Unanswered Questions

The following questions were asked by Lynnita Brown of the Korean War Educator to Harley Coon, President of the KWVA, via Don Finch's KWVA Ad Hoc Message Board. To date, Coon has not answered any of the questions.

(1) Would you please tell me whether or not it is possible for me to get an unedited copy of the minutes of each of the Executive Council Meetings that have been held since you have been in office? (I know that portions of the minutes appear in Graybeards, but I need the unedited version.) Naturally, I am not referring to minutes of any closed-door meetings. I would be quite willing to pay to have the copies made. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation. - Lynnita Brown, 111 E. Houghton St., Tuscola, IL 61953. Ph. 217-253-4620.

(2) Harley, I just pulled a back issue of Graybeards from my office library shelf. In checking published executive council meeting minutes, I see that the names of persons who made and seconded motions are listed. However, the names of the directors and how they voted on a particular issue are not listed. Discussions on the subject are also not detailed. I understand that, for the sake of space consideration, the full text of minutes cannot be published in the Graybeards. That is why I asked about "unedited" minutes. I, for one, want to know how each individual director voted on the various motions brought before the council. It stands to reason that if an individual director votes against (or in sync with) the wishes of his or her constituents in the KWVA, that could be a deciding factor on the election outcome if the director in question runs for office again in the future. I understand the importance of corrected minutes, but I still want to know if unedited minutes are available to the membership?

(3) In the May/June 2003 issue of Graybeards, the operating expenses listed insurance at a cost of $14,174.00. What type of insurance is it? (What does the insurance cover?)

(4) Is a rental fee now -- or has it ever been -- charged to the Korean War Veterans Association for any portion of the property at 4120 Industrial Lane, Beavercreek, Ohio? If it is/has, who receives(d) the rental fee?

(5) I request again a copy of the corrected, but unedited version of the minutes that contain information about who voted for what. Thank you. - Lynnita

(6) I'm trying to find info about the Educational Grant Corporation of the KWVA. When and why was it started? Is it a separate non-profit from the KWVA? If yes, has anyone ever seen its financial reports or its 990 Tax Form? Is there a list of grant recipients? Who are its officers and board members? Does anyone associated with the Educational Grant Corporation get salary money? If yes, who and how much? When are grant requests accepted? Who makes the decisions on the recipients? When are the grant winners announced (annually, quarterly)?

(7) I still need to know the name of the insurance company that the KWVA is paying insurance money to, and the nature of the insurance.

(8) I also need to know if any rent money was ever paid for the "national headquarters" at 4120 Industrial Lane, Beavercreek, Ohio. If yes, to whom was it paid and when, and what were the increments of payment?

(9) I want to know who was responsible for the fake photo of the national headquarters that was published in the Graybeards last year? Who doctored the picture to trick the members into believing that the national headquarters looked like that? Was it Harley Coon, since it was his building? Or was it Vincent Krepps, who is the editor of Graybeards? Was it someone else? Was it a joint effort? If yes, who were the collaborators in the scam?

(10) Harley, does the KWVA currently have an internal audit committee? If yes, who is on it?

(11) It is my understanding (according to Judge Joe Cunningham--a retired Illinois Supreme Court Judge) that there is a 10-year statute of limitations on insurance claims in the state of Illinois. If this is true, has the KWVA considered refiling its insurance claim for the second partial recovery of money lost due to the Maison theft? (Like the VA, often times insurance companies will do their best to avoid paying what is rightfully due.)

(12) After you became president of the KWVA in 1998, what steps did you personally take as president to make sure the board continued its efforts to recover the lost Maison money for the KWVA prior to the insurance claim deadline?

(13) What are the current committees of the KWVA? Are the names of each of the members of the various KWVA committees available? If yes, who has them?

(14) Did the KWVA fund and/or sponsor the Miami Valley Express ball team with Goodwill money? If yes, why? If no, what exactly is "Miami Valley Express Advertisement" and what is its connection to the Korean War?

(15) Why did the KWVA give Goodwill money to Joseph House? I realize that Joseph House does good things, but what is its connection with the Korean War?

(16) I have repeatedly asked you about obtaining copies of "unedited" minutes, clarifying to you that I am referring to that version of the minutes that tells the members of the board of directors and the membership of the KWVA who voted for what. I am not seeking minutes that have not been corrected. I am seeking minutes that are corrected, but that do not have that pertinent information edited out of them.

(17) Does the KWVA still own any quartermaster items?

(18) If yes, is there an inventory of the items? Where are the items on the inventory stored?

(19) Specifically who compiled the inventory, when was it done, and by what method were the items inventoried?

(20) It is my understanding that John Maison was the quartermaster when he was indicted in federal court a few years ago. At the time he was quartermaster, where were the quartermaster supplies kept? Who authorized the removal of the supplies from Maison's control? How, when, and who moved the supplies from out of Maison's control? To where were they moved and then stored? Who had access to these moved and stored items? Have they been moved again since they were originally moved from southern Illinois? If yes, to where were they moved and who moved them? Who then had access to them?

(21) If the KWVA still owns quartermaster items, who is the quartermaster?

(22) When items are sold, where does the quartermaster money go within the treasury?

(23) Does the KWVA keep receipts for each item sold from the quartermaster inventory? If yes, where are the receipts stored? If not, why not?

(24) If there are--or have been--no receipts, how is the amount of income from the sale of KWVA quartermaster merchandise known and documented for the annual federal 990 tax form?

(25) If the KWVA no longer owns quartermaster items, how and to whom was the stock liquidated, and who authorized the liquidation?

(26) If the stock was sold, who purchased it and what was the selling price? What were the terms of payment? What sort of paperwork is available that documents the sale, and is it possible for a member of the KWVA to request a copy of that document? If yes, to whom should the request be made?

(27) Was Ken Cook, a national director of the KWVA, authorized to be the KWVA quartermaster on July 23, 2002, when he wrote an insufficient funds check to Eagle Awards & Trophy Co., Cortlandt Manor, New York?

(28) Is Danville Consolidated Credit Union account number 830555 (the account on which the bad check was written) an account owned by the Korean War Veterans Association, Inc? If yes, why did the $286.25 check of an organization with hundreds of thousands of dollars in its treasury bounce?

(29) If Account #830555 is not owned by the Korean War Veterans Association, who owns that account?

(30) Who authorized the words, "KWVA Quartermaster, 1511 N. Michigan Avenue, Danville, IL", to be printed at the top of checks on Account #830555 if that account is not owned by the KWVA?

(31) Are members of the national KWVA board of directors conducting an internal investigation into this matter to determine whether or not there has been unauthorized use of the Korean War Veterans Association name for non-KWVA business transactions? If yes, what is the status on the progess of this investigation? If no internal investigation is being conducted regarding the insufficient funds check to Eagles Awards & Trophy under the name "KWVA Quartermaster", why isn't it?