Korean War Vet Shares Experiences, Honor Flight Recognizes Mathers

STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Women’s Civic Association hosted a breakfast gathering July 19 to commemorate the sacrifices made by America’s military. The organization was founded in 1913, one year before the incorporation of Stone Harbor, and took as its mission “activities to better the borough.” 
The association heard Richard Mathers, 84, Korean War veteran, who lives in Ocean City, describe his experiences during that conflict.
This “Forgotten War,” so named since it was overshadowed by the aftermath of World War II, and in a virtually unknown part of the globe, lasted from 1950-53. It was thought to be an important geopolitical strategic part of holding back the Communist domino effect during the start of the Cold War.
Mathers was joined by Mary Ann Devine, of Northfield, who has been a volunteer with the “Honor Flight” initiative, a 501 (c) (3) endeavor, for five years.
“Honor Flight was started by Pam and Ron Pontano in Sewell and is designed to honor all military service members whether they have seen combat or not. We were delighted to select Mr. Mathers to join this year’s Honor Flight, and I think he can attest that it is a once in a lifetime experience that will stay with our service members forever,” explained Devine.
“I was thrilled when I learned that I would participate in the Honor Flight, which each year takes place for New Jersey area vets, and this includes New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware vets as well, the first Saturday of June. This was such an emotional experience; we were saluted and accompanied by local police, fire department, motorcycle clubs and students of all ages as we made our way to Washington, D.C. Our tour of the World War II Memorial was particularly incredible, complete strangers were coming up to us, hugging us, and wanting photos.”
Mathers explained the enormous hardships and sacrifices American troops made to accomplish their mission in Korea. The fact that Koreans were killing Koreans as the Communist North, supported by Russia and China, fought to take over the entire Korean peninsula against the U.S. protected south was a terrible reality.
“Our morale was really low, and I don’t know what we would have done without the 19 nations that joined the conflict as U.N. forces. The Turkish fighters, in particular, were particularly fierce, and it was amazing to see them side-by-side with the Greeks with whom they had serious territorial issues.”
Mathers recounted many situations when Korea’s extreme temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to over 110 degrees in the summer could have caused lesser disciplined soldiers to forget their reason for being sent to Korea.
“My heart sank when I learned as an Army private that soldiers whose last names began with A-L would get sent to Germany or Japan to maintain order and rebuild after World War II while M-Z got Korea. No one wanted that. But in the Army, there was such diversity in race, education, social and cultural background that you grew up fast. And all our sacrifices were well worth it as Korea has moved from having a life expectancy at that time of 39 years old to being one of the most modern and prosperous countries in the world.”
Mathers is a member of the Ocean City American Legion post which is named for two local men who were killed during the Vietnam War. He also is the official historian for Cape May County of the American Legion which comprises seven posts ranging from Tuckahoe to the north to Wildwood in the south.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com. 
Anyone interested in volunteering with or donating to Honor Flight, the website is: www.sjhonorflight. org; the Pontanos can be reached at 856-589-5072.