Difficult Week

Budget cuts, restructuring, and other unfortunate but all too familiar manifestations of this troubled economy have been impacting many of the Center's friends and colleagues across the country, as well as some in our local community. Our heart goes out to those facing difficult times.

 

We have been facing limitations of our own. This week would have been the Center's 10th Annual Conference on War and Media, but economic constraints made it necessary to postpone this year's event and look forward instead to opportunities next year. The Annual Conference has always been a venue for anyone interested in learning about the Korean War, or sharing their knowledge or experiences from the war. We will miss hosting that opportunity this year.

 

It is our hope that the Conference will return next year; in the meantime we will continue striving to fulfill the Center's mission.

Director Gregg Edwards

Korea War Veterans Tribute- Free Event in Jacksonville, FL

The Florida Veterans Programs & Projects, Inc., Michael Rothfeld president, is hosting a Korean War veterans tribute in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 25th, 2009. Check out both the website, http://anyveteran.org/, and their press release (below) for this important event:

"Jacksonville Salutes Korean War Veterans

Korean War Veterans will be honored at an educational and entertainment program at The Main Library in Downtown Jacksonville, on Thursday June 25^th, 2009 at Noon in the Hicks Auditorium on the Conference Level. This free event is hosted by the Florida Veterans Programs & Projects, Inc. (FVPPI), a Florida Not for Profit Corporation, in association with The Art Institute of Jacksonville and the Community Education & Enrichment Program of the Jacksonville Main Library.

This program will consist of 1950's Korean War era music and the premier of the "Korea: Forgotten War, Remembered Heroes" documentary. The music will be provided by students and faculty of the Florida School for the Deaf & Blind of St. Augustine, under the leadership of Music Director Mr. Bill Sabo. The documentary, produced by Michael Rothfeld, President of FVPPI, and directed by Dr. Nadia A. Ramoutar, Academic Department Director of the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production Department of the Art Institute of Jacksonville and her students, share the experiences of five local Korean War Veterans.

Many of the heroes interviewed for this documentary will be on hand for this special show. All Korean War Veterans and their families are invited to attend and to be recognized. The general public is also welcome to attend this free program. Several Korean War Veterans will also be speaking about their war experiences. The day's events will start at noon on the 59th Anniversary of the start of the Korean War, Thursday June 25th, 2009.

The Main Downtown Jacksonville Library is located at 303 N. Laura Street, phone number (904) 630-2665.

For maps of Downtown Jacksonville, including an interactive parking map, please visit: http://downtownjacksonville.org/getting-around/maps/

Call Michael Rothfeld at (904) 829-0381 or visit our website at: http://anyveteran.org for more information about the show."

Gregg Edwards, Director

Arlington Columbarium

As noted in the February 2009 VFW Magazine, page 8, Arlington National Cemetery has opened its "ninth outdoor structure for entombing cremated remains...This columbarium is six feet tall and close to half a mile long. The outdoor wall will contain some 6,500 remains."

The article goes on to note that in 2011, "Arlington County will exchange a 4.3-acre parcel of land with the federal government, providing up to 3,440 new burial sites. An acre can accommodate between 600 and 800 graves."  

Heavily Invested

The Republic of South Korea is planning a celebration for the sixtieth anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.  Sponsored by the Armed Forces Association, it is to be held on Armed Forces Day (1 October 2010) at Seongnam, near Seoul.

In the past sixty years the ROK armed forces have grown into a highly sophisticated and efficient force which stands ready to protect its nation from the potential harm that still looms across the 38^th Parallel.  This could not have been possible without the help provided by the United States, which is still heavily invested in South Korea. For more information check out the Joint Force Quarterly.

Senior Fellow Paul M. Edwards

Missouri Conference on History

I wanted to take a moment to mention a great local (that is, relative to the Center for the Study of the Korean War!) conference: the 51st Annual Missouri Conference on History.

Hosted by the Missouri State University Department of History and held in Springfield, Missouri, this jewel of a conference always has interesting topics and speakers. This year's keynote speaker Kerby Miller, Curators’ Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is addressing “Irish” and “Scotch-Irish” in Ireland and America: Only “Two Traditions”?

This conference will be held April 15-17, 2009, in Springfield University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, includes a variety of speakers presenting on a wide range of interesting topics, including: “Rethinking Atomic Euphoria in Bavaria: Josef Baumgartner’s Campaign Against Munich’s Atomic Research Reactor, 1953-1957” from Kyle Miller, University of Missouri; “The Purple Cross Society” by the Center's own Paul M. Edwards, Graceland University; “My Brother’s Keeper: World War II Prisoners of War and the German and Italian Communities in Missouri” by Derek R. Mallett, Texas A&M University; “A New Perspective on Meriwether Lewis’s Death” by Thomas C. Danisi, Independent Scholar; and more.

The web site (linked above) is maintained by the State Historical Society of Missouri, another great organization that we at the Center have always had a lot of respect for.