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Sunny K. Park, President, American Korean Friendship Society Good evening! I would like to express my gratitude to ICAS and Dr. Kim for granting me the opportunity to offer remarks about tonight's honoree. General Scaparrotti's distinguished military career is widely recognized for its exceptional achievements. I first met General Scaparrotti in Korea at his change of command ceremony; an event officiated by General Dempsey. At the time, I attended as a guest of General Thurman, the outgoing commander, while General Scaparrotti assumed leadership of US Forces in Korea. In subsequent years, specifically from 2022 to 2024, I had the privilege of working alongside General Scaparrotti during his tenure as Chairman of the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA), where I serve on the Advisory Board. Upon taking on this role, General Scaparrotti promptly initiated a conference call with me to gain comprehensive insight into KDVA’s operations. Our conversation lasted over an hour and encompassed both the organization's history and strategic direction. As you can tell, I was one of about 2 dozen leaders of KDVA. I found General Scaparrotti’s genuine commitment to effective leadership and organizational excellence particularly noteworthy. I wish to highlight several personal anecdotes shared by his Korean colleagues. Throughout his nearly forty-year service, he demonstrated unwavering respect for fallen soldiers by displaying their photographs in his office and providing continued support to their families. Notably, in 2015, following an incident in which two Korean Army sergeants were injured by a landmine, General Scaparrotti was the first to visit them in the hospital, encouraging their recovery. Under General Scaparrotti's leadership, KDVA has flourished, further reinforcing the US-Korea alliance. His exemplary leadership and selfless dedication have significantly enhanced the strength and vitality of this crucial partnership. It is my honor to congratulate General Mike Scaparrotti on receiving this year’s ICAS Liberty Award—a recognition that is truly well deserved.
The newly opened Veterans Park is located on the parcel of land between Roswell Road, Johnson Ferry Road, and Mt. Vernon Highway.
The Ellis Island Honors Society honors the importance of immigration to America’s prosperity and celebrates the contributions immigrants and their progeny have made to our nation. In 1986, Ellis Island Honors Society founded the Ellis Island Medals of Honor to commemorate the indefatigable spirit of those who immigrated to the United States during the Ellis Island era. The Medal is presented annually to those who have shown an outstanding commitment to serving our nation either professionally, culturally or civically, among other criteria.
U.S. Marine Corps Col. John McDonough, (retired), delivers the keynote address at the Sandy Springs Veterans Day Tribute in Byers Theatre on Monday. (Photo by Bob Pepalis)
Artist Curtis Pittman, left, cheers as local philanthropist and business leader Sunny Park, right, and his family cut the ribbon Nov. 11 on Veterans Park’s new sculpture — “Be the Light.” The Veterans Day ceremonies in Sandy Springs also saw the unveiling of Kevin Chambers’ “Three Generations” at the park. HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Georgia Korean War veterans remembered at state capitol Staff Writer: Athens Banner-Herald
Korean War memorial dedicated for Hall veterans By Charles Phelps cphelps@gainesvilletimes.com POSTED: October 27, 2012 11:59 p.m.
The president of one of Atlanta’s fastest-growing janitorial and facility maintenance companies hopes that one day his employees will leave him for a better life. He’s even helping them save money to start their own businesses. When General Building Maintenance Inc. (GBM) President Sunny Park realized that high turnover was an inevitable part of his business, he decided to help people on their way by paying cash bonuses to cleaners and other low-wage employees who open savings accounts. “These people never had a savings account. And I thought about their future. I didn’t have money once before,” he said. Park came to the United States from Korea in 1967 to attend Indiana University. Five years after he moved to Atlanta, he started GBM because so many people in Atlanta’s Korean community asked him for help finding a job. “I found out I can create a business and utilize that as the job provider for those people,” said Park. At the time, he was an insurance agent. He started GBM in 1983 with a contract to clean the Presidential Office Park complex near Doraville. Today, the company owns the complex and is headquartered in 8,800 square feet there. GBM also has 12 branch offices from Baltimore to Dallas. Employment has doubled and revenues have nearly tripled since 1991, when the company had 250 workers and $7.6 million in revenues. In 1997, Park said he expects GBM to reach $22 million in revenues. When Park started GBM, most facility maintenance companies used part-time labor. However, part-time employees work with a specific goal in mind: paying off a car, buying a TV, paying a bill. So Park hired full-time employees, who he said focus more on quality and are more loyal. Hiring for full-time jobs prevented some turnover, but, he added, “As we grow, we are finding a problem keeping good people. We train people and then people leave. So we’re losing a lot of investment.” In addition to offering full-time work, the promise of advancement in the company and other benefits, Park made it a policy to pay a little more than the competition.
US Army Sgt. Fernando Nino and Sgt. Mark Walker were cleared of any wrong-doing by a US Army military court in the death of two Korean kids. The two young girls were run down by an armored vehicle manned by the two American servicemen late last year. Since the incident, the two Americans had to endure constant fear of bodily harms by angy Koreans and were confined to the army base. Soon after the acquittal by the all-military jury, the men secretly left Korea for an unknown destination. The 36-year old Walker phoned his sister Lynn Samples (age 51) in Acworth, GA, soon after the trial on October 22nd, and told her that he would be getting out of Korea soon. Lynn told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that she had no doubt of her brother’s acquittal but had not expected it to come so soon, and that she would love to have her brother back home for Thanksgiving. Sgt. Walker hired a civilian attorney Guy Womack from Houston to defend him in the court and ran up a legal fee of more than $27,000. His family, neighbors, and friends have raised so far less than $2,000 to help pay the legal fee. In the United States, the trial of the two servicemen is being viewed by many as politically motivated by a small group of anti-US Korean activists. This view is also shared by some Korean-Americans as well. For example, a group of Koreans calling themselves “Good Neighbors” (http://www.goodneighboring.org) have raised money for Sgt. Walker. The Korean group is led by Sunny Park (60, Park Sun Gun is his real name), who told Walker’s sister that: “We Korean-Americans are your neighbors. We have collected some money for you as a small token of our friendship to our neighbors in trouble. Please convey our friendship to your brother.” Walker’s sister Lynn Samples replied: “I have been praying for my brother but have never dreamed that I would get any help from any Korean.” She said that she had received money from other Koreans as well. Sunny Park told the Korean News that “We don’t want Sgt. Walker ending up a sacrificial lamb of anti-US sentiments in Korea and hope that he would get a fair trial for the traffic accident.” Walker’s defense attorney Womack echoed Park’s sentiment and claimed that Walker’s trial was politically motivated on account of the anti-US demonstrators in South Korea. Womack told the Marietta Daily Journal that: “The ongoing demonstrations are the main reason why the case is going to trial. My suspicion is that because of the political climate in Korea, the commanding general for the second infantry division decided to take this to trail.” Sue Vogan has been raising money for Walker’s legal fees. Sue said: “They have been cleared by an Article 32 investigation and by South Korean police, but protesters in South Korea have forced the military to cave in and take this case to trial. If it weren’t for the protests, I don’t think this would be a big deal.” Sue said that she heard about the trial from her husband who is stationed in Korea. During Walker’s trial on October 21st and 22nd, Womack defended Walker fiercely and put the inept Army prosecutors on the defensive. The so-called prosecutors were defenseless under Womack’s sharp verbal attacks. The jury was more impressed by Womack’s rhetoric than with the fumbling, cowering prosecutors. To add insult to injury, a Korean government observer at the trial stated that “the trial was fair,” apparently reflecting the ‘official’ sentiment of Kim Dae Jung, so-called “President of Korea.”
The idea of studying abroad for an entire semester might be daunting for students, considering the time and money involved, but the International Studies Program has solutions. One of these solutions is the Seoul Women’s University (SWU) Bahrom International Program. This scholarship program gives students the opportunity to spend an extremely structured month during the summer in South Korea, where they attend lectures in English on the culture and history of Korea. Later, some of the Korean students they meet will get the chance to study in the United States for a year. Students attend lectures during the morning and field trips in the afternoon, which cover subjects such as Korean history, language, music, dance, art and film. Activities for the afternoons include Tae kwon do lessons and learning traditional musical instruments and opportunities to select outings on free days. Each student receives 3 credit hours and free tuition. While the program serves as a vehicle to create world citizens of Berry students, it also serves to prepare students from Korea to attend Berry. Each Berry student is paired with a future exchange student at the beginning of the program and attends a dinner at that student’s home. These students will then attend Berry for a full year. As well as lectures being taught in English, the style of teaching is focused toward the environment of American classrooms to help Korean students adjust when they arrive at Berry. The program was initiated and is funded by Sunny Park, a member of Berry’s board of visitors. Park is the president, chief executive officer and founder of General Building Maintenance Inc. in Atlanta. According to a previous story in Berry Magazine, Park decided to start the program after hearing a student say that she had never been to Atlanta. “I want to help young Americans be a part of the world community,” said Park. Since the initial five students went in July 2003, another four students have participated in the program, and on Feb. 7, Park announced that he would continue to give the scholarships to Berry. The program does not require students to obtain visas, only a passport, and all students are housed on the SWU campus. Though SWU is a women’s institution, the program is open to returning male and female Berry students with a minimum 2.5 GPA. The scholarships are awarded through an application process that includes an essay. Previous participant Steven Wagner (year) said that one of his main motivations for applying was his father’s service in the army. “My father got to see Korea while he was in the army, but I wanted to learn about the people of Korea,” Wagner said. The essays are a major part of the selection process. The International Programs Committee is made up of 14 members, with Director of International Programs Sarah Egerer as committee chair. The committee reads each essay and makes the final decision on which students are selected. “I am amazed that all of the students who attend Seoul University come back saying that the experience was life-changing in such a short period of time,” Egerer said. This year’s application deadline for the five scholarships is March 10, and Egerer said she is hoping for heightened interest in the program.