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The Ferret

Ken Buckley of Bangor, Maine, thought he was officially retired from the newspaper business, but that changed in August of 2003 when he took on the job as editor of "The Ferret"—an informative flyer targeted to an audience of Korean War Veterans Association members "who know little or nothing about what is transpiring in the executive branch of the KWVA." The flyer, packed with the Judge Advocate’s statement, pictures of the KWVA headquarters, and Harley Coon’s statement that he plans to run for a fourth term of office, is now being distributed to KWVA chapters and individuals who request a copy from Ken Buckley, 207 Forest Avenue, Bangor Maine 04401. {A donation to help defray publishing and postage expenses would not go amiss, he notes, but it is not a requirement to receive a copy of The Ferret.}

Buckley said that he has been awakened to the fact that there are two KWVA’s. He said there is "the one run by Harley Coon" and the other "run by Chapters of which the National has little use." He commented, "If chapter presidents and members of chapters were to adjust their sights and take a closer look at what is happening, and what has happened, perhaps the national might try to straighten out: (1) a president who believes he is above the by-laws and can hold the presidency as long as he deems fit; and (2) a magazine that is controlled by the president who decides what should be published regardless of the editor’s wishes. It is Harley Coon’s empire."

He tells the Korean War Educator that he named his new flyer, "The Ferret" for good reason. "Ferrets dig, search, and investigate intensively," he said. "There are other definitions, some not quite so placid." The former editor of a newspaper called the "Weekly Express", Buckley knocked out a prototype of The Ferret in letterhead size. Although he is not used to working with such a small sheet, he said that a small sheet has its advantages. "There was a ton of material to be used, and little space to put it, but I just wedged as much in as possible. Even if this is the first and only edition, we can use it as a flyer and continue to mail it to chapters as we get more money. Poverty actually works to our benefit. The small size will allow us to use a small postage rate—no more than .37 anyway. We’ll take all contributions—editorial and financial. Someone said that it’s a lot of work, but it will be worth if we can inform people who know nothing about what is happening to the national organization. Some members don’t want to hear the distaff side. They’re quite content. That’s their privilege. Unfortunately, it’s like the taxpayers who moan and groan, but don’t vote."

Buckley isn’t pleased with Harley Coon’s, "blatant contempt for anyone who would seek answers about the national, and his complete disregard for the by-laws as interpreted by Sherman Pratt, who is the KWVA’s Judge Advocate." In addition, Buckley said, "Vincent Krepps [editor of The Graybeards magazine] displays complete disdain toward anyone who would ask a question. His latest answer to some questions I asked was, ‘Go to hell. You’ve never done anything or attended any meetings.’" Angry at these outbursts from national, Buckley points out, "Obviously he [Krepps] and Coon are unaware that the treasury didn’t just magically appear. It was the dues from members who joined chapters nationwide and swelled the coffers. These chapters were created by individuals who joined chapters nationwide and swelled the coffers. These chapters were created by individuals who fully respected Bill Norris’s work in creating the KWVA. We have been through some miserable times – a treasurer who absconded with our money, lack of a national charter, and other things which are too painful to list. Hopefully, if members know what the Round Table is about, they might reconsider their loyalty, although I’m sure some would prefer to keep their blinders on."


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