Back on track Wednesday

My mom's having some health issues, which I have to take care of. Will be back to blogging on Wednesday.

Indian war veteran donates Korean War photos

From The Korea Herald: Indian war veteran donates Korean War photos A retired general in India has presented a collection of rare photographs and news clippings about Indian troops in the Korean War to the Korean Embassy in New Delhi. Ashoka Banerjee, 86, recently handed over a documentary and photo archive collected by his father during his time in the 1950-53 conflict. The collection includes articles about and pictures of Indian troops in Korea. There are hand-written notes made by his father, Amrita Banerjee, next to some of the clippings and photos. Ashoka Banerjee, then a lieutenant, worked for a medical unit of the Indian army in Korea that facilitated the withdrawal of the sick and wounded. He was here for three years in the early 1950s helping the wounded in Paju and Munsan of Gyeonggi Province, the embassy said. The collection reveals photos of Seoul during the war and the Indian unit treating the wounded. It includes images of Korean soldiers trying to break the ice on the North Han River using explosives, the embassy said. The donated materials will be preserved in the War Memorial of Korea in accordance with Banerjee’s wishes, it added.

US team due in NKorea in March to resume hunt for troops missing in action from Korean War

Washington Post: US team due in NKorea in March to resume hunt for troops missing in action from Korean War WASHINGTON — U.S. military personnel will travel to North Korea in March to restart efforts to recover thousands of servicemen missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, the Defense Department said Thursday. The U.S. and North Korean militaries agreed last October to restart recovery operations in what was seen a sign of easing tensions between the wartime enemies, but they did not announce a date. A letter from Republican Sen. Richard Lugar to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, however, notes that the agreement sets a March 1 start date. His Jan. 17 letter was obtained by The Associated Press. Maj. Carie Parker, a spokeswoman for the Defense Department’s POW/Missing Personnel Office, confirmed by email Thursday the North’s military will begin preparations March 1 for the arrival later that month of a small U.S. advance team that will evaluate conditions and prepare for operations. The Dec. 17 death of North Korea’s longtime ruler Kim Jong Il, and the succession of his untested younger son, Kim Jong Un, has led to a pause in U.S.-North Korean talks on its nuclear program and a possible resumption of U.S. food aid. The Defense Department has described the recovery of war remains as a “stand-alone humanitarian matter not tied to any other issue between the two countries.” The Pentagon estimates 5,500 U.S. servicemen are unaccounted for on North Korean soil. The administration of President George W. Bush suspended recovery operations in 2005 amid rising tensions with North Korea. The Americans said they were worried about the safety of U.S. recovery teams in the country. Joint recovery missions began in 1996 and are the only form of U.S.-North Korean military cooperation. The two countries do not have diplomatic relations. The Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, so the conflict never formally ended. Some 28,000 American troops remain based in South Korea. U.S. veterans organizations have long advocated an aggressive U.S. effort to recover remains from the war. Many U.S. war dead were left behind when Chinese forces overran U.S. positions in North Korea in late 1950. Most veterans are now in their 80s, and the chances of any survivors inside North Korea appear slim. Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says that North Korean officials have an extensive set of information and records related to the war and Americans who served. “Press for the full story about those American service personnel and for the release of any who may remain alive,” he wrote to Panetta. The Defense Department periodically confirms the identity of missing U.S. service members based on documents and remains previously supplied by North Korea.

My Scrabble Books Took Precedence

Hello, all my faithful readers out there in computer land.

I've missed several days of posting and I apologize for it. I've been working on two Scrabble books (Eve Le QiNu's Flashwords) which help people to learn the 2 and 3 letter Scrabble words.

I won't provide links here since this is an apology not a sales pitch - but if you do like to play Scrabble, go to the Kindle Store (or the Nook Store) and type in Eve Le QiNu and my two books will be brought up. (Eve Le QiNu is an anagram.... see if you can unscramble it. Bear in mind my publishing name is Magic Mirror Press)

Anyway, I finished volume 2 yesterday, and today I'm chilling out...so regular posting resumes tomorrow.

Thanks again for your patience.

Static F-86 Display Dedicated to Korean War Ace

From Military.com: Static F-86 Display Dedicated to Korean War Ace
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Pacific Air Forces and 15th Wing leaders dedicated a newly repainted static F-86E Sabre fighter aircraft to a former PACAF vice commander during a ceremony here Dec. 29.

Gen. Gary North rededicated the aircraft here to retired Lt. Gen. Winton W. "Bones" Marshall, who was also a combat commander and Korean War ace.

"It is a tremendous pleasure for us to honor the courage, professionalism, airmanship and the achievements of Lieutenant General 'Bones' Marshall by dedicating this F-86E Sabre jet to him, renaming it 'Mr. Bones V,'" North said. "As we just marked the historic 70th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attacks on Oahu (Hawaii), this is the perfect moment to continue to honor our heritage and recognize the sacrifice and service of those who came before us. Lieutenant General Marshall exemplifies this proud tradition; it's Airmen like him who made our Air Force the best in the world."

While assigned as the 335th Fighter Squadron commander at Langley Air Force Base, Va., Marshall deployed to Korea and became the fifth U.S. jet ace of the Korean War. He is credited with 6 1/2 enemy aircraft destroyed, seven probable aircraft destroyed and six aircraft damaged.

Marshall's career spanned 35 years and included assignments as Allied Air Forces Southern Europe chief of staff, Seventh Air Force vice commander and U.S. Readiness Command deputy commander in chief. He permanently resides in Beverly Hills, Calif., with his wife, Millie, who served in World War II as one of the original women pilots in the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

South Korea Assured of No US Troop Reductions

From Voice of Amrica: South Korea Assured of No US Troop Reductions
Despite assurances from the U.S. president that Thursday’s announced defense cuts will not come at the expense of the Asia-Pacific region, there is some nervousness in South Korea. That is where the United States maintains 28,000 troops and still operates nearly 20 bases and camps since it began a permanent presence on the peninsula with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.

South Korean officials say they have been assured by their counterparts in Washington that sweeping defense cuts will not have an impact on U.S. forces here.

The United States is planning to chop, over a number of years, hundreds of billions of dollars from defense spending. The U.S. Defense Department is also expected to gradually cut an estimated 10 to 15 percent of its personnel.

South Korea's Deputy Defense Minister Lim Kwan-bin says U.S. officials have made clear to him they are committed to strengthening security cooperation in the region despite reductions elsewhere.

Lim says U.S. troop cuts will not occur on the Korean peninsula. He adds that the United States will be able to rely on reserve forces, in addition to active duty personnel, in the event of hostilities.

But South Korean defense analysts say they are concerned that a slimmed-down U.S. military would mean, in the event of war, fewer American ground troop force reinforcements and a longer time for them to arrive here.

Baek Seung-joo, director of the Center for Security and Strategy at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul, says there are worries about the U.S. force cutbacks and it could affect Seoul's overall defense strategy.

South Korea has already been planning for years to assume more responsibility for its own defense. It is scheduled, in little less than four years, to take operational control of forces on the peninsula in the event of another war with North Korea.

At present, the South Korean forces would be under the command of the U.S. military if there is such a clash.

In an editorial Thursday, the New York Times, which called the new defense strategy "a generally pragmatic vision,", also cautioned that the U.S. must be ready to face multiple contingencies, including the possibility of an "unbalanced North Korean leader making a suicidal run across the South Korean border."

The two Koreas technically remain at war as no peace treaty was signed following a 1953 armistice after three years of devastating combat across the peninsula.

Korean War Soldier's Remains Come Home

From WJBF.com: Korean War Soldier's Remains Come Home
Augusta, GA --

“I think it's tragic that we lose any soldier or sailor. I also think it's beautiful that for 62 years the military didn't give up. They accomplished their mission to bring home a warrior who died for us. I think it's beautiful tribute that they are able to have now,” said Brent Jones, Manager of Poteet Funeral Home.

Jones shares his thoughts after getting the news of a Korean War soldier's remains coming home after being lost for more than fifty years.

Sergeant Joseph Bowen was fighting in the Korean War when he was killed in action in 1950. But, due to the cold, snowy weather his body was lost. But not anymore. In November of 2010, his remains were found and are now finally coming home.

Jones says the family can now have closure.

“Since the first time I have met them,, they have said this is a sad time but also a beautiful time. Because what mom and dad wanted was that he would be buried next to them, and now he will be. So, it's a sad thing but a celebration as well,” said Jones.

Jones says in the midst of the joy of the big news, Bowen's sisters received other mementos, as well.

“It's one interesting thing his dad had written letters over the years to the military, saying, 'give us an update'. And when they came to tell the sisters that they had found his remains, they had every letter that his daddy had written since 1950 still in a file folder. And, that shows you that the Army didn't quit caring, that they made sure that they kept looking,” said Jones

Sgt. Bowen's body was flown to Columbia, South Carolina Thursday morning and transported here to Augusta and the Poteet Funeral home for the viewing on Friday evening, and the traditional funeral Saturday morning.

Seeking a VFW post of their own

From Buffalo News.com: Seeking a VFW post of their own
African-American military veterans could use a place of their own, a place where they feel honored, a place where they are not forgotten.

That sentiment—and the fact that most veterans posts are located in the suburbs—has prompted Army veteran Sandi Williams to spearhead an effort to start a Veterans of Foreign Wars post on the East Side of Buffalo “particularly for minorities.”

“When they return home from war, there’s really nowhere for them to go. I’m trying to make one accessible to them in the inner city,” said Williams, who served in South Korea for one year, Germany for three and then at Fort Hood, Texas.

The new post will be open to all eligible war veterans regardless of race or gender, but it will focus predominantly on the needs of African- Americans.

Only two African-American-focused veterans posts exist in Buffalo, both on the East Side. Both are American Legion posts—Bennett- Wells Post 1780 and Jesse Clipper Post 430.

The city’s only black VFW post —Private Fleming Post 8747— turned in its charter in the late 1980s.

“It used to be on Jefferson and Riley, but they died out,” said Williams, who is a member of four veterans organizations: Dorothy Kubik/ Katherine Galloway Post 12097, the state’s first predominantly female VFW post; Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 63; Bennett-Wells Post 1780 on East Delavan Avenue, where she is first vice commander; and the Disabled American Veterans Roll of Honor 120.

Helping Williams get the ball rolling on an East Side VFW post is Bing C. Reaves Sr.,a member of Pennington-Moye Post 9251, Buffalo Soldiers in Rochester. A certified national recruiter, Reaves will attend an informational meeting here Jan. 21 on the planned East Side VFW post.

“Sometimes you have to have someone from your own community to say I’m just like you, someone who knows about you and your needs,” Reaves said.

The post will be named in honor of two African-American veterans from Buffalo: Evelyn W. Jones and Nathaniel Clifford Jones Jr., who are not related, Williams said.

Evelyn Jones, who died in 2010, was a retired registered nurse and lieutenant colonel who served in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 1991. She was a life member of VFW Post 463 in Depew, where she served as commander for two years.

Nathaniel Jones was a seaman apprentice in the Navy who was killed in the turret explosion on board the USS Iowa on April 19, 1989. He had just turned 22. His uniform, a picture of him and other items are on display in a memo-rial to him at the Buffalo&Erie County Naval and Military Park museum. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

His mother, Georgian Davis, a member of American Gold Star Mothers, has served as a past chapter president, a past president for New York State and a past national officer.

“He was very proud of the battleship he was on,” Davis said of her son. “I’m very honored that my son will be remembered.”

The Jan. 21 informational meeting will be at noon in Pvt. Leonard Post Jr. Post 6251, VFW, 2450 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga.

Grace under fire: true story of a real war horse

From My San Antonio: Grace under fire: true story of a real war horse
War Horse, the just-released Steven Spielberg film and Tony-winning play, were based on a children's fiction book, but Korean War veteran Harold Wadley has seen a true war horse. She was Reckless, a little sorrel mare purchased by a Marine to pack ammunition to the front line and carry the wounded back to safety. But here's the thing: She did it on her own. And she kept climbing those hills even after she was hit by shrapnel.

"As long as I live, I will never forget that image of Reckless against the skyline, her silhouette in the flare lights," said Wadley, 78, by phone from his ranch in St. Maries, Idaho. "It was just unbelievable, in all that intense fire, in the middle of this chaos. I said, 'Dad gum, that's that mare!' "

Known as Flame in her former racehorse career, the mare was renamed in honor of the Recoilless Rifle Platoon of the 5th Marines, her new home.

In one hellish battle in March 1953, Reckless made 51 trips from an ammunition-supply point to forward gun sites, carrying a total of 386 rounds (more than 9,000 pounds of explosives). The trails were rutted and winding, sometimes at a steep 45-degree angle.

She also once served as a shield for four Marines working their way up to an embattled foxhole. She had been taught to step over communication lines and barbed wire, and to lower her head when the shelling became intense.

Still, Wadley said, he feared for her life.

"I saw her about three or four times that night, and I figured she'd end up dead," he said. "I never thought she'd survive."

But survive she did, and word of her heroism spread. She was given the rank of corporal and earned two Purple Hearts and other citations. She got rock-star treatment in newsreels and the Saturday Evening Post.

After the Korean truce, the Marines refused to leave her behind. She was flown to Japan, then boarded a ship to San Francisco. There, she was greeted by several of the men whose lives she had touched.

She retired at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, and by 1959 was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant, an honor never bestowed on an animal before or since.

She died in 1968, and a marker still stands at the post stables.

Robin Hutton read about Reckless five years ago in Chicken Soup for the Horse Lovers' Soul and today leads efforts to bring her story to a new generation. She has commissioned a statue and has visions of a replica at Pendleton and the U.S. Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va.

"Really, I'd like to see statues of this little horse everywhere," Hutton, of Ventura, Calif., said. "What she did was amazing."