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Newsletter - December 14, 2001
https://www.koreanwar.org/html/newsletter_december_14_2001.html
This issue dedicated to:
Bryan K. Barker Aug 16, 1975 - Jan 5, 1999
A wonderful son, nephew, and brother... we miss you! RIP
Ted Barker - Hal Barker - Zac Barker
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December 2001 Newsletter
===========================================================Table of Contents
1. Special Report On The Project - Year in Review
2. Christmas 2000 revisited - Shank's Booties (Dec 25, 1950)
3. Jan 31 1994 - Dec 2001 - TAPS - the Final Salute
4. Looking For - Korea
6. Johnson's List - Tiger Survivors
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1. Special Report On The Project - Year in Review
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This has been a busy year for the Project. The year included
our moving to new digs in May and all the preparation to
move the ISP-internet service provider along with the new
location.
As of May 2nd 2001 the KWP increased it's ability to service
our site visitors with a much larger "pipeline", going from
a 128k ISDN telephone connection to an equivalent of a major
service provider at 1.1 megabyte per second connection. The
new service is with XO.COM and COVAD.
That connection allows much faster web browsing for our
viewers.
At the very same time as the move, the KWP was in the
process of officially launching our
"Finding the Families"
initiative to assist the Dpt of Defense Service Branch
Casualty Offices in locating family members to donate DNA
samples for possible identification of remains.
Personal thanks go out to Megan Smolenyak who authored
several online and print articles in genealogical
newsletters (rootsweb, genweb) about the Finding the
Families program.
Those articles aired on May 1st and 2nd bringing thousands
of new persons to the KWP web site in just three days.
The official announcement of the new initiative was made on
Memorial Day 2001 with our press release, the Associated
Press story and dozens of Television, Radio and newspaper
articles.
Jamie Stengel, Dallas office of the AP, is to be thanked for
the great AP story of May 28th.
Daren Kagan of CNN is to be thanked for the May 29th live
interview on CNN. Thanks to her producers in Washington, DC
for reading the AP story!!
Since Spt. 11th, the KWP has been able to survive hackers
who defaced the site on the 12th and again on the 18th when
the Nimda virus destroyed 5 of our six computers and also
defaced many dozens of our web pages.
The many thousands of messages (to Hal and I) relating to
our Tribute for the tragedy of Spt. 11th at the Pentagon,
New York and Pennsylvania have been most welcome.
In Spt and Oct, we found so many of our site visitors
directly involved in the tragedy with personal loss. Many of
you have either worked on location or know someone, either
family or friend, who have done so.
Many more of our site visitors are on active duty around the
world, and no doubt, some of those have been posted to the
Middle East or in support of the war in Afghanistan.
We continue to focus our thoughts on those serving in the
military and to all who have been affected by the events and
aftermath of Spt 11, 2001.
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2. Christmas 2000 revisited - Shank's Booties (Dec 25, 1950)
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Last Dec (2000), Dave Hughes (Col USA Ret) a former US Army
officer, 7th Cavalry Rgt, Korea 1950-51, allowed Hal and I
to feature one of his published stories, "Shank's Booties".
Col Hughes was a member of the USMA class of 1950 and one
of the first of his class to hit the dirt in Korea arriving
in mid-July of 1950.
We published the story via our newsletter email listing and
sent it out to all of you. Little did Dave, Hal or I realize
the impact the story would make on our audience.
Almost immediately the email flooded in to Hal and I and to
our pen pal, Dave Hughes.
Hundreds upon hundreds of you were touched by the story.
Many dozens of you wrote back with your own memories of that
cold winter time over 50 years ago and those responses
touched both Hal and I very much.
Today, we want to revisit Christmas 1950 by featuring Col
Hughes' wonderful story again. On top of that, I hope to get
closer to finding the Lt.and his son to see how his life has
turned out.
It is with great honor that we direct your attention to:
Christmas 1950 - Shank's Booties
https://www.koreanwar.org/html/christmas_day_2000.html
Hal and I dedicate this to all those who served in Korea.
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3. Jan 31 1994 - Dec 2001 - TAPS - the Final Salute
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Hal and I went online in late January of 1994, getting the
web site up and running in early 1995.
During all of that time we have been blessed to get to know
many veterans of the war in Korea as well as veterans who
served along the DMZ or in Korea after the truce.
Most of our contact with the vets or their families has been
by mail, email or phone conversation. Of course, Hal gets to
travel to the annual reunion of his pals of the Korean War
Branch of the 23rd Inf Rgt / 23RCT, getting to see his pals.
Part of making friends is also saying goodbye to those who
pass on from this life. The "Hello's" are easy, the "Good
Bye" is not.
Today, we want to make a public "Good Bye" to many or our
correspondents, some vets and some family or friends.
If you are family, friend, or fellow veteran of someone who
served in Korea and would also like to give your respects,
consider leaving a tribute on our Looking For department of
the site for his unit.
Anyone is welcome to post and to leave as much or as little
personal information as you choose. Anonymous posting can be
made, if desired.
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4. Looking For - Korea
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Our Looking For section of the web site originated as a
result of email and phone inquiries from vets and family,
starting
just after the web site went online in mid-Feb of 1995.
Ted either hand typed or "cut-pasted" the messages to
manually produced unit areas from Feb 1995 thru June of
1999. Fortunately, those areas were semi-automated around
that time, allowing users to post directly.
We still have a long ways to go for that area, specifically
for the UN Forces, POW Camps, and many units not yet
represented to include the Coast Guard. Recent progress
includes several Navy units added. Much more work is needed.
The section is divided into departments by service branch
for the period between June 1950 and July 27th 1953.
The DMZ period which we call DMZ Veterans includes only a
general time period of service, not divided by branch or
command.
Korean War era messages are located in our CONUS and Other
Command section for inquiries ranging from Germany to
Okinawa and beyond.
DMZ Vets are busy trying to get more recognition of their
service as many of you have seen. The section that relates
to our pals of the KDVA- The Korea Defense Veterans Alliance
can be seen in this all important area of DMZ Veterans.
The UN Forces section includes messages for British,
Canadian, or as they were called, Commonwealth Forces, as
well as all the other allies.
NOTE: do let us know of units/ships, etc not yet listed and
which served in the war zone or in direct support for the
time period of July 1950 through July 1953. Every effort
to create a unit page will be made.
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6. Johnson's List - Tiger Survivor's - The TV Program
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I am glad to report that in May of 2002, the 27th, a long
delayed film about Johnnie Johnson and the Tiger's will be
aired on the History Channel.
From Shorty Estabrook (Shorty the Tiger)
Warm holiday greetings to you all.
As you know Johnny Johnson of the Tiger Survivors kept a
list in camp and was awarded the Silver Star Medal for doing
that. A film company made a documentary called the
"Johnson's List". This film company was hired by Readers
Digest , who decided after the film was made, to shelve the
entire project. Jonathan Grupher is the producer of the
film and has been trying very hard to do something with the
film. The film has won several film awards.
Now I find out that "Johnson's List" will air on the History
Channel on May 27, 2002 at 8PM EST.
(Check local listings) It will be part of a series called,
"This Week In History."
Happy holidays
Shorty the Tiger
Visit the Tiger's web site at:
https://www.tigersurvivors.org/
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Thanks to all of you for helping make the Korean War Project
successful.
Regards,
Hal and Ted Barker
hbarker@kwp.org tbarker@kwp.org
Korean War Project
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