Most Recent Update: February 01, 2012*
May God protect the United States of America
from deceitful politicians and gullible voters.
*Updates are generally made on three locations on this page: Latest News, Newest Additions, and What's Next.
Be sure to check all three places when you see that an update has been made.
This website was created by Lynnita Brown, founder, Korean War Educator. Lynnita, who holds Korean
War veterans in the highest regard, is solely responsible for the monitoring and posting of all of the
contributed and self-generated text that appears on the Korean War Educator. Technical changes to the
website are courtesy of Webmaster Jim Doppelhammer, who also has a strong appreciation for our nation's
veterans.
Thank you to all veterans for
protecting our freedom.
- Lynnita
Page Index:
Recent Updates:
- February 01, 2012 - See Latest News
- January 31, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 31, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 31, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 30, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 21, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 14, 2012 - See Latest News
- January 12, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 12, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 12, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 02, 2012 - See Newest Addition
- January 02, 2012 - See Latest News
- November 30, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 29, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 27, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 27, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 26, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 22, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 11, 2011 - See Latest News
- November 02, 2011 - See Latest News
- November 02, 2011 - See Newest Addition
- November 01 2011 - See Newest Addition
Back to Page Index
Latest News:
[The following news and commentary is posted with the most recent news at top, followed by older news.
Latest News is written by Lynnita Brown.]
Our friend Walt Cheely of River Forest, Illinois renewed his membership in the KWE, giving an extra $15 to
the General Fund. Thanks for rejoining, Walt! [Posted 2/01/2012]
---
I am sorry to report the death of USMC veteran Herbert R. "Lefty" Luster, who died of a second heart attack
in Tucson, Arizona, on January 12, 2012. His funeral is at Casa Grande, AZ this coming Monday. [Posted
1/14/2012]
---
I will be offline for a while because I am undergoing surgery on January 4th. Give me a few days of
recovery time and I'll be back! Happy New Year to our KWE visitors and friends. - Lynnita [Posted
1/01/2012]
---
To the veterans of the Korean War and all wars - I cannot begin to tell you how deeply I respect, appreciate,
and love you for protecting my freedom. I thank you today and every day for my good life here in
the USA. - Lynnita [Posted 11/11/11]
---
These days I have been very busy adding medal citations to the Korean War Educator. Dr. Dibble's
memoir is nearly finished, while Richard Pelley's memoir is now live on the KWE. Bob Janes' letters from
the war zone are nearly ready for posting. I can't begin to tell you all the things that are "in the
works" for the Korean War Educator. Stay tuned. You're gonna love the new additions! [Posted
11/02/2011]
---
Just another update to let you know that I am still here--and very busy. Dr. Dibble and I are working
on his memoir draft every day. I also just transcribed the memoir of Richard Pelley (USMC veteran) and am
working on his manuscript draft. Bob Janes of California (USMC) sent a large document filled with the
letters that he sent home to his family from Korea. That document is being typed onto a KWE template for
the Letters from the War Zone page. Member Art Lajeunesse of New York sent some citations that will soon
be posted. The heat here in Illinois has been just miserable this summer. A visit to an orthopedic
surgeon as a follow-up on my ladder fall of July 2010 resulted in the determination that I need a brace for my
left leg. I get that tomorrow. So don't despair, return readers. I'm alive and well and busy
this summer. In a couple of weeks you'll see some of the results of what's happening behind the scenes on
the Korean War Educator. [Posted 8/08/11]
---
From January 1, 2010 to April 17, 2011, the Korean War Educator has had 874,317 visitors.
Interestingly, the top countries where our visitors were from include: USA (524,065); China (34,883); Germany
(22,123); United Kingdom (15,523); Canada (14,096); Russia (10,345); Korea (7,963); and the Netherlands (5,516).
Because we have no funds to market the website, our only advertising is done in Military magazine and by
word of mouth. [Posted 4/17/2011]
---
It has come to our attention that quite a lot of Korean War history is being lost needlessly because one
particular aspect of the many unique opportunities available to veterans through the Korean War Educator is
little known. The KWE exists to educate the public about the Korean War--at no cost to Korean War
veterans. Here is what is happening that doesn't need to happen:
Individual Korean War veterans and Korean War veteran reunion groups often have small, medium and large
websites on the Internet. Unfortunately, as the veterans age and financial resources to stay online dry
up, these informative websites are being pulled off the Internet one by one and the history found on them is
being lost forever.
Please spread the word that the Korean War Educator's "Topics" page can absorb these
increasingly-disappearing websites at no cost. All you have to do is turn the text and photographs over to
the KWE for permanent posting on the Korean War Educator. Naturally, a little money to help make the
transaction would always be welcome, but it is most certainly not mandatory. The KWE is a free
service to Korean War veterans and always will be--no strings attached.
How does one move a Korean War-related website over to the KWE? Simple. Contact
Lynnita! [Posted 8/29/2010]
---
Are you or your veteran's group being solicited to donate money to an organization based in Illinois that
claims to be building a national museum for Korean War veterans? If you are, I advise you to
immediately contact authorities in Illinois for a copy of an "Illinois Charitable Organization Annual
Report" for that organization's last two years (2005 and 2006) of operation in order to make an informed
decision about the organization's fiscal responsibility. Write Attorney General Lisa Madigan, State of
Illinois Charitable Trust Bureau, 100 W. Randolph, 11th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 and ask for both annual
reports. A very, very small copying fee is charged, but it will be money well spent. (The cost for
both reports will be under $8.00.)
The Korean War Educator strongly (very, very, very strongly) urges all Korean War veterans and/or members of
their families who are thinking of donating either money or artifacts to soliciting organizations to obtain
these informative reports prior to making an irreversible donation that you might later regret.
Once you scrutinize the reports and "do the math" to see how donors' money is actually being spent, you could be
disappointed. Be a generous giver to non-profits because most of them really do need your financial
support to see them through these hard times. However, always do your giving with eyes wide open. -
[Posted 4/17/08]
---
Do you have a short story about Korea? Send it our way! We have recently opened a short story
section on the KWE's Memoirs page. Lynnita's e-mail address is
lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org. Her U.S. mail is
Lynnita Brown, 111 E. Houghton St., Tuscola, IL 61953. Be sure to include a picture of yourself to go
along with the story. Sending more than one picture is okay, too. [Posted 2/16/08]
Back to Page Index
Newest Additions to the KWE
- Silver Star citations for two DMZ veterans are now posted on the KWE.
Ernest D. Reynolds, 2nd ID, was killed in
action on the DMZ on November 2, 1966. Bert
K. Mizusawa was Commander of the Joint Security Force in Korea on November 23, 1984. [Posted
1/31/2012]
- A list of the Osage Indians who served in the Korean War can now be found on the
Brief Facts page of the Korean War Educator. The list was
found on the Osage Nation website. [Posted 1/31/2012]
- The Silver Star citation for Capt. Thomas E.
Cooney, commanding officer of G-3-7, is now visible on the KWE. Cooney received the award for action
south of Koto-ri on November 6, 1950. Twenty-one days later he was killed in action. The citation
was sent to the KWE by Pamela Jeans. [Posted 1/31/2012]
- The memoir of Herbert "Lefty" Luster is now live on the
Korean War Educator's Memoirs page. Lefty was a member of A-1-5 Brigade (USMC), 2nd platoon, 2nd squad,
& 1st fire team BAR. He lost an arm in combat in Korea in 1950 while fighting to save the Pusan
Perimeter from the communists. Lefty died two weeks ago and his obituary appears on the Death Notices
page. [Posted 1/30/2012.]
- The short memoir of Jack Harned of Buellton, California is now
posted on the KWE. Jack served with the 6160th Communication Squadron at K-16 in Korean in 1951. [Posted
1/21/2012]
- The Silver Star citations for the following Korean War heroes were added to the KWE tonight: John R. Rice,
Gus Taylor, Orville R. Siewert, James H. Dolan, Joe M. Inbody, Dennis D. Johnston, Charles Alkire, Guy E.
Mitchell Jr., Keith A. Jensen, Orville W. Williams, Chester D. Salter, Arthur J. Schmidt, Arnold Havelka, and
John W. Moore. In addition, the Distinguished Flying Cross citation for John LaMontia was added.
Bronze Star citations were added for David A. Haith, Orville W. Williams, Lyle D. Evans, William G. Stuefer,
Harold C. Lyman, Conrad L. Berg, Emmett J. McClaren, Bruce Francis, Robert G. Keller, Clarence H. Ellis Jr.,
Victor A. Orlaski, Carlos M. Easterday, Billie E. Beshell, Mario Iezzoni, and Thomas B. Monsour. The
citations were sent to the KWE by researcher Merry Helm. The Silver Star citation of Army medic Bernard P.
Codd was added courtesy of his son and the Silver Star citation for Michael F. Roberts (corpsman in the Battle
of Bunker Hill August 1952) was added courtesy of his son Kevin. The Silver Star citations for Army medical
aidmen Eugene Hermanski, Henry L. Jenkins, Walter T. Koehler, George A. LaFrance, Emmanuel R. Messier, Terry
Mullen, Ronald Gilbert Munkelwitz, Florentino V. Romano, Eugene Schofield, Elliott H. Sinclair and Joseph C.D.
Violette were added this evening. They were found on a US Army Medical Department website. The
Silver Star citation for John Finnegan was found on YouTube and added to the KWE today. [Posted 1/12/2012]
- The Silver Star citation awarded posthumously to
Arnold W. Graham, 7th Infantry Division, is now
posted on the Silver Star citations pages, courtesy of researcher Merry Helm. [Posted 1/12/2012]
- The memoir of Dr. Birney Dibble, Eau Claire, Wisconson,
Battalion Surgeon for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines in Korea in 1952 and staff doctor at Easy Med, is now
live on the KWE. For an interesting perspective of the Battle of Bunker Hill in August 1952 as seen by
Easy Med, be sure to view this fascinating new memoir. [Posted 1/12/2012]
- The memoirs of Navy Cross recipient Jack F. Larson of Tacoma,
Washington, are now visible on the KWE's Memoirs page. Jack received the Navy Cross for action he
participated in at Hongchon on March 11, 1951. [Posted 1/02/2012]
- Four poems have been added to the poetry written by USMC veteran Boyce Clark. Find them
here. [Posted 1/02/2012]
- From the website www.globalsecurity.org, the KWE has added
Serious Incidents on the DMZ 1967-2003 to our DMZ page.
[Posted 11/30/2011]
- The Silver Star citations for Jack G. Watkins
(24th ID) and Warren W. Lewis (24th ID) were
added to the KWE today courtesy of Merry Helm. For an interesting read about life on the front line and
in back of the lines, visit the new Letters from the War Zone by
Robert C. Janes. Janes served with
E-2-5 Marines in Korea April 1951 to July 17, 1951. He was then transferred to H&S Company, 5th Marines
as a chaplain's assistant. [Posted 11/29/11]
- The Bronze Star citation for Kenneth Martin Hatch (24th
ID) is available on the KWE. So are the following citations for 24th Infantry Division veterans:
Edward Painter Crockett,
Allen J. Gifford,
Rosslyn E. Gresens,
William C. Hall (posthumously),
Kenneth Martin Hatch,
Thomas E. Horting,
Peter C. Hyzer,
Woodrow Wilson Keeble,
Walter J. McDow,
Thomas M. McGrail and
Walter D. Dusablom. The citations were sent by
researcher Merry Helm. [Posted 11/27/2011]
- Silver Star citations were added to the KWE for the following:
Clell Van Dorin (2ID),
Harley N. Jones (3rd ID),
Richard I. Green (43rd Engineering Construction
Battalion), Laverne Camarata (USMC),
Garriet A. Harms (1st Cavalry),
Arlis Kinseth (2ID),
John W. Condon (24th ID),
Lloyd L. Hane,
Maurice O. Hedeman (24th ID),
Richard H. Beatty (24th ID) and
Bobbie L. Underwood (24th ID). The Silver
Star for Clair Jennett was upgraded to a Distinguished
Service Cross and can be found on that citations page. All of these citations were sent by
researcher Merry Helm. [Posted 11/27/2011]
- The Bronze Star citations for Corporal Leonard E. Talpt
and Corporal Lumir J. Drasky, both members of the 24th Division, are available for viewing on the KWE.
So are Bronze Star citations for Corporal Joseph M. Poggi (Company H, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry
Division), Private First Class Bernard E. Galvin (Company L, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division),
Private First Class Delbert D. Kingery (Company D, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division), and First
Lieutenant Keith W. Whitham (Tank Company, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division). The Silver Star
citations for 1st Lieutenant Charles L. Waples
(Company K, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division) and Sergeant First Class
Eugene L. Nabozny ((Company B, 23rd Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division) are also posted. Waples and Nabozny were both later killed in action in
Korea in 1951. [Posted 11/26/2011]
- The memoir of John A. Hoskins of Richwood, Ohio is live on
the KWE. John became commander of the 1st Platoon, How Co., 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, when he arrived
in Korea in 1951. He was involved in the attack on Hill 161. Later he became Advisor & Liaison Officer
to a unit of Korean Marines. [Posted 11/22/2011]
- The Silver Star citation of Bob VandeLinde
was added to the KWE this evening. Bob served in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry
Regiment. He received his Silver Star in 2011 for action that occurred on October 22, 1950. Information
about Bob's book, "Respect: Forgotten Heroes" was also added to the non-fiction book section of the
KWE's General Store. [Posted 11/22/2011]
- The Distinguished Service Cross citation for Walter
Robert Rhodes is now available for viewing on the KWE, thanks to Walter, who lives in Benton, Arkansas.
Walter is a veteran of the 2nd Infantry Division and recipient of a Bronze Star, Silver Star, and the
Distinguished Service Cross from action in Korea. And, by the way, his birthday is tomorrow (November
03). Happy birthday, Walter! Also added to the KWE, courtesy of researcher Merry Helm, are the
citations for Bronze Star recipients Harry R. Tincher, Daniel
W. Sheehan, Ernest D. McDonald, and Ellsworth Nelsen (two medals). The Silver Star citations for
Harry R. Tincher,
George W. Kristanoff, and
Raymond J. Cody were also added today. [Posted
11/02/2011]
- Bronze Star citations for the following recipients were
added to the KWE this morning: Dale F. Sill Jr., Harold O. Taylor, Eldon R. Waetcher, Jerry J. Butcher, James
D. Andrews, and Edward E. Wahlert. Silver Star citations were added for the following recipients:
Myron Stuffelbeam,
Theodore R. Wilder,
James L. Winner, and
Albert W. Yeakey. All were sent to the
KWE by researcher Merry Helm. [Posted 11/01/2011]
Back to Page Index
What's Next!
--
Coming soon: the memoirs of Ozzie Stack, Marian Tesheneck Wagman, Glenn Stotts, Robert Jones, Shirley
Heckelman, Helen Obertance Gann, Joshua Duncan, Grant Alexander, Hal Spadafora, and William Stedman. These
particular memoirs are "in the works" and a few are approaching completion. Some are just awaiting
pictures, while others await more text, proofreading, and final approval from the veteran or their families.
Notice:
Officials of a past administration of the Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. telephoned the KWE's largest
funding source to date to request that it not support the Korean War Educator. (Korean War veterans
everywhere should be outraged at the KWVA's maltreatment of the KWE.) Subsequent KWVA administrations have done
nothing about this injustice. As a result, that funding source is no longer available to the KWE.
Until the Korean War Educator receives another grant, your financial support is needed to help keep the Korean
War Educator going. Please join as a member, because your dues money is what keeps this site going. You are
always welcome to e-mail me at lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org
or call me (217-253-4620 at home, 217-253-2535 at the Douglas County Museum Monday and Tuesday, or 217-253-5171
Thursday-Saturday at my store) Illinois time if you have comments, concerns, questions, or suggestions. [Posted
2004]
--
As always, Korean War veterans and their families throughout the world are invited to participate in the
educating of the general public about the Korean War by sending information, memoirs, photos, and more to the
Korean War Educator. - Lynnita Jean Brown
Back to Page Index
A Team Effort
The Korean War Educator is a team effort between Lynnita Brown of Tuscola, Illinois, as well as Korean War
veterans and their families worldwide. Lynnita is directly involved with the daily updates visitors see on
the KWE. All text appearing on the Korean War Educator is either generated by or routed through Lynnita.
Webmaster Jim Doppelhammer handles the technical aspects and makes improvements to the Korean War Educator
website. If you find a technical glitch anywhere on the site, be sure to contact Jim at
webmaster@koreanwar-educator.org. If you find text
errors on the site or want to add material to it, be sure to contact Lynnita at
lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org. We'll see what we can
do to fix them. If our KWE visitors see typographical and/or grammatical mistakes, Lynnita encourages
those who discover them to contact her. There is no such thing as an error "too small" to be corrected.
Lynnita can be reached by phone at 217-253-5171 (her store) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Thursday through
Saturday (and generally on Wednesdays May-December, too). Her home phone number in Illinois is
217-253-4620 (she rises early and stays up late). She works at the Douglas County Museum in Tuscola,
Illinois on Monday and Tuesday and can receive your calls there (217-253-2535). On days other than
Wednesday through Saturday, the best place to reach Lynnita is at her home number in the evening. If she
is not home, your call will be picked up by an answering machine or her husband, Dale. Please feel free to
leave a message. She will call you back--probably the same day or evening. Her e-mail address is
lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org.
Back to Page Index
KWE Progress Report
Site Statistics:
- As of April 17, 2011, the KWE has had 192,390 since January 1, 2011.
- A review of the Year 2010 traffic statistics for the Korean War Educator shows that 681,927 visitors
stopped by to view the Korean War Educator from January 1 through December 31, 2010.
- The Korean War Educator had 810,676 visitors in the year 2008. As the site continues to grow, so
will the number of visitors. As an example of the KWE's fantastic growth rate, just think. In the
year 2004 the KWE had only 24,152 visitors! The majority of visitors to the KWE website were from the
United States, with visitors from the United Kingdom second and visitors from China third.
- As of January 7, 2008, the KWE had 141,459 page views per month and an average of 2,000 visitors per day.
The KWE website contains 5,645 files (748,966 KB). It has 3,364 photographs. There are 21,404
hyperlinks.
- Due to a change of web hosts, we only have January and February and the December statistics from 2007,
showing approximately 27,500 visitors per month in January/February and 30,000 visitors in December.
- From 1/1/06-12/31/06, the KWE had 183,640 unique visitors (again, many came back to view the site over and
over again, but they were only counted once) who viewed 1,132,528 of its pages.
- From 1/1/05-12/31/05, the KWE had 222,072 unique visitors (many came back to view the site over and over
again, but they were only counted once) who viewed 775,446 of its pages.
The Korean War Educator started to offer memberships at the end of September 2003. For the very first time,
the Korean War Educator was able to use the General Membership dues ($10.00 annually) to establish a general
operating fund that has enabled Lynnita to pay for her monthly internet connection, as well as incidentals such
as reams of copy paper, ink cartridges, postage, etc., without taking it from her own pocket. Not only that, the
Korean War Educator established an Endowment Fund to keep the Foundation going long after those of us living
today have passed on. With an initial deposit of $50.00 (one half of the cost of Life Membership dues going into
the Endowment) that special reserve fund has now jumped to $2,135.53, thanks to the most recent donations to it
from the KWE's new life members Tom Cearlock and Carl Galey of Illinois. Our goal is to build up the
principal in the account so that the annual interest will pay for each year's web hosting fees. You can
find the roster of Korean War Educator members on the KWE’s "Support" section at the top of all main pages. We
are hoping that many more of our visitors will come aboard to help this great Korean War website become even
greater. All funds go to support the Korean War Educator Foundation. No salary money is expended.
Most of the KWE's limited funds are expended for internet/website expenses and printer ink.
It would be great if some of our regular visitors would support this important website by sponsoring a year
of hosting (or more). Contact Lynnita at
lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org about this possibility if you think you would like to sponsor a year's worth
of KWE. The list of website sponsors to date is listed on the
Support page of the KWE..
Back to Page Index
In Remembrance of Julian
  It is
with great sorrow that I inform Korean War veterans and our other site visitors about the death of Julian "Buck"
Blagg, original webmaster of the Korean War Educator website and a fine Marine. He died of lung cancer at 6:00
a.m., Sunday, June 1, 2003, at the age of 66. Julian was my dear friend, and I miss him. He helped me give the
world the Korean War Educator.
- Lynnita Brown, Founder, KWE |
