Sep/Oct 2005 - Korean War Veterans Association

Report from Belgium
Two U.S. Army senior officers of the 7th Inf. Regt., U.S. Army, a Belgian senior officer, Jan Abts-Lo,
and Belgian Korean War veteran Bob Boucart at Fort Stewart
We have
Korean
War veterans
in Belgium. In
fact, there were 3,200
Belgian members in
Korea in 1950-55.
Twelve Belgian Korean War veterans (L-R) R. Muris, M. Schmit, E.
Cordier, A. Vandenbroucke, J. P. De Leeuw, J. Navet, C. Billiet, N.
Demeuter, J. Libert, M. Chanet, B. Boucart, L. Hassewer
Following a decision by the National
Ministry of Defense, a ribbon with the
Belgian colors has been hooked to the pole
of the flag of the 7th Inf. Regt., U.S. Army
on 29 August 2004. The ceremony took
place August 29, 2004, at Fort Stewart,
GA.
The delivery of the
“high reward” took
place originally in the
office of Mr. André
Flahaut in Brussels,
Belgium, in the presence
of Cdt. Van
Cauwelaert, the
National President of
the Korean Veterans.
The official document
and the ribbon
were handed to the U.S.
Military Attaché, who
entrusted Mr. Boucart
with the two treasures
to accomplish the
agreeable task at Ft.
Stewart.
Bob Boucart
Anspach Blvd.,
17 Box 36
1000 Brussels Belgium
THANK YOU, ALL
'So many support personnel
will never get
full recognition for the
excellent service they
gave to our units
because their duties
were taken for granted.'
Military personnel often overlook the
importance of the entire organization
in favor of their individual units. They
forget that an army, a navy, an air force,
etc., cannot carry out its mission unless
every unit, regardless of its purpose, carries
out its job. All too often, service and
non-service people alike look at the “front
line” units that actually do the fighting as
the focal point of the military, and ignore
the support units. That is neither accurate
nor necessary.
For instance, “top of the line” naval
vessels could not get from Port A to Port B
if they did not have oilers to “fill ‘em up”
en route. Similarly, air force planes need to
be refueled in the air while on missions. If
they had no place to “stop for gas,” midair,
they would be pretty useless on some
missions. So, the airborne fuel planes are a
vital cog in air force operations. Similar
support is necessary on the ground.
The “grunts” have always borne the
brunt of ground fighting. Yet, rifle companies
need the support of mortars, artillery,
recon, etc., to get their job done. Once the
fighting is over, they need mail units et al
to maintain their morale. In short, the success
of any branch of the military is predicated
on its ability to integrate all its specialized
units into one cohesive force.
Some members may miss that point
when they are engaged in combat. But,
that is understandable. What is important
is that they recognize it at some point—
and offer thanks, however belated, for
their contribution. That is what John
Quinn has done in the following letter—
and what a lot of other former (and present)
service personnel might want to do
when they get the chance.
His letter:
Continued on page 54
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The Graybeards September - October 2005