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The Official Newsletter of the
Shenandoah Valley Chapter #313
Korean War Veterans Association
Volume 14, Issue 08
Paul E. Bombardier, Editor
August, 2021
COMMANDER'S COMMENTS
Lew Ewing
At our July meeting we were pleased to have the opportunity to thank and say goodbye to LtCol. Park, the Deputy Defense Attaché at the Republic of Korea Embassy. LtCol. Park’s tour of duty at the Embassy ended at the end of July as he will be returning to Korea to assume the command of a ROK Marine Corps Battalion on an island off the northwest coast of South Korea near the 38th parallel.
LtCol. Park has been with us for the past three years and in that time he has been a tremendous help to all of the Korean veterans, especially our Chapter. He has always been ready and willing to help us with any and all of our needs, especially, providing bus transportation for us to travel to the Northern Virginia/Washington, D. C. area to participate in numerous events that we would not have been able to attend without his assistance.
We presented him with a, one of a
kind, hand carved cane made by a US Navy veteran, John Kennedy, who lives in the Lake Frederick subdivision. We also presented him with a “Certificate of Appreciation” for all of his help.
We will miss LtCol. Park, however, we wish him and his family well as he assumes his new post in Korea.
Unfortunately, we will also be losing M/Gen. Pyo who will be returning to Korea in December following his five-and-one-half year assignment as the Defense Attaché at the Embassy. He will leave as the longest tenured Defense Attaché to has served at the Embassy. He was scheduled to leave two years ago but, thankfully, he received a two-year extension, however, we will not be so lucky to see that happen again. Over the years, we have had some very outstanding Defense Attaches’ a the ROK Embassy, however, I think we all would agree that M/Gen Pyo stands head and shoulders above them all. M/Gen Pyo and his wife, Cathy, have become close, personal friends and they have been outstanding good-will ambassadors for their country. I hope that we will have the opportunity to thank them appropriately before they leave the Embassy, either at our Chapter picnic on September 19th or at a dinner later in the year. I will be working on that.
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