Korean War veterans honored in Houston
Korean War veterans Allan Bunner, left, and Louis Snodgrass, both of Washington, look at photos and reminisce following a ceremony in which they received the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal.
Korean War veteran Louis Snodgrass, right, looks at the Korean Ambassador for Peace medal he received during a ceremony Thursday at Houston American Legion Post 902.
U.S. Army Sgt. Allan Bunner during the Korean War
Korean War veterans Allan Bunner, left, and Louis Snodgrass, both of Washington, look at photos and reminisce following a ceremony in which they received the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal.
HOUSTON – Ten Korean War veterans received the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal Thursday from the Republic of South Korea, thanking them for their service in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
Four of the servicemen were awarded the medal posthumously as state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, and Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s state director, National Guard Reserves Col. Robert DeSousa, presented the medals at American Legion Post 902 in Houston.
“This was a bipartisan effort, something so seldom seen in politics. Thank you to Sen. Toomey and his staff for reaching out to South Korea and helping secure these medals. We are unfortunately losing Korean War veterans every day. But we want to hear your stories, so that we never forget how you kept us safe and helped free a country,” Neuman said.
The deceased soldiers honored were Allen Chester Linder Jr., an Army sergeant; William Johnson Flynn, an Army corporal; Harry Frank Loveland Jr., an Army sergeant; and John Sopoci, an Army sergeant. Some of the honored veterans in attendance felt it was a job unfinished.
“It makes me feel important, and that we did a good job to receive this. But it’s not done. They (North Korea and South Korea) never signed a treaty. We should have made the whole country, both North and South Korea, free, but they signed a truce, so they gave up,” said Lou Snodgrass, who served as a sergeant in the Army.
Richard Mohr said that as a former Marine corporal – the only Marine in the honored group – he would “help anyone.”
Others commented on the realities of living through war. “I was glad to get out of there,” said John Henry Golna, a former Army sergeant. “I lived in a bunker for nine months. It was a great duty, but I was tickled to return to the United States.”
Allan Bunner, who served as a sergeant in the Army, got emotional recalling the war. “That was 64 years ago, and I was 20 years old then. And I was just telling my son, I think of all those other 20-year-olds who didn’t get to live to 64. It was rough. Extremely hot and extremely cold; you’d have to take your socks off to let them dry on your chest so your feet wouldn’t freeze off. But this honor – it’s beautiful. I’m proud of the people of South Korea. They appreciated the sacrifices that we made … In fact, I bought a Hyundai – best car I’ve ever had.”
James Pintar, who served as an Army private, said the medal was a great honor. He had difficulty remembering specifics, but he recalled how he felt. “I was shaky when I first got there, as a lot of guys were. I was there for a year deployment. I was glad to honor my country,” Pintar said.
John J. Heslin Jr., who was a specialist in the Army, introduced his name in cadence with a marching song and even sang portions of the South Korean national anthem. “Looking back, I see how fortunate those people were to have a beautiful city rebuilt in Seoul,” Heslin said, “but North Korea is still not free. Their leader is scary.”
There were local stories to tell, too. Bunner and Snodgrass both went to Washington High School, graduating in 1950 before going to basic training. However, they were dispatched to separate divisions in the Army. Snodgrass also recalled how he recently became engaged to his girlfriend from before the war, Peg Flynn, after the two were each married to different people for over 50 years.
“We tore up the dollar bill, you know, saying we were going to piece it back together when I came back. But life went on, I came back, married a girl from Pittsburgh. I became a widower, and that Facebook, it’s a wonderful thing. I looked her up and sent her a friend request,” Snodgrass said.
“And that was the quickest I ever accepted an invite,” Flynn said, “and we got to catching up like it was old times. Now, we both live at Presbyterian SeniorCare.”