The Ferret 
         
        Ken Buckley of Bangor, Maine, thought he was officially retired from the newspaper business, but that 
        changed in August of 2003 when he took on the job as editor of "The Ferret"—an informative flyer targeted to an 
        audience of Korean War Veterans Association members "who know little or nothing about what is transpiring in the 
        executive branch of the KWVA." The flyer, packed with the Judge Advocate’s statement, pictures of the KWVA 
        headquarters, and Harley Coon’s statement that he plans to run for a fourth term of office, is now being 
        distributed to KWVA chapters and individuals who request a copy from Ken Buckley, 207 Forest Avenue, Bangor 
        Maine 04401. {A donation to help defray publishing and postage expenses would not go amiss, he notes, but it is 
        not a requirement to receive a copy of The Ferret.}
        Buckley said that he has been awakened to the fact that there are two KWVA’s. He said there is "the one run 
        by Harley Coon" and the other "run by Chapters of which the National has little use." He commented, "If chapter 
        presidents and members of chapters were to adjust their sights and take a closer look at what is happening, and 
        what has happened, perhaps the national might try to straighten out: (1) a president who believes he is above 
        the by-laws and can hold the presidency as long as he deems fit; and (2) a magazine that is controlled by the 
        president who decides what should be published regardless of the editor’s wishes. It is Harley Coon’s empire."
         
        He tells the Korean War Educator that he named his new flyer, "The Ferret" for good reason. "Ferrets dig, 
        search, and investigate intensively," he said. "There are other definitions, some not quite so placid." The 
        former editor of a newspaper called the "Weekly Express", Buckley knocked out a prototype of The Ferret in 
        letterhead size. Although he is not used to working with such a small sheet, he said that a small sheet has its 
        advantages. "There was a ton of material to be used, and little space to put it, but I just wedged as much in as 
        possible. Even if this is the first and only edition, we can use it as a flyer and continue to mail it to 
        chapters as we get more money. Poverty actually works to our benefit. The small size will allow us to use a 
        small postage rate—no more than .37 anyway. We’ll take all contributions—editorial and financial. Someone said 
        that it’s a lot of work, but it will be worth if we can inform people who know nothing about what is happening 
        to the national organization. Some members don’t want to hear the distaff side. They’re quite content. That’s 
        their privilege. Unfortunately, it’s like the taxpayers who moan and groan, but don’t vote."  
        Buckley isn’t pleased with Harley Coon’s, "blatant contempt for anyone who would seek answers about the 
        national, and his complete disregard for the by-laws as interpreted by Sherman Pratt, who is the KWVA’s Judge 
        Advocate." In addition, Buckley said, "Vincent Krepps [editor of The Graybeards magazine] displays complete 
        disdain toward anyone who would ask a question. His latest answer to some questions I asked was, ‘Go to hell. 
        You’ve never done anything or attended any meetings.’" Angry at these outbursts from national, Buckley points 
        out, "Obviously he [Krepps] and Coon are unaware that the treasury didn’t just magically appear. It was the dues 
        from members who joined chapters nationwide and swelled the coffers. These chapters were created by individuals 
        who joined chapters nationwide and swelled the coffers. These chapters were created by individuals who fully 
        respected Bill Norris’s work in creating the KWVA. We have been through some miserable times – a treasurer who 
        absconded with our money, lack of a national charter, and other things which are too painful to list. Hopefully, 
        if members know what the Round Table is about, they might reconsider their loyalty, although I’m sure some would 
        prefer to keep their blinders on."   |