Korean War vets group to disband

UPI.com: Korean War vets group to disband
NEW ORLEANS, April 21 (UPI) -- A group of aging Korean War veterans at an annual meeting in New Orleans said they decided it would be their last gathering, voting to disband the organization.

The gathering of 79 men of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Korean War Veterans Alliance, all in their 70s and 80s, voted overwhelmingly to disband on July 31, The Times-Picayune reported Thursday.

The members' average age is 83 and most are dealing with either their own health problems or those of family members, alliance president Chuck Hankins of Harrisburg, Ill., said.

Because of that, he said, "it's becoming difficult, if not impossible, to predict how many people we can have at an annual meeting."

"We'd rather phase out as a going operation in good shape rather than fall apart," he said.

At a meeting Tuesday, only four members voted to keep the 20-year-old organization alive, Hankins, 79, said.

"Everybody wanted to continue the organization," he said, "but nobody was available or felt like they were available. The bucket ran dry."

At its peak, the 2nd Infantry group had about 3,000 members, said former president Ralph Hockley of Houston, but it has dwindled to about 2,000.

Attrition is common among veterans organizations, said David Evans, deputy director of the Defense Department's Office of Public Liaison, who works with such groups.

"This organization is one of many," he said. "As time goes on, more and more of these veterans are just fading away."