John's Open Letters Vol. 1 #34 - THIS IS NOT A FAREWELL

August 25, 2002

It has been almost a year since I started to seek the truth about the KWVA for the benefit of its Members. Some have called me an activist, among other things, with a personal crusade to do good and hope that some in the elected seats would see the light and do the right thing. What I found was complete lack of respect for average Members and complete disregard for fairness and decorum.

Non-Board Members are being told only what the elected officers want them to hear. This is propaganda in its purest form. A good example was the one-sided information on the election that was printed in the Graybeards. Please do not get me wrong. I think the overall layout of the magazine is worthy of consideration for being one of the finest veterans publications being printed. Mr. Krepps played his favorites by allowing Mr. Coon and his supporters to use it for their personal advantage and against the opposition candidates by not allowing them equal access. The last time I heard of this happening was in Russia where there was only "one" person running for office and anyone who dared violate the dictatorial doctrine was banished to the salt mines or the firing squad. Opposition parties also had no freedom of the press.

What is happening to the KWVA? When I write something I am labeled a trouble-maker and I am threatened with expulsion or a possible slander suit. Then Wiedhahn wants to silence my Open letters. Who in the hell do these so-called "leaders of the good members" think they are?

There was no fair play when letters were sent out to the Members to support Coon and "his" gang using KWVA labels with the Members' numbers on them. Who pays for this? Does the Financial Statement show the cost and reimbursement to our treasury? Was this fairness? Now I am a trouble-maker for writing about it.

Now again we will be represented by Coon and his hip pocket associates for the next two years. Never in my life have I felt so sorry as I do now for the Members of the KWVA.

An example of the great "administrating" of Mr. Coon was the reservations for the Jan. 2002 Meeting in Las Vegas. His personal use of a local (his home town) Travel Agency for all of the Members who were to attend the Meeting was another poor example of the leadership in the KWVA. Through the efforts of Jerry Lake and myself, by inquiring as to the lower available rates and the fact you did not have to go through Coon's selected Agency, the result was a lower room rate for attending Members. When someone says "you can only make your reservations for your room in Las Vegas through Smith Agency", I wonder why that Agency was selected. Vegas welcomes all who make their own personal reservations. I speak from personal experience. The meeting was poorly attended, and by many of those attending, it was called a disaster.

Now you had the election and a subsequent reunion where there was no quorum for a General Meeting. Because there has not been a legal quorum for several years all this will hopefully be corrected in Branson in October by lowering the number of required Members in attendance to seventy-five. I am sure you could get one hundred paid Members if you had your National Meetings in some Chapters' meeting places and who knows, maybe there would be new ideas for the good of the KWVA from some of these good Members. From the reunion costs it appears to be a waste of the Members' money to have it in a large exclusive hotel or resort area.

Coon may have won a large percentage of supporters in the election but this is but a hollow victory and can only cause further division in the ranks of the KWVA. The future will prove it. The leadership lacks in proper decorum, fairness and compassion for the Members. This is not what a veterans organization is supposed to be.

While searching for the truth I have received many hundreds of e-mails of support and comments as to what was wrong in the KWVA. Since the election my e-mails have become a trickle instead of the flood it was in the past. I will not be writing just my own feelings for it would appear to be a one-man crusade against all that is wrong. I will be leaving this up to you, the Members, for I am going to take a break from my dedicated feelings and do some much needed reading and book writing.

I am always glad to hear from the many who feel like I do and if I am called again, I will serve to the best of my ability, for the good of the KWVA. I will not just fade away, and hopefully I will not have to listen to all the insulting language about me and some of my friends.

The latest Graybeards show an opening for a Directorship. I am sure it will be filled by the Candidate who received the next most votes, namely Jim Ferris. That was how Michael Mahoney was appointed to the Board.

One last thing, when Warren Wiedhahn questions whether I have a mental deficiency, surely that does not say much for his character. He has no compassion, especially for someone with a physical disability. I doubt whether he has a soul. Someone asked me who he was in business with. It should be available under the Freedom of Information Act.

With my only contact having been by phone and the electronic conveniences I feel I have had the good fortune to know many great Korean War Veterans that I otherwise would not get to know.

Now I will just say, "So long for a while". God bless you all. I remain a dedicated Member of the KWVA.

Respectfully, John Kronenberger