Charles Bushong rest on a homemade scaffold during the Korean War. But men such as Dillard are trying to change that. Dillard is chairman of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War, 8240th Army Unit Commemorative Committee. The committee wants to promote awareness of the unit's contribution to the war and for veterans to receive appropriate awards and decorations. Despite declassification, the unit's patches are still not recognized by the U.S. government.
Veterans say they have been slighted in a second way, too.
In 1952, the unit's name was redesignated from the United Nations Partisan Forces Korea to the United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea. The unit had the same mission, but the men of the United Nations Partisan Forces Korea are not entitled to the Combat Infantryman Badge. And all these years later, it matters. The biggest complaint they had was that they had not gotten that recognition for the Combat Infantryman Badge,'' said Dillard, who attended an October reunion for the unit in Florida. But on Monday, there were only smiles as Brig.