July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Trip hits sour note (03/04/08)
Letter to the Editor
To the editor:
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, the New York Philharmonic performed in the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in Pyongyang, North Korea. There is something rotten about this, and it certainly isn't in Denmark.
On Jan. 23, 1968, the North Korean Armed Forces captured, in a hail of gunfire, the U.S.S. Pueblo AGER-2 while she was in international waters and forced her into Wonsan harbor.
One U.S. sailor was killed and many others wounded in this attack. For the next 11 months the 82 surviving crewmembers, at the hands of the North Koreans, experienced constant beatings and starvation rations until released on Dec. 23, 1968.
As of 2008, 12 crewmembers have passed away, mainly from the brutal treatment they received, while many others still suffer physically and mentally. Commander Lloyd Mark Bucher, the Pueblo's commanding officer and favorite torture subject of the North Koreans, passed away on Jan. 24, 2004, never having recovered from the experience.
So what is the connection between a captured U.S. Navy vessel 40 years ago and a U.S. performance in Pyongyang?
The North Koreans still have the ship, which remains the property of the U.S. Navy.
She is moored to a pier in the Taedong River in downtown Pyongyang, the same city that hosted the New York Philharmonic.
The North Korean government flaunts her as a war trophy and a tourist attraction for anti-American purposes. To date, over 250,000 people (mostly North Koreans) have toured the ship, led by well-versed propaganda experts.
It's doubtful if any of the philharmonic members were aware of the ship's existence before their travels, so a degree of forgiveness is allowed.
But the U.S. State Department definitely knew. And what does this tell us about the patriotism and loyalty of the former U.S. Secretary of Defense, William Perry, who was among the attendees in the Grand Theatre? This places him in the same league as Jane Fonda of Vietnam War "fame."
But the real Jane Fonda in this "remembering the sacrifices and suffering of our military" is the U.S. Government, which has, since 1995, provided over $1 billion in foreign aid (60 percent in food, 40 percent heating oil) to North Korea, with no mention of the Pueblo and crew suffering as a bargaining chip.
This leaves a bad taste for our military in general and a very bitter one for the 71 Pueblo survivors, one of whom resides here in Jay County. In a negative comment (or is it), this demonstrates to the world what steps are needed if requesting additional aid from the U.S.
The objective of the Grand Theatre presentation was to promote good will between the two nations. What's next? Will the U.S. respond in kind by inviting top officials of the North Korean government and military for a tour of Kewaunee, Wisc., where the Pueblo was constructed?
Respectfully,
Roy Leverich
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, the New York Philharmonic performed in the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in Pyongyang, North Korea. There is something rotten about this, and it certainly isn't in Denmark.
On Jan. 23, 1968, the North Korean Armed Forces captured, in a hail of gunfire, the U.S.S. Pueblo AGER-2 while she was in international waters and forced her into Wonsan harbor.
One U.S. sailor was killed and many others wounded in this attack. For the next 11 months the 82 surviving crewmembers, at the hands of the North Koreans, experienced constant beatings and starvation rations until released on Dec. 23, 1968.
As of 2008, 12 crewmembers have passed away, mainly from the brutal treatment they received, while many others still suffer physically and mentally. Commander Lloyd Mark Bucher, the Pueblo's commanding officer and favorite torture subject of the North Koreans, passed away on Jan. 24, 2004, never having recovered from the experience.
So what is the connection between a captured U.S. Navy vessel 40 years ago and a U.S. performance in Pyongyang?
The North Koreans still have the ship, which remains the property of the U.S. Navy.
She is moored to a pier in the Taedong River in downtown Pyongyang, the same city that hosted the New York Philharmonic.
The North Korean government flaunts her as a war trophy and a tourist attraction for anti-American purposes. To date, over 250,000 people (mostly North Koreans) have toured the ship, led by well-versed propaganda experts.
It's doubtful if any of the philharmonic members were aware of the ship's existence before their travels, so a degree of forgiveness is allowed.
But the U.S. State Department definitely knew. And what does this tell us about the patriotism and loyalty of the former U.S. Secretary of Defense, William Perry, who was among the attendees in the Grand Theatre? This places him in the same league as Jane Fonda of Vietnam War "fame."
But the real Jane Fonda in this "remembering the sacrifices and suffering of our military" is the U.S. Government, which has, since 1995, provided over $1 billion in foreign aid (60 percent in food, 40 percent heating oil) to North Korea, with no mention of the Pueblo and crew suffering as a bargaining chip.
This leaves a bad taste for our military in general and a very bitter one for the 71 Pueblo survivors, one of whom resides here in Jay County. In a negative comment (or is it), this demonstrates to the world what steps are needed if requesting additional aid from the U.S.
The objective of the Grand Theatre presentation was to promote good will between the two nations. What's next? Will the U.S. respond in kind by inviting top officials of the North Korean government and military for a tour of Kewaunee, Wisc., where the Pueblo was constructed?
Respectfully,
Roy Leverich
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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