Veteran Gordon Felchle and others receive honors
By SANDY BLANES
On October 3, 2015, Korean War Veteran Gordon Felchle of Goodrich, N.D., was honored at an awards ceremony held at the Heritage Center in Bismarck, N.D. The visiting Korean Children’s Choir sang the two countries’ anthems, "America", and "Jesus Loves Me" Then they presented the awards to the veterans with these words "Thank you for serving and giving us our freedom!" and a hug.
The presenter, Dr. Billy Kim, Director of Far East Broadcasting Company, Korea, has made it one of his missions to come to American with young children, the choir, to let veterans know wherever the choir presents that the younger Korean generation understands and appreciates the sacrifices the United States military made for their freedom.
The medal that Felchle received holds a piece of rusted barbed wire from the DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone), the strip of land that runs through the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea. Accompanying Gordon was his wife, Martha, daughter, Karen, and his pastor, Reverend James Grupp of the First Baptist Church of Goodrich.
