Amid thousands of American flags waving in the wind Sunday afternoon, Korean War veterans and their friends, families and supporters honored the more than 280 Oregonians who died during the conflict.
"It means an awful lot to us," 82-year-old veteran Lewis Rumpakis said of the ceremony at Willamette National Cemetery, where speakers heralded the bravery and commitment of those who fought.
Rumpakis, of Troutdale, is a member of the Chosin Few, a group of veterans who fought in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in November and December 1950. Each year for nearly two decades, the group has held a ceremony at the Oregon Korean War Veterans Memorial at the cemetery.
The United States sent troops in 1950 to help South Korea fend off attacks from North Korea, which were seen as an attempt to spread communism. Government figures account for about 36,900 American deaths during the conflict's 3-year active period.
After Sunday's observance, Mike Ruselli, 44, chatted with the veterans he met through his father, George, who fought at Chosin.
Ruselli, of Portland, is an honorary member of the Chosin Few and regularly attends the group's monthly luncheons. Sunday he carried his father's helmet, showing off its battered exterior and unfaded inner lining.
"I adore it," he said.
Ruselli said his father, who died last September, passed along stories that instilled in him and his siblings a deep respect for the Korean War veterans and other military members.
Some of the heaviest fighting of the war came during a winter where wind as cold as minus-35 degrees blew into soldiers' faces, painfully crystallizing their tear ducts, Ruselli remembered his father telling him. They had to urinate on their weapons to keep them functioning and press scorching spent shells to their faces to keep blood flowing.
"He saw all kinds of horrors," Ruselli said.
But Sunday, there was little talk of bad memories. The veterans hugged, laughed and caught up on one another's lives — a simple joy Rumpakis said kept him going during rough times in the five decades since the group formed.
"Usually (veterans) don't talk to outsiders about a lot of it, so it has really helped to get together like we do," said Rumpakis, who wore a suit and his Chosin Few cap. "The group is one of the things that really holds us together."
Rumpakis recognizes that preserving the past requires help from younger generations. The group, he said, is showing signs of age. Usually, the memorial is followed by a potluck, but health issues forced this year's hosts to cancel. Some members of the Chosin Few, of course, have died.
That's why he's grateful a group called Children of the Chosin – the Chosin's children and grandchildren, including his daughters – has formed.
"After we disappear," he said, "they'll keep things alive."
For now, though, the experiences of the Chosin Few are still being passed on firsthand. Sunday, more than a dozen of the veterans shared memories with family, friends and a few fans they've picked up along the way.
Hattie Kelley, an 89-year-old Beaverton woman who served as a recruiter during World War II, met the men through her Marine women's group and makes sure to make it to the memorial each year. They deserve more recognition for their bravery, said Kelley, who moved from group to group hugging and joking with the veterans.
"I'm madly in love with every one of them."
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