A War Remembered
Korean War veteran Ron Twentey and his wife Trish at the Ritchie History Museum.
Fort Ritchie museum helps Washington County veterans keep Korean War memories alive
By Erin Jones
From a rickety steam train, newly deployed Ron Twentey beheld the devastation of a war-ravaged Korea. Shellshocked survivors lived in shacks, shanties, and even cardboard boxes. Later in his deployment, the toll of the conflict would become even more personalized—etched in the faces of the hungry orphan children in the villages. Twentey began saving bits of candy, fruit, or snacks from their mess kits that he could give them.
Nearly 70 years later, Twentey returned to Korea with his wife Trish under vastly different circumstances, thanks to the hospitality of Sae Eden Presbyterian Church. Instead of a C147 puddle jumper, they rode in business class, where private cubicles contained a bed and a TV for comfortable travel. Instead of the reeling country the young soldier had captured in black and white snapshots, Twentey was astonished by the flourishing and vibrant South Korea that he beheld.
“It made me cry, because I said, ‘how can this be?’ This is a miracle...” Twentey says. “It’s like a Phoenix bird to me. They came out of nothing into a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful country.”
During the visit, Twentey found himself surrounded once again by Korean children, but this time they called him Grandfather, thanking him and the other veterans for their contribution to their lives of freedom.
The Korean schoolchildren also wrote 100 notes of thanks, 23 of which are now on display at the Korean War Exhibit in the Ritchie History Museum in Fort Ritchie.
Twentey is the commander of the Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) Antietam Chapter 312. The Washington County chapter is the only active Korean War Veterans Association in the state. Established in 2007, the chapter’s goal is “to foster fellowship among KWVA members and ensure the Korean War would not continue to be the ‘forgotten war.’”
As the years pass, the chapter that once had more than 120 veterans, now has 24. They, along with approximately 25 associate members, continue to meet the first Wednesday of each month at the Funkstown Legion.
Hagerstown’s Korean War monument is at the intersection of Potomac Avenue and Mealy Parkway.
Their monthly newsletter brings news of the community and chronicles the chapter’s events. June’s events alone included an appreciation luncheon with former Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan in Wheaton, Sae Eden Church of Seoul Korea’s appreciation banquet, the Korean Embassy’s appreciation luncheon at Nick’s Airport Inn, and a 75th anniversary commemorative ceremony at the Hagerstown Korean War Memorial on Potomac Avenue.
The newsletter also contains a Sick Call and Wellness Update, listing members with health needs and encouraging members to send prayers, cards, or phone calls.
“We’ve got a lot of camaraderie,” Twentey says. “I’ve got a lot of them in either nursing homes or assisted living, and I try to call or have our guys call. We put the phone numbers in every newsletter to make sure that they’re taken care of. And, unfortunately, I’ve done a lot of funerals in the last six months.”
Twentey became the chapter’s Commander in 2021, after the sudden death of his predecessor Don Funk.
At that time, there was talk of the chapter closing, as was the case with many aging Korean War chapters. However, Twentey held fast to the chapter’s mission that the Korean War would no longer be forgotten. He knew that basements and garages around Washington County contained priceless artifacts and memorabilia from veterans and their families.
The Korean War exhibit at the Ritchie History museum.
Just two months into his tenure as commander, he created a Korean War exhibit. The chapter had no budget for such an undertaking, nor space for the plan.
A Zoom with Washington County Veterans Advisory Committee brought to his attention that historic Fort Ritchie was being renovated and that Landon Grove, a schoolteacher, was recently brought on to be the director of a museum on site. When the two met, Twentey learned that both of Grove’s grandfathers had served in Korea. Grove agreed to dedicate space in the museum to the Korean War exhibit.
Initially the space that would become the Ritchie History museum, had broken windows and rampant graffiti. Undaunted by the challenge, Twentey brought with him the skills and experience of his architectural career, working closely with Grove to transform the space.
“He became my surrogate grandson,” Twentey says of the collaboration.
With the space secured, funding was the next hurdle. He began reaching out to delegates and senators to let them know about the project, and word began to spread about the project.
The Baltimore Ravens donated memorabilia which was then raffled off for $1,000, providing seed money for the exhibit. The town of Sharpsburg gave another $1,000, and additional private donors followed suit. A Korean company that hosted a honorary luncheon for veterans gave him $5,000 in cash on the spot after hearing about the project.
With the funds raised, he and wife, Trish, worked to assemble the museum’s components. His son, who is in the exhibit business in Frederick, also assisted.
The timing of the exhibit’s opening came at a significant moment for the chapter.
Of the 38 Washington County soldiers who gave their lives in the Korean War, seven are classified as Missing in Action. Until recently, only three of those had been recovered. In 2022, Roy C. DeLauter, who was killed in 1950, was positively identified and returned to his family from Hawaii. His family met the flight from Dulles airport and then brought him home to Hagerstown.
The Korean War exhibit at the Ritchie History museum.
“When they brought the remains to Hagerstown, there were fire trucks and flags and people on almost every overpass on the way to Hagerstown.” Twentey says. “There was a big to do then, and then they asked me to help with the funeral, which I did.”
Today, photos from that emotional day hang in the museum, along with other notable moments for the chapter’s past and present. The museum has published a collection of Military Service Biographies, written by Charles (Jim) Mobley with the help of Trish Twentey, called: Where They Were: 32 Washington County Maryland Fallen Heroes of the Korean War. An addendum of six additional biographies were added later. They are available with a donation to the museum.
The writings, and the exhibit itself, both further the chapter’s stated goal that the Korean War be remembered and passed down to future generations.
“My wish is that the young people understand through the Korean War, or any war, for that matter, that freedom is not free. You have to pay a price. It’s not something that you like to do, but you have to do it,” Twentey says. “The forgotten war is not forgotten anymore. It’s a remembered victory.”