![\"Susan](\"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Susan-Kee-with-veterans.jpeg\")
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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.<\/p>\n
Somewhere along the way, inevitably, these youngsters become adults and their idealistic passions and goals frequently fall by the wayside. But not always.<\/p>\n
My wife and I “met” Susan – we\u2019ve never actually seen her in person – in 2016, when Esther Hyun, a friend who\u2019s the daughter of Dr. Hyun Bong-hak<\/a>\u00a0(one of the two main characters in my book), introduced us via Facebook. I still remember the first time we talked over the phone, Susan in Arizona and me in Korea. Her passion for honoring Korean War veterans – or \u201cher\u201d veterans as she affectionately called them – was palpable from half a world away.<\/p>\n I soon discovered that the servicemen she advocates for are part of her extended family. It was obvious when I talked with her and read her Facebook posts that she cared deeply about these elderly veterans who as young men had fought for Korea, the country that had been her home until 1975 when, as a young girl, her family moved to America.<\/p>\n As a Korean-American whose parents survived the horrors of war, Susan has a special bond with these men and is determined to show them and their families her gratitude. She repeatedly tells them they are appreciated and remembered.<\/p>\n She believes the men of the \u201cForgotten War\u201d saved Korea, her family, and millions of others from communism. Without these young Americans fighting and dying for her freedom, her life would have been dramatically different \u2013 or might not have ever happened at all.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Since 2012, Susan has met over 500 Korean War veterans, now in their eighties and nineties. She has become a strong advocate for the Korean War MIAs<\/a> (Missing in Action) and their families. There are approximately 7,700 Americans, sadly, who are still missing<\/a> from the Korean War. She is working to increase public awareness of the sacrifices made by these MIAs and their families and making sure these heroes become known and honored.<\/p>\n In Arizona, she volunteers with the Veterans Heritage Project<\/a>, an organization that \u201cconnects students with veterans in order to honor veterans, preserve America’s heritage, and develop future leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n When you talk with Susan, however, she\u2019s quick to point out that everything she does revolves around the men who fought and died. Not her. She shuns the spotlight and wants no recognition for doing what she feels is a wonderful privilege: honoring those who sacrificed for her and Korea.<\/p>\n “As I always say, I feel I am not doing anything extraordinary,” she says. “I feel that thanking and honoring Korean War heroes is just the right thing to do and it is so long overdue.”<\/p>\n Her gratitude is contagious, and she now has nearly 4,500 Facebook followers and is writing a book about Korean War veterans. The loyal men and women on her Facebook page<\/a> look to her as their supporter and, more importantly, friend. They share her stories of appreciation and patriotism and frequently contribute to her site. It\u2019s a wonderful relationship.<\/p>\n She also goes out of her way to assist those who, like her, have a passion for telling the Korean War story. I\u2019m lucky to be one of them. My wife and I are grateful for everything she\u2019s done to help us get started with our Facebook page.<\/p>\n Next week, we\u2019ll finally meet Susan (in person!). She\u2019s coming to Seoul with American families of Korean War fallen heroes (Missing in Action and Killed in Action) as part of a program sponsored by the ROK’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA<\/a>). Susan and I will both be posting and blogging about this once-in-a-lifetime experience of being with these Korean War Gold Star families as the Korean government and people recognize and honor them and their loved ones’ sacrifices. It\u2019s going to be memorable week for all of us!<\/p>\n Thank you, Susan, for pursuing your passion of honoring Korean War veterans and their families. You\u2019re making a difference – and it\u2019s noticed and appreciated.<\/p>\n Top\/Feature picture: <\/strong>Susan with\u00a0Korean War veterans of Arizona in November 2015, just before the start of a Veterans Day Parade in which these veterans were honored as Grand Marshals.\u00a0Pictured in the back row from left to right: Mr. Ken Markstrom, Mr. Wes Stapleton, Mr. Don Taylor, Mr. Lew Bradley, Mr. Rich Graham, Mr. Ralph Gastelum. Pictured in the front row from left to right: Mr. John Fleet, Mr. David Bothwell, Mr. Bill Bender, Susan Kee, Mr. Bob Hnizdil, Mr. Nelson Ladd, Mr. Bob Johnson (Photo courtesy of Susan Kee)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tA Pillar In Her Community<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Visiting Seoul<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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