The Graybeards - KWVA - Korean War Veterans Association

William R. Charette MOH Chapter #158
of Florida
Congressman Adam Putnam, right (the youngest person to ever be elected
to the United States House of Representatives), assisted in the process to
have this oversight corrected and also presented the award to Mr. Black
(left). Congressman Putnam, who has demonstrated a keen interest in the
Korean War and the lives of its veterans, chose the anniversary of the start
of the Korean War June 25, to present this long overdue recognition to this
soldier. Donald’s wife (center) Louise Black shows her pride by being
dressed in purple.
(Thank you William P. McCraney for the photo and letter. I read the complete
newspaper article and I wish I had the space to scan and print the
three column article. We are equally proud that a deserving veteran at
long last received his Purple Heart.)
Chapter 1 of Connecticut
Ray Green, Korean War
Veteran served with H
Company, 160th Regt., 40th
Infantry Division marched in
the Stamford, CT. Memorial
Day Parade with his grandson
Steven Green who proudly
wears his grandfathers 1952
issued jacket.
(Thank you Dody Green for
sending photo and note. It
warms all veterans hearts
when we see someone so
young showing pride in our
country and those that served.
Please let Steven know all veterans
are very proud of him
equally as his family.)
Pfc. Robert H. Young MOH Chapter #220 of
California
Pfc. Robert H. Young Co. E, 8th Calvary Regt. 1st Cav. Div.
Born March 4, 1929, in Oroville, CA., entered service at Vallejo,
CA, Oct. 9, 1950: killed Aug. 2, 1951. Young’s company was
spearheading a drive of battalion size deep in enemy territory,
suddenly they came under devastating barrage of mortar and
automatic fire which inflicted heavy casualties and wounding
him in the face and shoulder, refusing evacuation, he remained in
place and continued to fire until wounded a second time, as he
waited for aid, the enemy attempted an enveloping movement.
Disregarding medical treatment, he took an exposed position and
firing with deadly accuracy killing five of the enemy; during this
action, he was hit again by hostile fire and was knocked to the
ground destroying his helmet.
Later when supporting tanks moved forward, Young, his
wounds still unattended, directed fire which destroyed three
enemy gun positions and enabled the company to move forward.
Wounded again by enemy mortar burst and while aiding several
of his comrades, he demanded that all the wounded be attended
to first. For Young’s action, he was nominated and received the
Medal of Honor.
“Johnnie” Johnson Chapter #115 of Lima,
Ohio
Our Chapter was
named after Wayne
“Johnnie” Johnson. On
April 11, 2001 a street
in the Shawnee suburb
of Lima has also been
dedicated to him. After
being in the Army he
lived on this street, he
now lives in Arizona..
On July 11, 1950,
less than 3 weeks into
the Korean War, he
was captured. In
August 1953 he was
repatriated with a list
of 496 men that were
killed or died in the
POW camp. The
record of Johnson’s list
slipped into bureaucratic
oblivion after
being sneaked out in a
toothpaste tube.
In the summer of
1991 the names were finally compared against official records.
Still, they couldn’t contact the next of kin because of the Privacy
Act preventing the Pentagon from releasing their addresses.
On August 3, 1996, America finally thanked him, by giving him
the Silver Star, for his “exemplary courage and selfless determination
to provide a record of deceased soldiers, even in the face of
death by a hostile enemy”.
For more information on “Johnson’s List” see article by
Malcolm McDonnell in the January 1997 Readers Digest.
(Thank you Wilbur L. Hurd for photo and letter of a true Hero.)
KWVA Members and Friends
Visit the KWVA web site at: HTTP://www.kwva.org
September/October, 2001 Page 43