Welcome Home
Korea ASA Veterans
Road to Topside
Photo contributed by Arnold Metzger
Ferry between Kangwha & mainland
Contributed by Jim Feiler
Trick Truck Landing
Charles Lessig and Corky standing beside trick truck. Photo contributed by Charles Lessig.
Kangwha City Market Day, 1962
Contributed by Tom Kranig
Lower Compound and road to Topside, 1964
Contributed by Dennis Lawhorn
Lower Compound and Road to Topside, 1967
Base camp 1961. Photo contributed by George Greyhek.
Ferry loading
Contributed by Jim Tally
Party on Patio
Contributed By Jim Feiler
Guard Shack 1960-61
Contributed by George Grayhek
History of KWD Veterans Group
The Beginning
In 2001, three veterans who had served on Kanghwa-do in the mid-1960s began an exploration of Yahoo Groups. They were hopeful that it could serve as a vehicle for re-connecting with other Kanghwa-Do veterans with whom they had served. By early January 2002, they felt comfortable with the Yahoo site. From memory, they created a list of names to contact and invite for membership. By the end of January 2002, 10 veterans had joined the new Group. Five of these original members remain active in the Group, four are deceased and one is inactive. As new members joined, they remembered other names and by early spring the Group had grown to over 50 members and planning for a reunion began in earnest. E-mail discussion blossomed during this period. There also was great excitement as plans for a reunion developed. Reunion 1 (R-1) was held in Pensacola, Florida October 25-27, 2002 with 17 members in attendance. A business meeting was conducted on Sunday morning. Topics discussed included creating a more formal structure of the organization, creation of a website due to limitations of Yahoo Groups and creation of the office of Treasurer and approval of dues.
Highlights
2005 – R-2 was held in Las Vegas, NV. Eight members plus spouses attended. 2006 – Bylaws were voted on and approved by the membership 2007 – Officers to serve two-year terms were elected constituting an Executive Committee. R-3 was held in Laurel, MD and 34 members attended plus spouses. 2009 – R-4 was held in Orlando, FL. with 25 members attending plus spouses. Officer election held. 2011 – R-5 was held in San Antonio, TX. with 21 members attending plus spouses Officer election. 2013 – R-6 was held in Kansas City, OK. with 24 members plus spouses. Officers elected 2015 – R-7 was held in Westford, MA. Election of Officers was held. 2016 – Monthly newsletter started for both electronic and snail mail subscribers. 2017 – A new website came online. Transition from Yahoo began. - R-8 was held in Seattle, WA. with 29 members plus spouses attending. 2018 – New email listserv came online in the new website. Use of Yahoo was discontinued. 2019 - Snuffy Smith Memorial Cemetery was created. A virtual cemetery, it honors and lists all known Kangwha-Do veterans who are deceased. - R-9 was held in Dayton, Ohio with 38 members plus spouses attending. 2020 – Membership stands at 138 paid members – an all time high.