General Walton H. Walker Chapter 215

THE BULLDOG BUGLE

IN MEMORY OF HONORED CHAPTER MEMBER, COLONEL JAMES L STONE, MEDAL OF HONOR, DECD. PRESIDENT’S VIEW JULY 2014 June was a busy month with graduations, anniversaries, etc. Our meeting had a few guests, Orin Mouw, AF, and Abraham Rodriquez, AF (who found our KWVA chapter via our membership committee set up at the VA Clinic) plus Stan and Linda Bullard’s granddaughter, Kate Lin; and Gene Richards’ daughter, Linda. Welcome and very nice to meet you all. Member Dave Moore (L) introduced our guest speaker poet Rusty Smith (R), who read his poems of various war events. More details can be found in the minutes below on this.Thank you Rusty for a job well done! (See picture right)

June was also election month for three directors: A.J. Key, Jim Lucas, and Jack Cooper are the new directors for two years. There were seven (7) members running for director. I want to thank all who participated and congratulate the three (3) winners. (see picture left) June 18th (Wednesday) the membership committee set up a table at the Fort Worth VA Clinic. They got several interested and two showed up at our meeting; thanks to Jack Cooper and Joe Roberts. June 25th (Wednesday) the Korea Society of Dallas invited us to attend a luncheon at the Coyote Golf Course in Carrolton. We sent 26 reservations and as of this writing – I will report next month on this event since the newsletter is coming out today. (Picture right – Speaker Dong-Chan Kim, Head of Mission Consular Office of the Republic of Korea in Dallas)

Thank you all KP’s and helpers of the KWVA #215 who make it a pleasure to belong. I hope to see everyone next week at the parade. Jim Wetmore, President

I.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Arlington July 4 Parade – we have two vehicles participating in the parade.

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1. Set up time 10:00 AM July 3rd (Thursday) at the Arlington Bus Barn located at Davis and Arkansas. (Davis dead ends at Arkansas, the entrance to Bus Barn is due south of Davis) Please help if you can. 2. Parade starts at 9:00 AM July 4th (Friday) from the UTA south parking lot (Cooper and Mitchell). They want us there at 7:30 AM. a. Pickup and trailer will honor Sam Bass if he is able to attend. b. Jeep and its trailer will have Larry Kinard, National President, Bill Mac Swain, Past National President, and Jim Wetmore, President of KWVA 215. Remember to wear your uniform and ball cap. Let’s all have fun and be proud of Chapter 215. II. AirHogs' Military Appreciation - The AirHogs will be offering all military 2 free tickets to the game on July 4th. Tickets may be reserved through Katy White (see below) by simply sending her a list of names with how many tickets you have requested. The tickets will then be left at Will Call under that name. Military IDs may also be brought to the box office to redeem 2 free tickets. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Katy White-Assistant General Manager, Grand Prairie AirHogs Baseball Club 972.504.9383 | www.airhogsbaseball.com III. The Texas Rangers will host the first ever Korean American Heritage Night at Globe Life Park in Arlington on Friday, July 11 when the club hosts the Los Angeles Angels in a 7:05 p.m. game. The details of the event, which is being organized in conjunction with the Korean Society of Dallas and News Korea Texas, Inc., were announced this morning. Tickets for the Korean American Heritage Night game are now on sale at texasrangers.com/group tickets by clicking on link for Korean organizations and using password KOREA14. They can also be purchased at 972.RANGERS or through the Korean Society of Dallas (972-241-4524) or News Korea Texas, Inc. (972-247-9111). Fans who purchase tickets for Korean American Heritage Night through any of these means will receive information about getting a special ShinSoo Choo rally towel to wave on the night of the event. Contact Jim Wetmore 817-860-4050 if you would like to attend as a group and wear your short sleeve uniform shirt and black ball cap if you can. (More info can be found at the following website: http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140603&content_id=78001946&vkey=pr_tex&c_id=tex

IV. The KWV Youth Corps is recruiting grandchildren of our members to interview our Veterans for the KWV War Veterans Digital Memorial Foundation, founded by Prof. Jongwoo Han who interviewed many of us earlier. Please contact Youth Corps representation Ivy Bell, Janet Baker’s Great-great-granddaughter, at 817-219-8363 or email [email protected]. Ivy Bell has been invited to Korea for 10 days in July with the youth group – all expenses paid by Korea. Ivy will be the envy of the young people of our KWVA family. V. I want to invite and honor all charter members and past Presidents to a special luncheon at the September membership meeting. It would be catered much like our Christmas Party. There are a few things to be worked out such as: 1. An M.C. (covered by Dennis McCarty) 2. Entertainment (open for suggestions) 3. Caterer (Bill Hoyle) 4. Funding for the luncheon. ** We will take a vote to see if we pay like our Christmas luncheon and decide how much per person. (There will be no charge for honorees.) We still need help for all the above. VI. October 18th is Picnic/Auction at Arlington Randol Mill Park (same place and time as last year.) VII. Dallas Veterans Day Parade is November 11th and we were asked to participate. I offered to use my Jeep to represent Chapter 215. They need/want a donation – we usually donate $200.00.

JULY BIRTHDAYS Don Oberholzer 1 Bill Hoyle 2 James Tew 23 Volume 14 Issue 7

STAYING IN TOUCH MEMORY Gene Highsmith 8 Alice Highsmith Joe Roberts 24 Albert Rollins 31 JULY 2014 BULLDOG BUGLE Website: http://kwva-dfw.com/

ANNIVERSARY Neva & Jim Wetmore 14/95 Bea & Don Oberholzer 16/55 Page 2

Member of the Month: Bobbie Joe Couch I was born on December 25th, 1930 to Ida Bell & Walter Couch, one of six siblings. We lived in a two room house without plumbing or electricity and only had a hand pump well outdoors for water for our family and cattle. Our house had no plumbing but we did have an outdoor “privy”. Our home was located in Tarrant County, Texas between Keller and Grapevine. I lived within a mile of this location for the next 83 years. In 1937 my first school was a three room schoolhouse without electricity or plumbing. I started High School at Keller High in 1945 only to quit after one year and started working at Leonards’ Department Store at the age of 14 (lied to the store that I was 15). I went back to school when I was 17 and continued to work at Leonard’s after school and on weekends. When I was 17 my mother gave permission for me to join the Marine Corp Reserves. I graduated from Keller High School in 1949 and went to work for Texas Electric Service Company as a meter reader. I dropped out of the USMCR and later enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1950. After Boot Camp I thought “Momma what were you thinking when you signed for me to join up!” I had two brothers that joined the USMC. One lost a foot and had a large hole in his back while fighting in Okinawa. He still had 90 pieces of shrapnel in his body when he died 50 years later. I was at boot camp for a total of four months. The first month we built tents and range bunks for the influx of troops for training and we marched, marched, marched. We did our time in boot camp in Quonset huts from WWII. Most of all our gear we were issued had someone else’s name on it that they turned in after WWII. At the end of February we boarded the troop ship USS Randolph and sailed under the cover of darkness just like in WWII. I remember being on the deck as we were leaving the dock thinking that I would never return. Fourteen days later we docked in Kobe Japan where we left everything we would not need, all of our extra clothes and dress shoes. All of my necessary items were now contained my backpack. We docked in Pusan, Korea and I never knew where I was after that in Korea. Our trip to the front, wherever that was, was by road on trucks and on trains that were full of bullet holes. One night I was on guard duty between train cars and all of a sudden I could not breathe. I was sure we had been gassed. I busted into the passenger car to warn them and got a big laugh. I was solid black from coal smoke from a trip through a tunnel. The black smoke had come into the car through some of the broken windows and the men already knew we passed through a tunnel. After the train dropped off our car we rode on top of Howitzer shells on a flatbed car. We then were loaded onto trucks and traveled past 155 Howitzers firing. Then we could see 105’s firing and hear the fire fights. The trucks stopped and we were unloaded. I was put in local security for 105’s and some tanks. That night it looked like and sounded like the Fourth of July. My duties as local security, was to scope out the area as the 105s were being set up and we would set up 30 caliber machine gun nests in certain locations. We checked out all caves, huts and ditches, and hills in the area. On a hill that we were crawling up, the soil was loose, my foot slipped and I stepped on the face of a body. I don’t know its gender or age, my brogan (shoes) took the flesh from its face and just the skull was looking up at me. One of the most ghastly sites while we were on the move through a valley was just after a terrible battle and after it rained. The sky was orange, the ditches and roads were actually filled and running with blood. One enemy soldier was trying to be captured, his head was partly gone and maggots were eating his wound. We did not take him with us. We passed a hut and a girls’ long black hair was hanging out a window. Inside the girl was on a table with her head out of the window. She was naked and was raped by the enemy soldiers until she died. A Jeep came by with two US troops across the back. There was a terrible Volume 14 Issue 7

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battle the night before and into the morning. I saw the enemy dead and felt sorry for them. I knew they had a mother that was going to get bad news, but after I lost our buddies my attitude changed. I kept telling myself if we don’t do this here, the dead could be my nieces and nephews. One hut we checked out had been ripped to pieces by bullets. Apparently a momma-san and papa-san had just the top part of their torsos remaining. Two small children lying on a bed made of tree limbs while a dog was eating on the parents. We shot it. The nights were so dark and we were so scared, we thought we could see things move. Trees we saw during the day seemed to move at night. We were setting up on a river bank and the 7th Cavalry was behind us and that night they opened fire on us. The tracers were sizzling by our heads and we did get low. They hit our bazooka and knocked it out of the machine gun post. The 7th Cavalry was beside us a lot. One time in April 1951 the Chinese were on the move and broke through the R.O.K. Army lines and they broke and ran. That left the marines and I believe the 25th Infantry of the Army with two fronts. The South Koreans dropped leaflets from planes trying to get the R.O.K Army to come back to the front line. In late May 1951 we had advanced ten miles north of the 38 th parallel and we were taking prisoners and fire. We learned from the prisoners that the enemy was trying to come up the clearing we were set up. My buddy and I were setting out a trip line and flares when it exploded in my hands. It burned my eyes and tore up my left thumb. I found out later the enemy did come that way and we lost some troops. I was carried by Jeep and truck back to Pusan to the hospital ship Havana docked in Pusan Harbor. They patched up my hand and flew me to Yokohama, Japan hospital. There I learned that my good buddies Benivedes and Toredo were killed by burp gun and machine gun. I stayed in the hospital in Japan for about a month. The wound on my left thumb was taking too long to heal so they sent me home. I landed in America on July 4, 1951 and was sent to Corpus Christi. I got out of hospital sometime in August, and then sent to Navy Ammo Depot in McAlister, Oklahoma. I was released from USMC on Friday, January 1st 1951 and started back to work on Monday. Six months later with $50 in my pocket I married my classmate Mary Ellen Luster, and 62 years later we are still married. Mary and I enjoy popping corn for the KWVA and traveling. I have a guilt trip even though I shed blood in a country I did not know. I did come home. Benevidas, Toreno and Buckner gave their all and did not know where they were and they did not come home to enjoy our America. They still are on my mind every day.

Laughing Matters submitted by Jim Lucas: A class reunion is where everyone gets together to see who is falling apart. A gathering is where you come to the conclusion that most of the people your own age are a lot older than you are. SICK CALL by Jim Wetmore -- Please keep the following members in your prayers: Janet Baker, Sam Bass, Richard Beard, Vernell Cooper, Bob & Mary Couch, Al D’Agostino, Lavonia Dake, Marvin & Joann Dunn, Delbert Goss, Bobby Guiles, Alice Hall, Bea Hoyle, Clyde Maxwell, Bill McFaden, Ed Singleton, Billy Smith’s wife -Peggy, Beverly Steck, Betty Vaughn. Also, please remember the following: Alice Highsmith passed away on 6/05/2014 and was buried at the DFW National Cemetery on 6/10/2014. Linda Bullard lost her sister on 6/22/2014. Volume 14 Issue 7

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GENERAL WALTON H WALKER CHAPTER 215, INC KOREAN WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION, INC JUNE 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT ASSETS: Bank Balance Brought Forward Monthly Income Number Interest from May Chapter Membership Dues 4 National Membership Dues 3 Chapter Life Membership Dues 1 Associate Member Dues 0 50/50 Drawing Chapter Donation Popcorn Funds 5/30 - $93, 6/04 - $95 & $127.25, 6/05 - $113 Popcorn Funds 6/10 - $146, 6/11 - $109 Total Monthly Income

$13,024.15 $

.11 60.00 75.00 100.00 00.00 70.00 0.00 428.25 255.00 $ 988.36

TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL

$14,012.51

LIABILITIES: Operating Expenses June Newsletter Printing Inv #1225, CK #1192 May Newsletter Miscellaneous CK #1192 July Newsletter Mailing CK #1194 Membership Postage Expense National Membership Payment State Department Annual Dues CK #1193 New Member Shirts, Patches & Hat CK #1195 Fourth of July Parade Registration CK #1196 Fort Worth VA Clinic Volunteer Donation CK #1198 Popcorn Materials Expense CK #1199 Total Monthly Expenses

20 0 3

28.00 75.00 9.80 0.00 75.00 61.00 32.98 25.00 267.52 230.24 $ 804.54

BANK BALANCE FORWARD

$13,207.97

ROY HILL PROJECT (+$33) TELL AMERICA PROGRAM MEMORIALS ON FILE POPCORN FUNDS IN BANK DONATION FOR OFFICE SUPPLIES CHAPTER LIFE MEMBERSHIP Total

$ 337.00 $ 33.02 $1,845.00 $9,800.35 $ 103.68 $ 100.00 $12,219.05

ACTUAL WORKING CAPITAL

$ 988.92

LIFE MEMBERSHIP CD VALUE (+$17.76)

$6,475.44

GENERAL WALTON H WALKER CHAPTER 215, INC JUNE MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES The Gen. Walton H. Walker Chapter #215 Membership Meeting was held on June 21, 2014 at the Veterans Park Event Center in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Chapter meeting was called to order by President Jim Wetmore with 45 members and 8 guests present. The Invocation was given by Chaplain Don Jones Volume 14 Issue 7

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followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag conducted by Bill Hoyle. Bill Mac Swain read the Chapter Creed followed by a moment of silence. President Wetmore welcomed all our Guests present and also some of prospective members who were present as well as others who were members’ relatives. President Wetmore asked for motions to approve the May Meeting Minutes and the May Financial Report, both presented in the June Bulldog Bugle. A motion was made by Gene Richards to approve the May Minutes. Dottie Harris seconded and the motion carried. Sam Bass made a motion to approve the May Financial Report and Joe Arnosky seconded and the motion carried. President Wetmore called upon Chaplain A. J. Key to bless the food and asked that the Guest, Ladies and those who needed help to go to the head of the line. President Wetmore called the meeting back to order and introduced Dave Moore who introduced our Speaker Vietnam Veteran Rusty Smith who was his mentor as he was trying to learn how to write poetry. Rusty introduced himself and stated he was a member of the Poets Society of Texas and he had written many poems on the War Memorials located in Washington, D.C. and other areas. He read poems about the Vietnam Wall Memorial and also the Korean War Memorial and three other poems. His presentation was well received by the membership. Bill Hoyle and President Wetmore made a presentation of a Certificate of Appreciation for his presentation to our membership. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Quartermaster Jim Lucas presented a shirt, patches and hat to our new member Billy McCoy. He also received a book from the Koreans called Korea Reborn. President Wetmore reported on the members that are having health problems and asked the membership to pray for their well being. He also reported that calls and cards should be sent to those who have missed many meetings. President Wetmore reminded the membership that the Arlington Fourth of July Parade will be held on the 4th of July. He also told the group that Sam & Rho Bass were making their trailer available for the parade and that we will decorate the trailer at the Arlington Bus Barn on the third of July. The time will be given as soon and those who normally help prepare it will be notified. He also asked the Membership to show up at the Parade area around 7:30 am on the fourth and that the parade starts a 9:00 am. The trailer may be brought to his house before the third so the seating could be fixed. He also thanked Sam & Rho Bass for their making sure we could use the trailer. He also stated that Sam would be remembered at the parade and hoped he might attend if possible. OLD BUSINESS: Joe Arnosky the Chairman of the Election Committee reported the results of the voting for the three Executive Council seats for a two year term. Those who received the most votes were Jack Cooper, A. J. Key and Jim Lucas. He also thanked his committee members Ted Malcolm and Joe Roberts and the other four candidates who were not elected for running for the Chapter positions. President Wetmore reported that the Membership Committee had arranged to have a Recruitment Table at the Fort Worth VA Clinic and thanked them for helping to build the membership by being available on the every other even month on the third Wednesday to give out brochures and pens to prospects. He also reported on the Dallas Korean Society Luncheon to be held at the Coyote Golf Club on Wednesday 25, 2014 at 11:00 am. Some 26 individuals had signed up to attend. He also reported on the Grand Prairie Memorial Day Ceremony stating it was held indoors because of rain, however it was successful even though there was a shortage of space in the building. He “Thanked” the Honor Guard for their support at the ceremony and also the membership who attended this ceremony. Volume 14 Issue 7

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Jim Wetmore reported that the petition that was signed at the May Membership Meeting was given to National President Larry Kinard and asked him to report on what had taken place with it. President Kinard reported that he went to the Capitol and presented the petition to a staff member of Joe Barton who told him that this was a good way to make sure that those Texas District House of Representatives would see that there was support for the Wall of Remembrance for our National Monument having a Wall of Remembrance of those KIA’s and MIA’s and would help in getting them to Co-Sponsor the House Bill #318 to get it out of Committee to be voted on. NEW BUSINESS: President Wetmore reminded the group that our next meeting will be on July 19, 2014 and we will have a presentation by Member Dennis McCarty. President Wetmore again reminded the membership that he wishes to have a luncheon for the Charter Members of the chapter and all of the Past Presidents that have served since its charter was established in September 13, 2000. He has mentioned this will happen at our September and we will have a catered dinner that will similar to our Christmas Dinner. There will be information during the next few months on cost and type meal and what the program will be. He also reminded the membership that we have been invited to participate in the Dallas Veterans Day Parade and more info will be coming later. Member Dennis McCarty won the 1st 25/50 drawing of $34 and the Chapter received $70 for its 50/50 amount. Member Calvin Langford won the second 25/50 drawing of $34 There being no further business Don Jones made a motion to adjourn with a closing prayer. Member Ted Malcolm seconded and the motion carried. Chaplain Don Jones gave the closing prayer. Submitted by, Bill Mac Swain, Secretary

CHAPTER PICTURES FROM THE JUNE MEETING Shirt presentation by Jim Lucas & Jim Wetmore to new member Jack McCoy

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GENERAL WALTON H. WALKER CHAPTER 215 KOREAN WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION, INC. P.O. BOX 122084 FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76121-2084

Chapter 215 monument donated to the National Cemetery Calendar of Events: July 14, 2014 10:00 AM Executive Board Meeting – Hugh Smith Recreation Center, 1815 New York Avenue, Arlington, TX July 19, 2014 11:15 AM Chapter Meeting at Veteran’s Park Event Center; 925 Conover Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75051

CREED: All the members of the General Walton H Walker Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association are the living representatives of all Americans who gave their lives in Korea. As members we are dedicated to also represent the known American prisoners of war that were never returned after the war, and the American service personnel still missing in action in the Korean War. OUR PURPOSE IS: To motivate patriotism amongst the American people and to raise their awareness of the Korean War and those who served in it. To render help and support to all the wounded and disabled American Veterans of the Korean War.

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