The first to fight remember the fallen
Korean War vets travel to Hawaii, Korea
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter
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It's been a busy year for Sal Schillaci and Kenneth Fentner.

The two Korean War veterans have facilitated the creation of a monument dedicated to the 24th Infantry Division, who served during World War II, the Korean War and the Gulf War. They traveled to Hawaii to see that monument placed at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and they participated in a return tour of Korea.

All in the name of recognizing those who died.

The division was activated in 1941 before the U.S. entered World War II. The Hawaii-based division was on hand to combat the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

As a result of its placement, the division had a high number of fallen soldiers in the Pacific but previously had no physical representation in memorial form in Hawaii.

"It's the only monument dedicated to the 24th division," said Fentner, an East Amherst resident.

But the process to get the monument there was arduous.

With limited funds consisting only of private contributions, the vets spent most of their time looking for ways to cut costs.

The plaque was designed by Danielle Rickert, granddaughter of Dan Rickert, who was chairman of the monument committee, and the vets found Larry Jones, a professor at Saddleback College in California, who produced it at a discounted price.

The Lackawanna-based Stone Art contacted Rock of Ages Quarry in Barre, Vt., which provided the granite for the plaque's mounting. The monument was then completed and dedicated in January.

Idalia Sebregas, district manager of DHL Global Forwarding, arranged for the monument to be shipped from Buffalo to Hawaii, free of charge to the veterans.

"One company wanted $4,500," Schillaci said. "That would have broken the bank. Another wouldn't even talk to us."

The monument finally found its way to the "Punchbowl," as the National Memorial Cemetery is known, and was dedicated on July 25.

"It's a satisfying thing," said Schillaci, who is from Eggertsville. "It's bringing recognition to what a lot of brave men did, so collectively they are not forgotten."

"Some people can come and get closure now," Fentner added.

The "Punchbowl," is in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, and is the resting place of more than 45,000 soldiers.

"It's on the rim of a dormant volcano, and most vets are buried in the bowl," Schillaci said. "So it's overlooking the graves of the veterans below. There's a serenity about the place that's fitting."

After returning from Hawaii, Schillaci and Fentner prepared to embark on another trip: a return to Korea.

The South Korean Veterans Association provides the opportunity for any veteran from any country to return to Korea and tour the country.

"They give four or five tours a year," Fentner said. "So we filled out the forms and gave them a $300 deposit."

Fentner and Schillaci were in Korea from Sept. 9 through 16.

There were about 200 people in the tour group that included Schillaci and Fentner and had members from France, Canada, Switzerland and the Philippines.

"It was like our own U.N.," Fentner said.

Fentner and Schillaci both served in Korea, Fentner during the summers of 1952 and 1953 and Schillaci in 1952.

"The 24th was stationed in Japan when the war started so they were the first ones in at Osan," Fentner said. "They really took a beating because they were outnumbered. Then other countries came in to help."

The veterans had to pay only for their plane trip to Korea. All transportation, tours and food was paid for by the veteran's association in Korea.

More than 50,000 Americans and 150,000 Koreans died in the Korean War, which took place between 1950 and 1953.

Schillaci and Fentner's group visited significant war sites at Inchon and Pusan. They attended a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of U.S. forces landing at Inchon on Sept. 15, 1950.

"The people over there are very warm and friendly," Schillaci said. "They'll come up to you and shake your hand and thank you."

Schillaci and Fentner also related stories of their encounters with school children who wanted the vets to pose for pictures while on school trips to historical sites.

"The government wants their children to be aware of what their country went through," Schillaci said. "It was a very rewarding trip."

"It's like night and day," Fentner added. "It's been 50 years since we'd been there."

For Schillaci and Fentner, this year has been about remembering and making sure future generations remember those who fought and died.

As President John F. Kennedy said, "A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers."