Westfield resident Joseph Kalesnik is the newly elected Commander of the Korean War Veterans Western Mass Chapter 2000.
WESTFIELD – Westfield resident Joseph Kalesnik has never forgotten “the forgotten war.”
A U.S. Army veteran, Kalesnik served in Korea for 13 months in 1959, which was after the Korean War was officially over. Kalesnik still recalls his time there and is passionate about keeping the Korean War fresh in everyone’s mind, as the newly elected Commander of the Korean War Veterans Western Mass. Chapter 2000.
Kalesnik, 70, will serve as commander for 2012-2013. He recalled how he felt when he was sent to Korea.
“I got my orders and thought I was being sent to Europe at first, but I was sent to Korea,” Kalesnik said. “I left out of Oakland, CA, and boarded the USS Daniel Webster. We made a stop in Hawaii and then on to Korea.”
Kalesnik said his first impression was not good.
“What a place! It was terrible!” said Kalesnik. “They were not rebuilt yet from the war, we had to boil the water – it was awful.”
As time went on, Kalesnik said his views changed and he could see what the poor people in Korea were going through and how they were working hard to change their lives.
“If you see Korea now and what they have accomplished, it makes it all worthwhile,” said Kalesnik. “The United States gave them a lot of aid and it was well worth it.”
Kalesnik said it upsets him that people still diminish the Korean War, which was not officially called a war until President William Clinton signed it into law. The Korean War lasted officially from 1950-1953. However, U.S. troops stayed on to help the country rebuild.
“Anyone who served in Korea knows it was worth it because they saw democracy works,” added Kalesnik.
Kalesnik specialized in air defense and cryptograph radio. Because of this specialty, when Kalesnik returned back to the states to be discharged, his service was extended.
“I just wanted to come home and get married,” he said.
A Springfield native, Kalesnik had a girl waiting for his return named Diane Patrick. He and Patrick, a Westfield native, met when they both worked at a Southwick tobacco farm while in high school.
“We had our first date on Aug. 2, 1956,” said Kalesnik. “We have been together ever since.”
The couple married in 1963 and settled in Westfield. They had a son and daughter, and Kalesnik finished college while working part-time at the U.S. Postal Service in Springfield. He entered the post office management training program and moved through the ranks, retiring as manager of operations in 2001 after an illness.
Kalesnik and his bride are enjoying retirement and took a second honeymoon to Hawaii, courtesy of their children, as well as a trip to the Bahamas.
Kalesnik continued his service to the military as part of the Korean War Veterans Chapter, where he previously served as treasurer and chaplain. The chapter has more than 100 members who served in Korea from 1945 to the present. The chapter is very active in its support of veteran services.
As commander, Kalesnik said he will ensure the chapter follows national bylaws and will “keep the legacy of the Korean War alive and never forget what happened.”
The local chapter also supports the U.S. Armed Forces in its defense of the country.
Kalesnik said the Korean government has invited those who served there to come back and see what it is like today, an offer Kalesnik would like to enjoy.
“It’s a different place today, they have come a long way,” he said.
