Korean War POW finally gets his proof: Rollinsford man finds Foster's article detailing his capture by Chinese in 1952

From Fosters.com: Korean War POW finally gets his proof: Rollinsford man finds Foster's article detailing his capture by Chinese in 1952
ROLLINSFORD — In March 1952, Pfc. Raymond F. Brunelle was captured by Chinese forces for less than two hours, until he escaped by rolling down a snow-ladened hill in Korea.

For reasons unknown, 59 years went by without a record of Brunelle's experience as a prisoner of war coming to light — until now.

"I'm so happy that I have this," said Brunelle, pointing to a photocopy of a Foster's article written about his capture.

The record, a 59-year-old newspaper clipping from an April 1952 Foster's Daily Democrat edition describing Brunelle's capture and subsequent ground mine explosion that left him "seriously injured," is the only proof, other than his memory, of Brunelle's experience at the hands of the Chinese.

Last month, the clipping surfaced for the first time since it was printed and has finally given Brunelle what he's always wanted: validation.

It was a winter night in the hilly terrain of Korea in 1952. The 18-year-old Brunelle was stationed to guard his troop, the 40th Infantry, when he was ambushed by a Chinese solider. The two men wrestled in the snow until Brunelle said he came face to face with the barrels of two rifles. One man told Brunelle to stand up, in English, and two other Chinese soldiers grabbed each of his wrists. The group began to walk up a large, slippery hill when Brunelle remembered his time living in Japan. He said he recalled a diet of fish and rice.

"I said to myself, I can't live on that and I knew then I needed to get out of there," said Brunelle.

As Brunelle approached the top of the hill, he said he quickly moved his arms, causing the two men holding his wrists to slip and fall on their rifles. From there, Brunelle ran and somersaulted down the side of the hill, back to his fellow troops.

After Brunelle returned to his infantry, the Chinese retaliated and were met with gunfire. According to the newspaper clipping, "Realizing what was going on, Brunelle's buddy, Cpl. Lionel Jennings, opened up with his machine gun and further convinced them that Brunelle didn't feel like walking."

Two months after Brunelle was captured and then escaped from the Chinese, he was severely injured after his best friend and fellow solider from Cambridge, Mass., stepped on a mine. While his best friend was killed, (Brunelle's not sure if he was killed instantly or if it was prolonged), Brunelle sustained life-threatening injuries, including at one point, severe gangrene over most of his body.

In total, Brunelle spent two years and 25 days in hospital care, with much of that time being spent in a bedridden state. He was discharged from service at the age of 20.

"The good Lord didn't want me at that time," said Brunelle.

Brunelle, now 77, said the article surfaced when his sister-in-law was cleaning out boxes from her attic before moving to a smaller house. Brunelle said her father cut out the article and placed it between two sheets of paper in a box. This month, Brunelle's sister-in-law came to visit him and brought the article to show him.

"She asked me if I wanted to see it and I said 'Yeah, of course,'" said Brunelle. "I saw and I was like 'Holy cow!'"

Brunelle said for some reason, his brief stint as a prisoner of war was not recorded in his file, and therefore, was only recognized by his account of it. He said when he was in the hospital after the explosion in 1952, he didn't even know the newspaper article had been published. He said he had some idea that people knew of his accident because he received a couple letters sending him well wishes. Unbeknownst to Brunelle, these letter-writers had gotten his address through the Foster's clipping, which gave his address in case readers wanted to send him letters.

Brunelle, who has been a Pease Greeter for almost all of the 350 flights into the former Pease Air Force Base, said he didn't want recognition of his time as a prisoner of war for any sort-of medals or recognition. He said he's happy about the article, because for the first time, it's not just his word about his experiences.

"This is proof that it happened ... I don't want the medals," said Brunelle.

Cary Authors: Experiences of a Navy Corpsman

From Cary Citizen: Cary Authors: Experiences of a Navy Corpsman

Cary, NC – Cary resident C. Gilbert Lowery joined the Navy in 1954 when he was 19. Like many people who served their country in our wars, Gil Lowery was reluctant to talk about it for many years. Today, he is just another guy in Cary, a tax accountant. He has just written his first book entitled The Untold Experiences of a Navy Corpsman.

During his service in the Korean War, Gil served on missions with a Marine Corps reconnaissance patrol team.

“We had to go into enemy territory after fighting had ceased to search for illegal military facilities that the Korean’s declared non-existent and for Americans held as prisoners of war,” Lowery said. “I don’t think we ever got them all out.”

After his discharge, Lowery had recurring nightmares. Some of those memories are in the book, he says, “and some are not”.

The book goes into lots of wartime detail and is an insightful account of the horrors of war and individual bravery. Much ground is covered in its 188 pages. He recalls names of his comrades and their conversations, and what was on their minds while risking their young lives. Among the blood and gore and gunfire and explosions and reality of war, this author remembers what they ate for dinner.

The doctor came out and put a hand on my shoulder asking, “Has anyone looked at you, corpsman?” I backed away saying, “I’m okay sir. This isn’t my blood,” as I looked down at my dirty, soiled fatigues. “All I need is a good hot shower, clean clothing and a good night’s sleep.” – excerpt from The Untold Experiences of a Navy Corpsman.

The book is published by AuthorHouse and is available from www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.

“My number one qualification for writing the book is that I lived the part. I was there.”
-Cary Author C. Gilbert Lowery

Wildwood's Vietnam War memorial inspires similar tribute to Korean War veterans

From Press of Atlantic City: Wildwood's Vietnam War memorial inspires similar tribute to Korean War veterans

By TRUDI GILFILLIAN, Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com | 0 comments

WILDWOOD - The city's Vietnam Veterans Memorial near the beach and Boardwalk may be a half-sized replica, but it evokes deep feelings.

"It's the enormity of it, when you see the number of people," said Judy Gresko, who stopped during a visit from Ambler, Pa., to look at the monument that bears the names of more than 58,000 men and women.

She became tearful as she spoke of the reason for such memorials.

"It's so people realize what this country is all about, that people are willing to give their lives so we can stand here to look at monuments and enjoy things," she said.

That desire to remember prompted construction of the wall, which was dedicated May 29, 2010, and it has led to the creation of another monument nearby honoring those who served during the Korean War. The new monument will be formally dedicated Aug. 27.

"I made the comment during the May 29, 2010, dedication that the wall was for everyone, and (current Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr.) mentioned the need to remember Korean War veterans," said Vince DePrinzio, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marines from 1964 to 1967.

DePrinzio is treasurer of the Wildwood-based Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 955 and worked with fellow veterans to bring the 240-feet-long replica wall to Five Mile Beach.

The effort started with small fundraisers in 2009 after a traveling version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial came to town. DePrinzio's cousin, Greg Mazzotta, who has since died, urged his fellow veterans to bring a permanent memorial to the city, but DePrinzio said many were surprised at how quickly it came together.

The veterans raised more than $120,000, and within two years of the traveling wall's visit the permanent memorial was in place.

One of the men who supported the effort, Jimmer Muldoon, a Korean War combat veteran, also spent countless hours working to get the Korean War memorial in place. He died July 5 at age 81. The monument will be dedicated in his honor.

"Jimmer was here just about every day for this and helping people find names (on the wall)," DePrinzio said.

The new memorial depicts a soldier in his rain gear with the words "The Forgotten War" underneath. The monument is 7 feet wide and nearly 4 feet high.

"One of our anonymous vets conceived the idea, and Mike Gallo of MG Signs made it," DePrinzio said.

As DePrinzio spoke, a group of visitors from Clark Summit, Pa., stopped at the wall as they took part in the global positioning game known as geocaching. After finding the hidden cache at the wall, they spoke to DePrinzio.

"It's kind of impressive," said Mark Reboli, who was visiting with his sons, Evan and Teagan, and his mother, Lorraine Reboli. "You did a real nice job."

The veterans group is looking for help paying for the newest monument, which cost about $7,200. But DePrinzio, who lost friends in Vietnam, said it is hard to place a value on such things.

"I'm overwhelmed we were able to do it," DePrinzio said.

Ayotte: search for missing Korean War soldiers

From Chron.com (Aug 25, 2011): Ayotte: search for missing Korean War soldiers
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte is calling for the secretaries of defense and state to renew efforts to find and recover remains of missing American soldiers in North Korea.

Ayotte, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said she is encouraged by indications that North Korea is open to discussing the resumption of joint efforts that stopped in 2005. She wrote to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urging them to launch recovery efforts as soon as possible.

Ayotte said Wednesday that the Department of Defense lists more than 8,000 soldiers as prisoners of war or missing in action, including 43 from New Hampshire.

Veterans tribute tour

From Mass Appeal: Veterans tribute tour
CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) - A group of Northampton Veterans are spearheading an effort to send Northampton's sons and daughters of World War II and Korea to Washington, D.C. in October.

Mr. Tom Pease, a Vietnam Veteran, who is planning the trip -- called the Tribute Tour -- and Brad LeVay, a Marine Corps Veteran from the Korean War, who is going on the trip.

Tell us about the Tribute Tour?

The Tribute Tour is scheduled for Oct. 3 to 6. It will be a significant remembrance for 26 veterans - all of whom entered the U.S. Armed Forces with Northampton as their home of record.

Of the 26, eight are World War II veterans and 18 are Korean War veterans.

The four days will include a day at the National Mall visiting the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and other memorials and a day at Arlington National Cemetery.

We may also visit the Pentagon and meet with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation.

To make donations to the Tribute Tour, contact the Veterans Council in Memorial Hall, 240 Main St., Room 4, Northampton, or call Norbert Rieke, secretary of the council, at 587-1299.

Why is this Tribute important?

This our community's way of paying a tribute to those who gave so much—a memorable visit of remembrance and honor.

For many of these vets, this could really be their last big trip.

I think it goes without saying that it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation and our Korean War Veterans endured significant and great hardships.

The Veterans we are sponsoring are the Northampton survivors. We want to make sure we honor them with this tribute tour.

How did this idea start?

I was at the kitchen table reading the newspaper one morning in March when I noticed on the obituary page the names of three local World War II veterans - all in their 80s or 90s.

It was at that moment that I thought to myself we have to do something to honor a generation of Americans who, by last statistical count, are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day.

We can't stop death - that's inevitable. But we can honor our veterans who are still alive.
What kind of support have you received?

The members of the Veterans Council of Northampton -- which represents all the veteran organizations in Northampton -- are strongly behind the effort.

Northampton is a great community. The City Council are supporting us 100 percent. And, we've talked to businesses and private individuals and we've received great response. The city is emphatic about honoring its hometown Veterans.

We just had a spaghetti dinner at the Elks Lodge in Florence and raised a good amount, and the Elks helped out considerably with donating their lodge and all the food for us -- it was quite a turnout.

But we need more: We need at least $22,000 to cover all expenses - the bus trip to and from Washington and four nights in a hotel for the veterans and their spouses or caregivers.

How important is this trip for you, Brad?

I have not had the opportunity to visit the Korean War Memorial so this will be a very special occasion for me personally and for all our Veterans.

I'm not sure how I will react -- it will be a very emotional experience and I also think it will be an affirmation for me that our community and our Nation still remembers us Veterans -- what we endured...what we sacrificed...

I expect it will be a very proud moment for all of us Veterans. It will be an opportunity for us to pay our respects to the men and women we served with who are now memorialized in Washington.

It certainly does say a lot about Northampton and your fellow Veterans of Vietnam and other generations to be sending you and your fellow Korean and World War II comrades on such a visit, doesn't it?

It certainly will be an opportunity of a life time.

The outpouring of support has been huge and none of this would have been possible without the support of Tom and all the Veterans on the Veterans Council. It is very much appreciated...and very heartfelt.

Local Korean War veterans perform 1,000 honors and counting

From SunGazette.com (Williamsport, PA): Local Korean War veterans perform 1,000 honors and counting
By DAVID THOMPSON
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's oft-quoted adage that "old soldiers never die, they just fade away" is wrong.

Old soldiers do die. And for the past 12 years, the honor guard of the Korean War Veterans of Lycoming County has been making sure they are buried with dignity and honor.

Since 1999, the organization's honor guard has been providing military funerals for veterans throughout central Pennsylvania, all of them free of charge.

The honor guard recently logged its 1,000th military funeral, providing full military honors for Korean War veteran and Purple Heart recipient John S. Laielli during a ceremony at Montoursville Cemetery.

Being buried with military honors is something Laielli and other veterans deserve, regardless of the era or branch of service in which they served, said honor guard founder and first commander Wilbur M. "Bill" Emig, 82, a Marine Corps veteran who was wounded in Korea during the Korean War.

"We believe that every man and woman who served in the military should be honored," said Emig. "If we can, we'll do a service for them."

The Korean War Veterans of Lycoming County was founded in 1997. Not long after, Emig attended the funeral of a veteran and was horrified at the disorganized attempt at providing military honors for him.

"I was very ashamed because it was so bad and poorly done," Emig said. "I thought the men and women who served our country deserved the best service that could be given them."

To that end, Emig decided to organize the honor guard. He approached the Korean War veteran organization's first commander William Kast, who liked the idea. Emig and Kast presented it to the organization's board of directors and again received support.

Because the newly formed unit had no rifles or ammunition, it borrowed those items from Leroy O. Buck Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7863, DuBoistown, and proceeded to practice.

The guard practiced several times a week and eventually they bought their own rifles. The group also outfitted itself with uniforms, Emig said.

According to Emig, each piece of the uniform has a symbolic meaning: The black trousers, socks and shoes represent those who did not return home from war; white shirt and khaki cap, the mud soldiers fought in; and red scarf, the blood spilled in wartime.

After about three months, the group decided it was ready to perform its first military funeral and on July 22, 1999, did just that. Once word got out that the group was available and could provide a dignified military service, it began to get more and more funeral referrals, Emig said.

"It just got bigger and bigger as funeral directors and veterans saw that we gave the deceased veterans the honor and respect they deserved," Emig said. "Our group grew over the years as did the amount of requests we received."

Funeral director Jeffrey Crouse of Crouse Funeral Home said the group has never turned down his request for a military ceremony.

"They do a very good job and the families appreciate it," Crouse said.

According to Emig, the group has performed in five central Pennsylvania counties and logged in more than 58,000 miles.

The group draws from a pool of 33 members. A minimum contingent of 15 members is needed to adequately staff a funeral, Emig said.

Even though its members are between 75 and 83 years old, the unit has never canceled a service due to foul weather.

"We do this in all weather - snow, rain, freezing rain," Emig said. "We've never had to cancel one because of the weather."

Although the dedication of the individual members of the unit is commendable, the wives of those members are just as dedicated, Emig said. They often have to change plans at a moment's notice so their husbands can attend a funeral, he said.

"The wives back every one of these guys to the hilt," he said. "I'm so very proud of the whole group and the wives who support us."

Emig commanded the group until his own wife Beverly became ill. Beverly urged Emig to continue on with the group, but he took time off from it to care for her.

Following her death in August 2003, Emig began working with the unit again. Today, Howard Wilt is the unit commander, though he co-organizes funeral services with Emig and Galen Seaman, with each man handling the duties for a month at a time

According to Wilt, the service is not only for the veteran, but the veteran's family.

"They get the pride of knowing their loved one served and was honorably recognized," Wilt said. "That's why we do it."

No one in the unit has attended all 1,000 funerals, Emig said, though Korean War Veterans of Lycoming County Commander Fred Schaefer has probably attended the most. Schaefer said he is unsure of the exact number of funerals he has attended but estimates it to be between 600 and 700.

"I feel it's an honor to pay my respects," Schaefer said.

Bugler Dorance "Sonny" Frymire, 81, agreed. Frymire, who recently suffered a stroke and needs the use of a wheeled walker to get around, said he will attend funerals as long as he is able.

"I feel it is our right and honor to bury these people properly," Frymire said. "It would take a lot to keep me from doing it."

Some of the services have been held for members of the honor guard, Emig said. To date, nine members of the guard have died since it was formed in 1999, including Kast, David Law, Robert Dauber, Eugene Shank, Ralph March, Anthony Cerquozzi, Norman Probst, Monroe Reese and Richard Case, he said.

Some day they all will be gone. Emig said he is hopeful that when that happens, another group will step forward to carry on the tradition.

"We will some day have to surrender to the younger groups to carry on," he said.

US cautious on N.Korea war dead offer

From Google News: US cautious on N.Korea war dead offer
WASHINGTON — The United States responded cautiously Friday to North Korea's announcement it would discuss operations to locate US dead from the 1950-53 Korean War, saying only that the issue was important.

North Korea said it had accepted a US proposal to talk about resuming searches for remains -- one of the few means of interaction between the two countries until then-US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld ended operations in 2005, citing security concerns.

US Defense Department and State Department officials said that they had no information on when discussions with North Korea, or the operations themselves, would resume.

"The United States considers remains recovery operations to be an important humanitarian mission," said Major Carie Parker, spokeswoman at the Pentagon's Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office.

"The Department of Defense remains committed to achieving the fullest possible accounting for US servicemen missing from the Korean War, as well as from other conflicts," she said, declining further comment.

A State Department spokesperson gave an identical statement.

By the latest count, Parker said that 7,989 US servicemen remained unaccounted for from the Korean War and that some 5,500 were estimated to be in North Korea.

The Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and the North has had persistently rocky relations with the United States.

But tensions had recently shown signs of abating with senior US and North Korean officials holding talks in New York in July and the United States on Thursday announcing $900,000 in aid after the reclusive country was hit by floods.

President Barack Obama's administration has pursued what it calls "strategic patience" with North Korea, refusing to offer concessions until Pyongyang clearly commits to giving up its nuclear weapons and improving relations with the democratic South.

MURRIETA: Korean War next to get monument

From The Press Enterprise: MURRIETA: Korean War next to get monument
A memorial wall in Murrieta honoring veterans of the Korean War is expected to be unveiled on Veterans Day in November.

The wall will be the second of seven to be built in Murrieta's Town Square Park. It's the latest piece of a memorial that will eventually include monuments to those who fought in seven U.S. conflicts.

On Veterans Day last year, the city unveiled a black granite wall honoring veterans of World War II and a 25-foot, pentagon-shaped obelisk representing the U.S.'s five military branches.

Like that wall, the Korean wall will be etched with images from that war culled from the National Archives and other public domain sources. Organizers stayed clear of copyrighted images, which can be costly to license, Kolek said.

It will also feature a diagonal line cutting across the center. The line represents Korea's 38th parallel, the line of longitude separating that country's north and south. It is also meant to symbolize the unfinished nature of the conflict; though an armistice was signed in 1953, North and South Korea are still technically at war.

A Temecula-based firm, David Neault Associates, designed the memorial.

In all, the memorial is expected to cost about $2 million. The city kicked in the first $500,000, with private donations expected to cover the rest.

So far, about $85,000 has been raised privately, and the city's redevelopment agency had to make a loan to the effort to keep its construction progressing. Kolek said organizers expect donations to pick up once the memorial's Honor Garden is completed. The garden features bricks that can be purchased in someone's memory.

On Tuesday, the City Council was expected to approve a $32,000 contract with Topline Construction to build the Korean War phase of the memorial. The project will not be put out for a competitive bid because work the firm did when it built the first phase will carry over to the second phase, according to a city staff report.

Pinellas Park Korean War memorial damaged

From TBNWeekly.com: Pinellas Park Korean War memorial damaged
PINELLAS PARK – The Korean War memorial at Freedom Lake Park was found damaged the morning of Aug. 11, with several pieces of granite broken from its base.

Pinellas Park police were called to the scene at around 10:11 a.m. On the west side of the pentagon-shaped monument, large granite chunks lay on the ground. The bottom tier of the structure, below the plaque commemorating the sacrifice of the U.S. Marines, had been smashed.

Police estimated the damage to be worth $1,000. A Largo–based company, Cutting Edge Granite, has agreed to donate the time and material to repair the monument, at a quoted cost of $1,700, said Pinellas Park spokesman Tim Caddell.

Along with the damage, several of the granite pieces were stolen from the site, police said.

The case is still under investigation. Police haven’t determined how the extensive damage was caused, but have ruled out a vehicle, according to Pinellas Park Police Sgt. Brian Unmisig. No graffiti or other damage was done to the monument. Perpetrators could be charged with grand theft and criminal mischief.

The monument, built in 1990, supports a 110-foot flagpole that flies an American flag 30 feet long.

MURRIETA: Contracts for Korean War wall up for review

From NCTimes.com: MURRIETA: Contracts for Korean War wall up for review
MURRIETA ---- The Murrieta City Council is poised to approve money for the construction of the Korean War portion of the city's veterans memorial.

Council members will be asked to approve a $32,500 contract for the construction of the granite wall, and a separate contract for $58,600 to a company that will engrave the wall with images depicting the war.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 24601 Jefferson Ave.

City staff members are recommending that the council approve the contracts without soliciting competitive bids.

In the case of the engraving contract, staff members suggest that the council retain the services of Cold Spring Granite Co. of Minnesota because the company specializes in engraving the types of granite that are being used on the project.

For the wall's construction, city staff members are recommending the company that built the first phase of the memorial, Topline Construction of La Habra.

City officials anticipate unveiling the Korean War wall during the city's Veterans Day Parade in November.

Bayonne veterans hold ceremony marking end of Korean War

From New Jersey.com: Bayonne veterans hold ceremony marking end of Korean War
Bayonne veterans and city officials marked the 58th anniversary of the last day of fighting in the Korean War, with a wreath-laying ceremony last week at the Korean War monument at the entrance to Dennis P. Collins Park on First Street.

The ceremony was dedicated to the 25 residents who made the supreme sacrifice in Korea.

“These men are true heroes who sacrificed their own lives for all of us,” Mayor Mark A. Smith said to the small crowd who attended.

“When we think of heroes some may think of baseball players, singers, and other celebrities, but these men who answered our country’s call are the ones who we should be honoring as heroes, for they exhibit traits of selflessness and preserved our life, liberty and „0„pursuit of happiness.”

The Korean War began June 25, 1950, and ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953. The three-year war took the lives of more 54,000 American soldiers and wounded nearly 100,000 of them.

Last week’s event at the memorial honored the service of the soldiers who fought in Korea 61 years ago, and recognized the relationship the United States has shared with South Korea since that time.

Ralph “Lucky” Pasqua, 81, commander of the Hudson County chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association and who served one tour in Korea, reminded everyone of the reason the day is special.

“The war has often been defined as the forgotten war,” Pasqua said. “But in many ways it is about a . . . partnership between America, its allies and the American people that has endured over the years.”

Korean War still vivid memory with veterans

From Trib Live News: Korean War still vivid memory with veterans
By Rick Wills, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

When Ed Stevens visited South Korea four decades after fighting there in a war, he was stunned by the appreciation nearly everyone showed him.

"We were on a bus. People would roll down their windows and honk their horns to thank us," said Stevens, 79, founder of the Korean War Veterans Association of Western Pennsylvania, which helped raise money to build Pittsburgh's Korean War Memorial on the North Shore.

Don McIlrath, 79, of Penn Hills, another Korean War veteran and the association's president, said South Korea's economic growth dazzled him during a visit in 2001. The country boasts the world's 15th largest economy.

"It was just nothing at all like it was when I was there. It is a modern country, more modern than we are in some ways," said McIlrath, an Army corporal.

Stevens and McIlrath are members of a dwindling group of veterans the government wants to recognize in 2013 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the war's end in 1953. All Korean War veterans are eligible.

Occurring five years after World War II, and lasting three years — a far shorter time than the Vietnam War — the Korean War was considered America's "forgotten war." Even the Department of Defense used the expression in a recent letter asking for names of Korean War veterans.

Stevens, an Army sergeant, arrived in Korea on Feb. 13, 1951, his 18th birthday. That day, he began firing a machine gun across the Han River.

"It's not exactly what I wanted to be doing. But my Dad went to World War II when he was 34 and had four kids, so I figured I could not say no," Stevens said.

The United States became involved in the War on June 25, 1950, after North Korean forces invaded South Korea. About 1.8 million Americans served in Korea, which was the first in a series of undeclared wars. For decades, the Korean War was referred to as a conflict.

"Korea is forgotten because it was a war that was unpopular to begin with. The public was not supportive. A lot of people still question whether the Korean War was won or not. People do not know just how important it was. It was the first time we stood up to communism.

"It was also the beginning of the end of segregated units in the military," said Ted Barker of Dallas, a former Marine who runs the online Korean War Project, which collects information about those who served in Korea.

The gratitude Koreans expressed during his visit, Stevens said, stands in stark contrast with the sketchy knowledge most Americans — even those old enough to remember it — have of the war.

Last week marked the 58th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war on July 27, 1953.

"You could have waited all day before that anniversary was mentioned on television or radio," Stevens said. "I sometimes wish they would stop treating Korean War veterans like second-class veterans. People do not understand why we were in Korea. Some people think we lost Korea."

One of the first episodes of the Cold War, the Korean War involved larger-than-life personalities such as President Harry Truman, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, China's Mao Zedong and Soviet Union Premier Josef Stalin.

It involved some of the most intense fighting and worst conditions American soldiers have experienced, said Donald Goldstein, a retired professor with the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

"It was the last of the old wars, with the brutal trench warfare that was like World War I, and first of the new wars, the first to use jet airplanes," Goldstein said.

The "forgotten war" characterization makes little sense to him.

"One of the myths of the war is that we did not win. We stopped communism; we stopped China," said Goldstein, a retired 22-year Air Force veteran and author of 25 books, including the best-selling "At Dawn We Slept," chronicling the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Nearly 37,000 American servicemen lost their lives during three years of the Korean War — a significantly higher per-year figure than the 58,000 American casualties over 10 years in Vietnam.

Veterans such as McIlrath feel they made a contribution to the world with their service.

"I felt like we did help to actually topple communism in Southeast Asia. Of course, they do not teach anything about it in school," McIlrath said. "Schools are anti-military."

The Western Pennsylvania association has sent 320 names of Korean War veterans to the Defense Department for certificates of appreciation. Records show about 200,000 Pennsylvanians served in the Korean War.

To request a certificate of appreciation, write to George H. Duell Jr., KW 60 Committee, 526 Lafayette Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071-1621.

Eligible veterans are asked to include their name, mailing address, branch of service while in Korea and approximate dates of service.

In appreciation

The Korean War Veterans Association of Western Pennsylvania has sent 320 Korean War veterans' names to the Defense Department for certificates of appreciation.

Records show that about 200,000 Pennsylvanians served in the Korean War.

To request a certificate of appreciation, write to George H. Duell Jr., KW 60 Committee, 526 Lafayette Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071-1621.

Eligible veterans are asked to include their name, mailing address, branch of service while in Korea and approximate dates of service.

Hundreds turn out to the Korean Veterans Memorial Dedication

RJG.com: Hundreds turn out to the Korean Veterans Memorial Dedication

FERNLEY--Retired U.S. Navy Commander Kirk Lippold said of the reason memorials are dedicated, "We as a people can remember and thank those who served our county and protected our freedoms, and in many cases ,thank those willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice."

On Saturday, an estimated 250 people turned out to the Korean Veterans Memorial Dedication at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery to remember and thank Korean War veterans who answered the call to serve and donned a uniform during the conflict, which ran from June, 1950, to July, 1952.

The memorial was a project of the Korean War Veterans Association Northern Nevada Chapter and was spearheaded by Fernley resident Bob Wallace, who said the entire project took 15 months.

"I'm just so happy this many people came out to see it, and for the complements we've received," Wallace said.

Invited guest Seung Bai Parker, and oriental medicine doctor, said on June 25, 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea at the 38th Parallel, which divided the two countries.

At that time, North Korea was "heavily armed with tanks, and was supported by Russia," said Parker, adding that coming to the aid of South Korea was the United Nations, and, in particular the United States.

Parker went on to say the war is often called the "Forgotten War," and when he immigrated to the U.S., and to Reno, he and his family and many other Koreans had not, and have not, forgotten the sacrifices soldiers had made in that conflict.

"They will remain in our hearts forever." Parker said.

Additionally, the church he attends--the Korean Christian Church--provides a lunch for Korean veterans each year.

Commander Lippold said soldiers choose a "life of consequence," adding of a soldier's commitment, "They choose not just to follow a normal path; they choose because something in their hearts said they need to give back to this nation. It's a feeling unlike anything you can describe."

Lippold also spoke of the "Forgotten War," saying, "It's not the 'Forgotten War.' Look at the memorial and remember those who served--those who never came home and those who are still missing in action--because we will never forget their sacrifices."

Fernley resident James Gruhn recalled wartime battles, saying it was trench warfare, and s both sides "took pot shots at each other."

While under gunfire, Gruhn said he was anxious while in the trench, and that once, he was hit.

"It happened very quickly, and you don't hear them (bullets),"said Gruhn, who served in Army Company L of the 25th Infantry Division in Heartbreak Ridge and was in the front line when he was seriously wounded by shell fragments which lacerated his spleen and left kidney.

Eventually, when he returned to the U.S., he went on to attend San Jose State and then took a job and retired with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Also wounded was Corporal Wallace, who served 14 months with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Punch Bowl area in North Korea.

"Our casualty rate was 99%, and I was the least wounded," he said, adding that he was wounded in the left arm and leg by a mortar round, but remained in combat after his wounds healed.

Wallace said of the memorial, "I don't care if they (soldiers) were in Germany, or on the East Coast; they all served and helped."

Assisting Wallace and the KWVA were a band of volunteers that included Bob Gaddis, Jim Club and Gary Philipart, who showed up on the weekends to help construct the memorial.

Gaddis said he volunteered in honor of his father, who is a Korean veteran. He noted some of the veterans were older and needed the extra help. "It'll (memorial) bring people Fernley. They'll drive out to go and see it," said Gaddis of the memorial.

Companies that donated to the project were Nevada Cement, American Ready Mix and Walmart.

Korean War vets gathered to remember

From The Daily Republic: Korean War vets gathered to remember
It’s been 58 years since the end of the Korean War, but for many veterans, the emotional resonance still echoes.

“They call it ‘The Forgotten War.’ That really irritates the Korean War veterans,” said Robert Hill, former commander of the Brookings chapter of the Disabled American Veterans. “They felt more like the Vietnam veterans. They were left out.”

Saturday, approximately 80 Korean War veterans from across the state gathered at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Mitchell to exchange stories and look at Hill’s extensive collection of Korean War memorabilia.

Darwin Buus, former commander of the Mitchell VFW, was on an aircraft carrier outside of the Korean Peninsula during the war, which lasted from June 25, 1950, to July 1953, although the peninsula could still be considered an active war zone because of the presence of troops along both sides of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

Although the post hosts a gathering for Korean War vets three times a year, Saturday was special for a number of reasons.

The gathering was the first in which Hill brought his Korean War memorabilia. Hill, a 20-year Army veteran, has a collection of rifles, clothing, photos and other items that he was happy to share with fellow veterans.

Saturday was also special for the gathering as Mitchell Mayor Lou Sebert signed a proclamation earlier in the week declaring Saturday as Korean War Day in Mitchell.

Buus said the event, which has never drawn more than 40 people, was well received.

“Everybody was real happy with it,” Buus said. “Everything that we did (Saturday) was praised.”

The event featured some powerful moments. Hill said he was particularly moved by a man who told of being captured during the conflict.

“Sometimes those guys hold it in. He loosened up and talked about it,” Hill said. “It was an honor just to meet a guy like that.”