The Graybeards - KWVA - Korean War Veterans Association

South Suburban Chapter #23 of Illinois
At the present time I can not furnish any photographs of our
chapter officers but hope to do so in the near future .
The chapter officers are:
Fred A. Duve Jr. President, Clayton J. Speiser 1st Vice
President, Luther Dappan 2nd Vice President, Nicholas Schleich
Sec/Treasurer, Jim Wagner Judge Advocate, James A. Melgaard
POW/MIA Officer and Elden Lawrence Historian.
(Thank you Fred A. Duve Jr. for the letter about one of our
newest chapters. We look forward to printing your chapter events
in photos. We also thank Sam Namoi for his efforts in creating
new chapters and KWVA National members. Without this growth
and support of our members The Graybeards would not exist nor
would the quality over the past years be possible.)
Brevard County Chapter #210 of Florida
Shown left to right are chapter members and their wives. Jane Pritchett,
Paul Guerrero, Mary Guerrero and in back is Richard Pawelek.
(Thank you Paul for photos and letter. We also thank you for your donation.
Other photos were shown in past issues. We hope you will send in
photos pertaining to chapter events and its veterans.)
MG Lloyd R. Moses Chapter 194 of
South Dakota
This new chapter of the KWVA, was named after a most distinguish
and most honorable man, officer and command general.
Our chapter after many months of delay was organized on the
26th of May 2001, at the VFW Post 2750, in Mitchell, South
Dakota.
At our first organizing meeting we had 34 members present
and many chapter member’s wives in attendance. I would like to
report to you that now we have a chapter membership of 74
members and are still getting requests for National and chapter
membership.
Many of us chapter members have been visiting our schools
and giving talks on and about the Korean War and our service
during the war years and we have found that the kids are most
inquisitive and are much interested in what we have to tell them
about the Korean War. In addition to this we also have been giving
talks to the different civic organizations where we are always
most welcome.
Our members come from all parts of Eastern South Dakota
and of all the branches of the military Armed Forces. In addition
we have three members from one family, the father, son and
daughter-in-law (I don’t know if this is a record in the KWVA)
and one member who was a POW during the war.
I want to give full credit to the person for this chapter getting
started. That person is Sam Namoi, one of the most dedicated,
loyal, ever working man, who has always given much of his time
and his own funds to bring a great many of the Korean War veterans
into the National KWVA and who has been responsible for
having created many chapters including ours.
Members of the Brevard County Chapter (left to right) Jim Appleton, 1st
Vice President;, John Howard, Chaplin; Richard William; George Rosenfeld;
and Paul Spescia, President.
The chapter recently held a membership drive. The Chapter
set up a booth at the Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Veterans
Assn of Brevard County Moving Wall, an annual event which
draws more veterans than any other reunion in the country. The
event is a three day gathering focused around one of three traveling
half-size replicas of the Vietnam Wall Memorial in
Washington, D.C. which includes many patriotic events, a
Sunday morning chapel service, and music by the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra, as well as a large gathering of military oriented
vendors. This year’s reunion took place in Wickham Park,
Melbourne, FL.
At our first meeting in September 2000 we had 35 members.
At our booth approximately 30 veterans took membership applications.
We meet every first Wednesday of each month at 13:00
hours at the Sykes Creek Veterans Memorial and Museum, at
400 S. Sykes Creek Blvd., Merritt Island, FL. (Thank you Paul
Spescia, President for photos and letter. We look forward to see
more of your chapter events in The Graybeards.)
GRAYBEARDS DEADLINES
Articles to be published in the Graybeards must be sent to the
editor no later then the second week of the first month of that
issue. Example: September- October 2000 articles must be
received by editor no later then September 14. We print on a
first-come-first-served basis. We also have a backlog.– Editor.
September/October, 2001 Page 39