The Korean War Veteran
Internet Journal - December 12, 2011
Future programs to be more relaxed, culturally oriented
Reports about the end of the Veteran revisit
program are very wrong –
There is no plan to end the revisits to Korea
As has been reported, the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans
Affairs recently hosted veterans from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the
United Kingdom at the Turn Toward Busan November 11 Tribute to United
Nations Fallen.
The week-long program in Korea was a remarkable success.
It also was a watershed that set a new pattern for the 35 years that the Korean War
Veterans revisit programs have been conducted by Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and
Veterans Affairs (MPVA), with funding approved each year by Korea’s National
Assembly.
Prior to 2008, the revisit programs were managed by the Korean Veterans
Association of Korea, but were funded by and with oversight of the MPVA. The
MPVA then decided to directly manage the program for the sake of improving
efficiency and accountability.
The November 11 Turn Toward Busan program lacked the slash and dash, go
for broke tempo of previous revisits. It was purposefully conducted at a
leisurely pace, mindful that most of the participants were all in their 80’s and
that many among them had various physical maladies.
Ambassador Martin Uden of the UK greets British delegates and members of
the Anglican Parish at the Anglican Cathedral in downtown Seoul, on
Remembrance Sunday, November 13, 2011.
There was none of the dash here, scramble there, eat and run tensions of previous
revisits. The veterans were given time to gather their composure and wits each day,
time to have leisurely meals and to recover from jet lag and whatever else might
oppress them.
It had a new flavour, too. Instead of being regimented, with the veterans engaging
in many military-type activities, it gave them a chance to partake of the real Korea
– the Korea of today that they all long to see, and which many revisiting veterans
have lamented that they never really got close to.
One of the goals of the revisit program, as it was originally constituted, was to let
the veterans see the new Korea, experience the culture, the amazing developments
– but instead it gradually became oriented primarily to taking them to places they
had served during the war, and rushing from point to point in a sometimes
bewildering – and very tiring - charge.
Instead of dwelling on the past, although every veteran does that on his own, the
November program looked at the present – and it was a wonderful experience!
One veteran from England, who has been on many revisits through the years, said
this was the best ever.
So in future years, look for a similar pace and change in orientation. The old
formula, after all, had been in place for 35 years.
In future revisits, the pace will be relaxed and veterans will get to see and
experience Korea moreso than ever in the past.
So, what do we mean by “future years and future revisits?”
Yes, there have been rumours, and some veterans organizations have even included
the erroneous assertions in their official meeting reports, that the MPVA revisit
program will end in 2013.
However, that is categorically wrong!
There is sensitivity about the program, because of the veterans’ ages, but there is
no plan to end it.
When told this week about a published speculative report that alleged the program
ending in 2013, one planning official in Korea was astonished.
“That is not true,” he told the Korean War Veteran publication.
“We are sensitive because most of the veterans are in their 80’s, but
we intend to keep the program active as long as there are veterans
who wish to come to Korea.
“We will put some focus on next generations, but there is no thought
of ending the revisit program, so long as the veterans want to come
here and they are physically capable of making the trip.”
There will be a regular revisit program next year, and in fact there is hope within
the MPVA that it can be expanded.
The expansion is easily explained. The planners are cognizant of the ages of the
veterans and want to accommodate as many as they can, as soon as they can.
To put it another way, they know that, counting the United States, there are tens of
thousands of qualified veterans who have never participated in the program, but the
pool gets smaller month by month.
In Canada, for instance, we have access to the addresses of approximately 6,000
Korean War Veterans and perhaps there are as many as 10,000 in all of Canada.
Yet throughout the years only about 1,000 veterans have traveled to Korea as
revisit program participants - and some of those have gone there more than once.
In 2013, of course, the revisit programs are geared to mark the 60th anniversary of
the Military Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War on July 27, 1953.
There will be revisits beyond 2013. The planners have even discussed
recommendations from some veterans that 2018 be heralded as the 65th
anniversary of the start of the Korean War. The planners rejected that, because
2013 will take up so much time, energy and expense and doing it again just five
years later was thought to be stretching capability and generosity beyond
acceptable limits. (Article Continues below)
The below photographs were taken by the MPVA photographer on
Remembrance Sunday, November 13 – the fifth and final day of the Turn
Toward Busan program. The veterans had been on the ground in Korea for
five days, yet see if there is a tired or unhappy face among them. Indeed, the
change to a leisurely pace and cultural orientation worked wonders. Virtually
all of the veterans are in their 80’s, save one.
What is not helpful to the MPVA officials who plan for and conduct programs for
veterans from other nations is the Draconian desire by some veterans who hold
KVA senior offices to want to terminate the national activities of their own
associations.
Korea’s MPVA relies on the world’s KVA’s to advertise their very praiseworthy
programs to veterans and their family members within their home countries, and to
sign them up to fill the generous allocations.
Without such support, the MPVA would not be able to put these wonderful
program into operation.
Much is at stake. Many programs are dependent for their success on the KVAs in
the various nations. They include:
• Veterans Revisit Korea Program
• Bereaved Family Member Program, in which next of kin of Korean War Fallen
are brought to Korea
• November 11 Turn Toward Busan program, which focuses on Korean War
Fallen who are buried or commemorated in the United Nations Memorial
Cemetery
• Korean War Veterans Grandchildren Peace Camp Program
• Korean War Veterans University Scholarship Program, which provides a full
university scholarship in Korea for the grandchild of a veteran
• Korean War Commemorative Book Program, which publishes histories of the
contributions of the various nations
• Special Programs within each of the participating nations
• Other programs all devised to honour and commemorate those who served in the
Korean War.
One has to ponder why anyone would want to dissect their well functioning
Korean War Veterans associations, leave the isolated small units of veterans
without a national voice, and inadvertently undercut these magnanimous programs?
Korea plans to continue honouring the veterans and gradually focusing more and
more on the generations that succeed them, the sons and daughters, the
grandchildren.
We understand that these moves to end the national KVAs in some countries are
not endorsed by members and would result in fragmented veteran groups scattered
around each nation without leadership or administrative coordination.
Without trying to intervene in the internal administration or politics of any veterans
organization, we submit a studied opinion that much more thinking needs to be
done by the proponents who advocate winding down and terminating the long
standing national associations.
From many unsolicited inputs that we have received at this publication many
veterans in the Commonwealth nations are strongly opposed to such plans.
In the United States, of course, it is not even considered, as the KWVA USA
membership includes both veterans who served in Korea during the war years and
veterans from the millions who have served in Korea since the armistice was
signed in 2003.
After the Remembrance Sunday Church Service held at the Anglican
Cathedral in downtown Seoul, veterans from Australia, New Zealand and the
United Kingdom were hosted by their respective ambassadors and the
Canadian delegation had a program of its own. The Canadians visited the
heart of Seoul, strolled along the expansive Sejongno Boulevard, then walked
part of the length of the remarkable Cheonggyecheon Waterway, a man made
river that now runs through the heart of Seoul, following the very route of the
stream that for centuries provided residents of the great city with their
everyday water supply. The decorative objects seen along the waterway are
actually huge internally lit lanterns that make for a thrilling and most
spectacular display at night.
From the Seoul City Centre, the Canadian delegation was driven to the
famous Insadong Street art and antique district for a superb traditional
Korean luncheon of Samgyetang stewed whole chicken with glutinous rice and
dried dates, tweaked with ginseng.
In the late afternoon many of the veterans participated in a Korean cultural
presentation in the Grand Ambassador Hotel, where they learned about
Korean traditional dress, Korean food, Korean home etiquette. To ensure
good hands on experience, participants were dressed in traditional Korean
clothing.
All of the above veterans are in their 80’s, and all of them are still going very
strong, and intend to keep going strong. The compact with the People of
Korea assuredly does not end in 2013! In Canada, for 2012, veterans have
already oversubscribed the number of allocations that are usually available
for the annual revisit programs. Well they should have, because the programs
are getting even better!