2 weeks Ago By [email protected](KoreaTimes)
By Kim Chee-ho When discussing the advancement of a country, volunteer activities based on mature civic consciousness and diverse citizen participation are also important. The word volunteerism comes from the Latin word volo, meaning will. From here, the word voluntas, meaning free will, was created.
Volunteering is a beautiful form of sharing that contributes to the community based on one's talents and abilities, and is similar to talent donation. The reason why talent donation volunteer participation is regarded highly is because it creates value and has a great ripple effect in solving social problems that cannot be forced by the government or market power for the purpose of creating a better and more valuable society. It is very natural for healthy individuals to create a healthy community, and for happy individuals to gather to form a happy society.
Creating an atmosphere where people can readily share their talents is a true society that moves together. One of the key policies of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) since the new government came to power is "Patriotism living in everyday life, Veterans with all," where a culture of respecting and expressing gratitude to veterans, veterans’ families and uniformed workers takes root in the daily lives of the people. As part of this policy, the "Veterans with All Honors Club" consisting of 63 members was launched in August.
The Honors Club remembers and promotes the noble spirit of veterans who have sacrificed or contributed to the country, and aims to realize the basic ideology of national veterans’ affairs that contribute to national unity and national development based on this, with the goal of having all citizens sympathize and participate together. The Honors Club members include leaders from all walks of life, veterans’ families and youth who respect uniformed workers in their daily lives. They plan to promote voluntary activities for "creating and spreading a culture of veterans" by donating their talents in various fields such as veterans’ welfare volunteer work, education, public relations and veterans’ welfare diplomacy.
In particular, British veteran Colin Thackery, at 94 the oldest winner of "Britain’s Got Talent" and a British war veteran who devoted himself to protecting liberal democracy under the U.N. flag, and Joseph McChristian Jr.
, the grandson of the late James Van Fleet and chairman of the Van Fleet Foundation, will participate as members of the Honors Club to share the common values of humanity with countries around the world and help spread that spirit. The growth of the nation, the development of the region and the happiness of individuals are built on the foundation of the sacrifice and dedication of those in uniform, including national heroes, and when we cherish and practice that spirit, the entire community learns the wisdom of living together. This is the time for the 63 members of the Everyone’s Veterans Honors Club launched by the MPVA to come together as one for veterans affairs that all citizens can participate in.
The volunteer spirit that this era requires is talent donation activities through sharing of specialized abilities by members active in each field of society. We look forward to the Everyone’s Veterans Honors Club that will serve as a virtuous cycle that spreads and practices the value of veterans affairs through voluntary participation, rather than an obligation imposed by society for personal promotion or a cause. Kim Chee-ho is director of the Veterans Affairs Division at the Jeonnam Eastern Veterans Affairs Office.
.
