Pastor Scott Kavanagh

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Interviewer:  Is there anything that you could think of to help the project move forward?

Pastor Scott Kavanagh: I think in a conversation recently with Dr. Han this project has I think such value for present and future generations. And there are Korean War veterans all over the United States. I think it would be a wonderful project to expand this experience beyond Central New York and to go to other

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communities not simply in New York State, but perhaps even throughout the United States to have a project perhaps in different locations in each of our states to bring together, as you had said earlier, those veterans that we know are getting up in age that they’re not gonna be here forever. We recently, in the news, heard that the last veteran I think from World War I is now deceased. There are

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more and more veterans from World War II that are deceased. I think to value, to capture, to appreciate the gift and the sacrifice again of these men and women, these veterans. And to hear stories throughout the country because none of us have the same story and all of ours are different. I think to provide future generations with the opportunity to hear similar themes but different expressions of those themes.

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I:   What do you think of them bringing artifacts and photographs and mementos? Do you think they should be included in the interviewing also?

P:  Actually, I think it’s very helpful. There was one interview that took place recently where one of the veterans brought a map that was a field map that their lieutenant had entrusted to them and had simply said to this veteran “hold on to this do not lose this under any circumstances” and he held onto

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it throughout the war and he brought it home as well and he still has it today. And to see what a field map looked like which is very unlike road maps that we are accustomed to from the AAA experience, I wanna travel form one state to another, or even the kind of directions that we receive with our little technological GP things

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I think for people to be exposed to some of the symbols of war, that’s important.

I:   I heard it was pretty cold in Korea when this war was going on at certain times what do you think the Korea war veterans would say about the atmosphere or the environment? What do you think they’d say? Was it cold, warm, bad, good? What do you think they’d probably say?

P:  Actually the on two interviews

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I heard two veterans talk a little bit about that. And they did say that the winters felt very, very stark and to some extent brutal and that the awareness of terrain and surroundings is seen not through those experiences as tourists but they’re seen through men and women in

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combat and that they say you see thing very differently. For some of the veterans who have gone back to Korea since then, they’ve experienced and gone to some of the places where the battle have taken place and naturally over the decades there have been lots of changes, but they still find some of the essence of the location where they were. And I think that its just very, very fascinating having never been to Korea I couldn’t speak

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very much about that anymore.

I:   I loved that you talked about this and I think that having a pastor talk about it and the love he has for the community is wonderful. I wanna thank you for coming.

P:  Thank you very much. It’s an honor.

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I:   Thank you very much!