Why a Museum?
This is Why....
"From a Concerned Parent"
It is just great to have a resource like this. I am shocked at how little information we have been able to access locally, such as through the school library. Would you believe one thin little book? It really concerns me, especially as our veterans get older. Who will there be to pass this legacy of information and history along to future generations of Americans? We must somehow ensure that no war should ever be forgotten where American blood was shed. Any cause our country felt was important enough that it warranted lives being risked and lost deserves the highest respect and remembrance, for generations long after the conflict ends. I have attended 8th Air Force reunions with my dad, and try to get information from him as often as he allows. It's important for my kids to realize what it was like, through Grandpa's eyes from his position as tail gunner. He has a good friend who was on the Indianapolis when it went down, one of the few who survived the sharks, who goes to area high schools and tells about his experiences. It is so well received by the students-they have no idea, many of them not having anyone who was even involved in World War II in their families, and it is an invaluable experience for them to hear this firsthand. I hope someone is videotaping his talk. I never tire of hearing Dad's stories, and hope to preserve some of them for our family.
So, maybe you can understand how much I appreciate other people taking the time to protect and pass along the history of other wars. I am so glad I discovered your website, and will visit it again, along with my kids. I would appreciate the brief overview you mentioned in your email.
My sincere appreciation for your help, and my thanks to the veterans of the Korean War for their sacrifice to our freedom.
Sincerely,
Cheri Kunshier
"From a Loving Daughter"
Dear sirs:
I found your web site today by accident. My father served in the Korean war from 1950-53. William Boyce Bishop. I am 37 now, so by the time I was born on up to adulthood I heard no more mentioned than a few words, newspaper clip, and letter saying "goodbye from San Francisco."
I am only now just beginning to understand all that tormented this wonderful man that took his own life in 1994. If you could connect me with other family members, veterans, etc. that may have the same shared experiences I might be able to put some of the pieces together to this tragedy and continuing saga for me... one left behind. Thank you.
Sherry Bishop
"From a Prominent Politician"
We need a museum because a great many Americans (including senators) don't appreciate veterans. The following is a perfect example of that fact:
You know, some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the Uniformed Services do what they do for a living. And an example of what those who have never served think of the Military.
Senator Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn: "How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real "job"?"
Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook; it was my Life on the line. It was not a 9 to 5 job where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me ... as I went the other day ... to a Veterans Hospital and look at those men with their mangled bodies in the eye and tell them they didn't hold a job. You go with me to the space program and go as I have gone to the widows and orphans of Ed White and Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their dad didn't hold a job. You go with me on Memorial Day coming up, and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends than I'd like to remember - and you watch those waving flags, and you stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell me that those people didn't have a job. I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum, you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men - SOME MEN - who held a job.
And they required a dedication to purpose and a love of country and a dedication to duty that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible ... I HAVE HELD A JOB, HOWARD! What about you?"
From a Concerned Veteran to Oprah & the Associated Press
Below is a copy of E-mails sent to Bob Burns (associated press) and Oprah. If you find the need to use it in any other instance, you have my blessings. I hope this and the collective effort you folks are making will help. Read on and God Bless.
Sincerely,
Walt
Dear Mr. Burns:
I am emailing you in effort to assist in getting the message across on the importance of sustaining the efforts in building and maintaining The Korean War Museum and Library. Space will not allow in this format to truly detail the passion I have towards seeing this concept bear reality.
If the words "funny" and "war" can ever be used in the same sentence; I can only find it applicable here. As in "The Korean War was a funny thing." Not in the comical sense, but rather in its' timeline place in history and the way it is remembered, hence the reference of "the forgotten war." Fresh on the heels of World War Two and immediately on the door step of the controversial times surrounding Vietnam, is wedged the Korean War. The cause and effects of that conflict were minimized from its' inception by calling it a police action. It did not take on the immediate notoriety of WW-II because it did not hold the massive scale as its preceding war. Nor did it reside in the memories of today's now adults; because the purpose was not as vague as what was perceived in Vietnam. My problem here is, I could not find it palatable to convince families that lost loved ones in the Korean war, nor the veterans who fought, that it holds any less significance to any other time our citizens took up arms to defend this country or its ideals abroad. The weapons that killed and wounded our soldiers were no less a threat or harm than used any time previous or since.
We now have an opportunity to solidify in history all that encompassed the battles fought in Korea and much, much more. Many people don't attach themselves to the stories surrounding the Korean War because they may feel it lacks the limelight of Vietnam or the Gulf War; as such, that type person would not get the attention or response from their peers on matters controversial or important. A pity to say the least, that that type of individual fails to see the significance of Korea.
This was not just a war that was forgotten through time; in my estimation the warriors were forgotten frequently even while waging battles against communist insurgence of the region. Although I was born in 1955, having been former military, perhaps I tend to take more notice of the accounts history and my father had left behind. I recall most of the popular accounts and maybe even some of the slightly obscure. I remember one particular recount of a brutal winter the soldiers faced while rebelling the insurgence of the Chinese forces invading to assist North Korea. Soldiers suffered death from the mere whether alone, weapons were without ammunition in many instances, support vehicles were frozen in mud and snow miles behind the front lines, starvation was rampant, and the soldier fought on. But now we can't take time to support the efforts in the memory of these courageous people? What an outrage.
How can we expect our new generation to enlist in the volunteer service of today, when we can't even give dignity through remembrance to their predecessors? I personally know how a good cause such as that put forth by the founders of the Korean War Museum and Library can take on such momentum and be engulfed by the electronic media of this day. It is time consuming, challenging to the soul, and very expensive. Opportunists and the greedy come out of the woodwork, veiled on the purported premise that they support "your cause." Horse feathers! Let's say it in money, other donations, and volunteer efforts.
I for one, will not be held accountable for turning my back on something that is so terribly important to the memories of those soldiers, the education of today's citizen, and the knowledge for our children; current or future. This is not some form of memorial alone. That is the least our Korean veterans would ever ask for. This is testimony to the effects and tragedies of war. In its noblest form, it teaches us the sacrifices that must be made in the name of a better society at large, and perhaps even offers lessons that may prevent future conflicts.
It is high time we stop sitting on our hands here, turning a blind eye to the needs of those making the effort to immortalize these memories and help. God Bless the efforts of these people, all who shall participate, and you for taking time to read to this conclusion. Thank You.
Walter F. Rice
Copyright © 1998 Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library