CHOSIN RESERVOIR DETACHMENT #968 MARINE CORPS LEAGUE THE CHOSIN NEWS VOLUME XIV, ISSUE 3 SEMPER FIDELIS ---- ALWAYS FAITHFUL MARCH 2009

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1 VOLUME XIV, ISSUE 3 SEMPER FIDELIS ---- ALWAYS FAITHFUL MARCH 2009 DETACHM ENT OFFICERS Commandant: Frank Hetzer Cell: Sr Vice: Terry Consider Jr Vice: Steve Griffith Paymaster: Fred Renton Adjutant: Frank DePaul Judge Advocate: Vern Flannery Chaplain: Chris Schott Jr Sgt-at-Arms: Timothy Plurien Trustees: 3 year - Mike Miller 2 year - Walter Golladay 1 year - Tom Schauf Editor, Publisher, Web Sgt and NCOIC Casket Funeral Guard: Walter D Golladay 113 Citation Court Loveland, OH Cell: LovelandMarine@aol.com Back issues from SEP 2006 are available upon request to Editor INSIDE THIS ISSUE: JOHN H. FLACK 1 CPL, USMCR Chosin Reservoir Det 1 Casket & Funeral Guard Meeting Minutes 2-3 Significant Events in John H. Flack 5-8 Kermitt U. Thompson 9 Philip D. Graham 10 CY 2008 Ohio Income Tax Alert 11 We Brought Them Home 12 U.S. Flags at Cost, and 13 Commercial Advertisements Farewell Marines 14 JOHN H. FLACK Corporal - Lieutenant - Colonel On Friday, 23 January 2009, World War II & Korean War Combat Marine John H. Flack was laid to rest in Indianapolis, IN. At his funeral, John wore the dress blues of his oldest son Bob, a fellow Marine and Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) Officer. A large CUP OF Joe - chosin reservoir number of family members, fellow Marines and by john flack, cpl, usmcr Corpsmen, IPD Officers, close friends and well ww ii, no. china & korea wishers assembled to pay their final respects. While serving in the Marines, John attained the rank of Corporal; while serving with the IPD, he would attain the rank of Lieutenant before retiring; and while serving with the Indiana Guard Reserve, he would attain the rank of Colonel before retiring. Marines from the Inspector Instructor Staff, 4th Marine Division, Indianapolis, provided full military honors. Five grandsons and a brother-in-law would carry his casket. Before Master Sergeant John Lund presented John s folded Flag to his widow Audrey, he would insert spent shell casings from the Firing Detail into the Flag. Later that afternoon as the family gathered at John s home to celebrate his life, Audrey would remove the shell casings from his Flag and give one shell casing to each adult grandchild. What a joy it was for each of them to receive so memorable and honorable a gift. Chosin Reservoir Detachment Casket & Funeral Guard Cpl John Flack, at a machine gun, with the 1st Marine Division. From film taken during the Battle of Okinawa, Japan. In October 2008, Marines in the Chosin Reservoir Detachment volunteered to form a Casket & Funeral Guard Unit -- for Marine only funerals in the area. On 6 and 14 February, the Casket & Funeral Guard was honored to serve during the Visitation Periods for Staff Sergeant Kermitt U. Thompson, USMC, and Sergeant Philip D. Graham, USMC, both from Middletown, Ohio. Unit Policies and Procedures are available upon request to the Editor. Semper Fidelis! The Editor Page -1-

2 U. S. MARINE JOHN H. FLACK War vet and local painter dies at 81 Kevin Rader / KRader@wthr.com Channel 13 / Eyewitness News / Updated: Jan 22, :31 PM EST Indianapolis - Friends and family are paying their last respects to an Indianapolis veteran of two wars, and one of the most decorated officers in IMPD's history. John Flack died Monday at the age of 81. Pallbearers for Marine John Flack include his grandsons (l-to-r) Ray Sullivan, Ben Flack, John Flack, Coy Sullivan, brother-in-law Bob Prescott, and Eric Schenkel. A few years ago, Eyewitness News met John Flack and his brush with history while serving his country, his city and his passion. This is his story. It may seem unusual but outside of Washington, DC, Indianapolis is home to more war memorials than any other American city. They stand in memory of those who gave their lives and for those who remember. If these memories are not preserved, then who will remember and retell the stories about World War Two? John Flack told us about being surrounded by 100,000 Chinese troops in Korea. "And the colonel says good. Don't let them get away. And he meant it," said Flack. Flack remembered lying about his age when he was sixteen to serve during Following the funeral, Tom & Jeannie Flack, and Walter Golladay await the pallbearers carrying Marine John Flack. Page -5-

3 WWII. He also told us about answering his country's call during Korea. He's a member of the frozen Chosin, a fierce battle memorialized in the World War Museum. His United States Marine Corp uniform is still on display. "The fact that people like Mr. Flack are so talented and dedicated to put on the uniform of our country and then document it later is something that I think is priceless," said Brig Gen J. Stewart Goodwin. Marines from the Inspector Instructor Staff, 4th Marine Division, Indianapolis, IN stand At Ease while awaiting to present Military Honors to Marine John Flack. Standing (lto-r) are 1st Sergeant William Hess, CWO2 Daniel Winnie, Master Sergeant John Lund, Sergeant Jimmy Leiva and Sergeant Micole Dubois. After serving eight years and two wars, Flack returned to Indianapolis to serve 35 years at IPD where he was the most decorated officer in history. But it's what he did in his off time and retirement that gives us a full illustration of his life. "Myself, I didn't ever want to forget," he said. Flack used a paintbrush to bring his memories of war back to life. He painted memories as simple as a cup of cold coffee [please see page 1 Chosin News masthead], coming off the Front or more intimate remembrances of life and death. Flack's son told us that many of the pictures and sketches his father did were from actual situations. Flack started having memory problems a few years before his death, however. His son Robert said the family began noticing John Flack's trouble remembering dates, times and places. "We were all noticing a decline in speech and memory a little bit and they said John, you are in the early stage of Alzheimer's," said Robert. "That is how we found out about it." "I can feel it yet I'm doing good," said John. U. S. Marine Corps Honor Guard renders a Salute to Marine John Flack. Page -6-

4 It s starting to onset a little more and I think the paintings help him to remember, said his son. The thing I worried about was not me, I m worried about my children, grandschildren and great grandchildren. That is what I live for, said Flack. Flack spent his final years painting so that his children and others might remember his experiences serving his country. His work is on display at the War Memorial in Indianapolis, at least two other Marine Corps museums and a few US battleships as well. The way he saw it, it was the least he could do for those holding the high ground. Sergeant Brandon Bowen readies his Firing Detail to perform a 3-volley rifle salute during the grave-side service in honor of Marine John Flack. "For those who didn't make it back but they are still waiting for us, holding the high land, the high ground," said Flack, who got a Purple Heart in the First Marine Division Okinawa. "You always wonder why your buddy got killed and I didn't," Flack said. Visitation for John Flack is being held until 9:00 pm Thursday at the Flanner and Buchanan Oaklawn Memorial Gardens Chapel. Funeral services will be held there Friday morning at 10:00 am. Some of his paintings are still on display at the Indiana World War Memorial. [Cup of Joe is on display at MCRD, San Diego, CA.] The Chosin News Editor wishes to thank Kevin Rader and Channel 13 Eyewitness News, Indianapolis, for allowing me to print the above article. All photographs courtesy of the Editor s son, Scott R. Golladay, Liberty Twp, OH. Sergeant Micole Dubois renders Taps Page -7-

5 Master Sergeant John Lund grips the U.S. Flag while Sergeant Jimmy Leiva folds it in traditional military custom. Audrey Flack is comforted by her son Bob as her husband s U.S. Flag is folded. Looking on in the background (at right) is John s good friend since WW II, Tom Terpanis, Sr Vice Commandant, Hiram I. Bearss Detachment # 89, Marine Corps League, Indianapolis, IN. In WW II, Tom was a Marine Corpsman in C-1-29, 6th Marine Division during the Okinawa Campaign. In subsequent wars of Korea and Vietnam, Tom served his country as a Surgeon before retiring as a Captain in the U.S. Navy. While sons Tom and Bob Flack look on, their mother Audrey accepts her late husband s U.S. Flag from Master Sergeant John Lund, Inspector Instructor Staff, 4th Marine Division. Page -8-