Posts Tagged ‘MIA’
A Wall That Beckons
We all have one, and long after we’re gone, it becomes a memorial to what we did or didn’t do during our time on earth. Whether chiseled in stone, recorded in a legal document, or written on the page of a book, our name, the unique combination of surname and given name, represents our personality,…
Read MoreWe Would Have Followed Him Anywhere
“Of all the Marine Corps officers I remember, Lt. Carl Lindquist inspired me the most. I will remember him the rest of my life.” – Joe “Doc” Candilora, US Navy Corpsman, Korea, 1953. On the night of July 24, 1953, just three days before the Korean War armistice was signed, 2nd Lieutenant Carl E. Lindquist,…
Read MoreA Lifetime of Waiting
You Are Not Forgotten Their stories are heartbreaking. For decades, thousands of families – over 7,700 – have wondered when and if their son, husband, brother, or uncle will return from the Korean War. They’ve spent a lifetime waiting for a letter, a phone call, or a visit from a government official. But there’s been…
Read MoreOn the East Side of Chosin
As the helicopter took off and disappeared over the North Korean mountains, Lt. Col. Don Faith, watching from his desolate, wind-swept command post at Chosin Reservoir, threw his newly awarded Silver Star into the snow. After enduring a horrific night of fighting against overwhelming Chinese forces, his commanding officer had just ordered him and his…
Read MoreOn a Hill Far Away
We’ll never know the terror 18-year-old Marine PFC Edward “Eddie” Thorn experienced in the final minutes of his life, but we do know that what he and hundreds of other Marines went through at the Chosin, or “Changjin,” Reservoir was unimaginable. Shivering on a wind-swept, snow-covered hill on the night of November 28, 1950, PFC Thorn…
Read MoreContagious Gratitude: Susan Kee, Honoring Korean War Veterans
We frequently tell young people – our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, the neighborhood kids – to follow their dreams. Pursue your passions, serve others, make the world a better place, we tell them. Somewhere along the way, inevitably, these youngsters become adults and their idealistic passions and goals frequently fall by the wayside. But…
Read MoreHe Had His Whole Life in Front of Him
Their stories are heartbreaking. For decades, thousands of families – over 7,800 from America and 100,000 from Korea – have wondered how and when their son, husband, brother, or uncle died during the Korean War. They’ve spent a lifetime hoping their loved one would return. But there has been only silence. No letters. No calls.…
Read MoreWhat’s in a Name?
We all have one, and although we have no choice in deciding what it’ll be, it’s permanent, staying with us from cradle to grave. It becomes a defining feature of our human character, and long after we’re gone, a memorial to what we did or didn’t do during our time on earth. Whether it’s chiseled…
Read MoreHonoring Our POW/MIA’s – You Are Not Forgotten
As a school kid in the 1970’s, I remember seeing the six letters “POW” and “MIA” on bumper stickers, billboards, and flags and wondering, “What do they mean?” and “Does it stand for something, or is it just a person or new fad?” I wasn’t sure, and as a know-it-all middle schooler, I wasn’t about to…
Read MoreBring Them Home
Over 100,000 South Korean soldiers disappeared – or in military terminology went MIA (Missing In Action) – during the Korean War. They said good-bye to family and friends, went off to fight, and never returned. No one ever saw or heard from them again. To this day, no one knows when, how, or where they died.…
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