Whenever I have any occasion to mingling at a U.S. Air Force (USAF) event or with its airmen, it reminds me of a critical blessing to members of my family — composed of my great grandmother, grandparents, parents and five siblings — 76 years ago, during August of 1950. At the height of the Korean War, when Seoul was suddenly overtaken by North Korean troops, I was gripped by the thunderous U.S. airstrikes against the enemy forces. On Oct. 2, I was invited to the 79th USAF Ball as a member of the Korea-America Association (KAA) at Lotte Hotel World sponsored by the 7th Air Force under Lt. Gen. David G. Shoemaker, as one of approximately 500 military and civilian participants. Likewise, on May 17, 2019, I joined a one-day sightseeing trip to Osan Air Base, invited by then-Commander Kenneth WIlsbach as one of 24 participating members of the KAA. These events let me vividly recollect my boyhood. While under North Korean occupation, my then-35-year-old father was recruited as a member of the invaders’ Cultural Maneuvering Squads. That meant he was drafted to fight against the South Ko