By: VRN Staff | Photos by Su Phelps
The Korean War Veterans Chapter 329 held a Pearl Harbor Memorial and Honor Flight Fundraising event on December 7th, 2019 at the Cactus Valley Retirement Resort. Commander Chuck Johnson opened the meeting by acknowledging his board and members of the Korean community which supported them. Then he welcomed Belinda Morse, President and co-founder of Honor Flight of Southern Nevada. Ms. Morse thanked Commander Johnson and the Korean War Veterans Association for their past support and asked them to help get more Korean vets signed up to take the Honor Flight.
“For those who are not really familiar…our mission is to escort our most senior veterans to Washington, D.C. to honor them for their sacrifices to our Country. Today happens to be the 78th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor…many of those men stood up on that day and … joined the service to fight for our freedoms and to conquer Germany and Japan…So I want to thank all of you who have served.” Later, Commander Johnson added that, “So what we’ve got to do is get the money together to send these veterans to Washington D.C.”
“The coordination they have is unbelievable.“ ”That is one of the most amazing trips you veterans will ever take. I’ll match it to anything. I’ll tell you I saw grown men crying on the plane coming back….”
He also noted he had pledge forms available for those who did not have their checkbooks with them, and that KWV Chapter 329 had coins which mimicked “challenge coins” to give to donors as a recognition and thank-you for their donations. The final amount of all donations raised by the Chapter was almost $8000. Korean War Veterans Chapter 329 Code was written and copyrighted by the Chapter and is read at the end the meeting. The Code is:
We stand to salute the red, white and blue.
We take no knee to show disrespect to you.
We have taken an oath of service that will not allow us to.
We will always remain standing for you the red, white and blue.
It was our choice to fight for you even though some others have chosen not to.
We will always stand and be true to you, our red, white and blue.
A VETERANS’ POEM QUOTED AT KOREAN WAR VETERANS CHAPTER 329 MEETING
There are dozens of poems dedicated to veterans. This one appears in many places. It was quoted at the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Honor Flight Fundraising Event at Cactus Valley Retirement Resort in Henderson on December 7th, 2019.
It’s the veteran not the preacher who has given us “freedom of religion”
It’s the veteran not the poet who has given us “freedom of speech”
It’s the veteran not the campus organizer has given us the “freedom to assemble”
It’s the veteran not the lawyer who has given us the “right to a fair trial”
It’s the veteran not the politician who has given us the “right to vote”
That’s what a veteran is.
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