served in Korea. He started a search without
knowing what happened to his friend. His search was a success, as the following story reveals.
The story may be old, but the lesson is not: it is never too late to find a friend. If you want to do that, start now. Mr. Halbert did just that,
and he succeeded. So can anyone else if they give it a shot. Here is Mr. Halbert’s story.
Finding a Friend
A Human Interest Story
This trip I brought with me photos of
my encampment while in the Army
in Korea some 43 years ago. I was
assigned to the 2nd Platoon, Clearing
Company, 7th Medical Battalion, 7th
Infantry Division. In one of the photos is
Choi Ki Soo, a KATUSA (Korean Army
personnel temporarily assigned to the
USA forces.)
Choi Ki Soo was one of ten with whom
I shared a tent. We performed our daily
chores together. Also, he worked hard at
learning English and studying the medical
services that we were rendering. He also
served as an interpreter when the wounded
included Korean soldiers. He was a
good friend to all of us, and was of great
help to us in learning about and understanding
the Korean culture.
The Manager of General Affairs at
Hewlett-Packard Korea, Kang Joon Lee,
offered to help my son Douglas, who is
the General Manager of the Hewlett-
Packard Korea Instrument Operation,
locate my friend from the Korean War in
1953. A national newspaper, Dong Ah,
very generously agreed to publish a short
story and the picture I had of Choi Ki Soo.
This was done on April 4th.
On Monday, April 8th, Doug received a
call at work. In a country of 48 million
people, Choi Ki Soo had been found. He
lives with his wife and youngest daughter
in the city of Daejon, about two and a half
hours south of Seoul.
Several members of his family saw the
picture and article in the newspaper. They
recalled that Choi Ki Soo had a copy of
the same picture in his memoirs of the
Korean War. I do recall that I had given
him a set of the pictures but did not think
that he would still have them after all
these years.
The family members called him. He
tried to reach Doug on Friday at HP Korea
but it was a holiday, so no contact was
made. Choi Ki Soo tried again on the 8th
and made contact.
It turns out that Choi Ki Soo returned
to his home in Daejon in May of 1954 and
resumed his profession as school teacher.
He retired from teaching last year.
Arrangements were made for Choi Ki
Soo to travel to Seoul on Tuesday the 9th
where we had a reunion at the Seoul
Station upon his arrival. My son’s driver,
Mr. Hong, and his secretary, Kwon Soon
Kyoung, served as our interpreters, as
Choi Ki Soo had forgotten his English,
having not used it since leaving the service
42 years ago.
Also joining us at the railroad station
were Choi Ki Soo’s brother-in-law, Oh
Sung Yul, who is a Director with the
Dongbu Steel Corporation in Seoul, and a
reporter and photographer from Dong Ah.
We traded stories of old and learned
about what each of us had done during the
ensuing 43 years. We enjoyed a meal
together at a fine Korean restaurant located
in the Seoul Railroad Station. At the
end of the day, Mr. Hong and I drove Choi
Ki Soo back to his home in Daejon.
He invited us in to his home and insisted
that I share a beer with him. He also
showed me numerous plaques and certificates
he had received from Korean officials,
including the President of the Korea,
extolling his virtues as a teacher of young
children.
He told me that Mr. Hong and I were
the first persons outside his family to
whom he had shown this collection. He
was most proud of his achievements. Mr.
Hong assured me that his pride was most
justified.
It is unusual for an individual to
receive so many high level accolades. A
great time was had by all. It was most
rewarding to learn that my good friend
had survived the actions of war and gone
on to succeed in his desire to teach others.
It is now my assignment to search for
the other GI names we recalled together,
Fawcett, Neuhaus, and Spencer. Searching
260 million people in the U.S. might be a
little more difficult, but I will give it a try
when I get home.
Part 2 - Human Interest Story
On Sunday, April 21, at 11:30 a.m.,
Joan and I were picked up at the lobby of
the Swiss Grand Hotel by Mr. Ho, the
brother-in-law of Choi Ki Soo, and transported
to the home of Choi San Kim, the
brother of Choi Ki Soo.
I had, the day previous, sought the
assistance of the business services area
operated by the hotel. It is customary to
exchange gifts when you are invited to the
home of a Korean for the first time. For
the lady of the house, a bouquet of spring
flowers is the gift of choice. For the man
of the house, it is customary to present a
basket of fruit or some type of confection
or bakery item. I selected a vanilla fruit
cake from the bakery which had pineapple,
kiwi, and strawberries on top.
We were greeted at the door by Choi Ki
Soo, his brother, his wife, his brother’s
wife, and two young children belonging to
From left, Oh Sung Yul, Choi Ki Soo, Doug
Halbert, and Soon Kyoung Kwon in front of the
Seoul Railroad Station
May – June 2009
The Graybeards