Get our free mobile app
You figure coffee and breakfast...that's about $10 per person...$300. And a stranger just picked up the tab. No name...just to be nice

Every Monday the Rochester Korean War Veterans Club gets together at Grandma's Kitchen in Rochester, Minnesota. They have breakfast, they conduct club business, they talk, and this past Monday, they left without paying...thanks to an anonymous woman.

Todd Pisarski told me at first he thought it was about 50 guys, but did some checking and a more accurate number is 25-30, including a group of veterans that come down once a month from Northfield.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - MAY 27: United Nations Command Honour Guards salute as coffins are carried containing the remains of U.S. Soldiers who were killed during the Korean War, during a repatriation ceremony at Yangsan US military base on May 27, 2004 in Seoul, South Korea. The United States Forces Korea (USFK) held the funeral service for the 19 soldiers who were killed during the War, and whose remains have recently been found by a joint recovery operation in North Korea and then sent on to Seoul. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - MAY 27: United Nations Command Honour Guards salute as coffins are carried containing the remains of U.S. Soldiers who were killed during the Korean War, during a repatriation ceremony at Yangsan US military base on May 27, 2004 in Seoul, South Korea. The United States Forces Korea (USFK) held the funeral service for the 19 soldiers who were killed during the War, and whose remains have recently been found by a joint recovery operation in North Korea and then sent on to Seoul. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
loading...

"You figure coffee and breakfast...that's about $10 per person...$300. And a stranger just picked up the tab. No name...just to be nice," said Pisarski, retired after 20 years in the US Army. You may have seen him before and not realized it. At area parades, he's the guy driving and pulling the Korean War Veterans float.

I don't know who you are, anonymous kind person, but thank you. Thank you for being the arms of a hug for all of us in Rochester. 

They're Going Strong

“We are not at war,” Truman told the press on June 29, 1950. “[South Korea] was unlawfully attacked by a bunch of bandits which are neighbors of North Korea.” Despite questions about whether Truman overstepped presidential authority, U.S. involvement in the conflict was officially chalked up to a “police action.” (National Geographic)

Talk to Korean War veterans and you'd be hard pressed to find one that doesn't describe it as a war, at least from their perspective. And now, coming up on the 71st Anniversary of the armistice, the group is still going strong.

A US Marine feeds an orphan kitten found after a heavy mortar barrage near 'Bunker Hill' during the Korean War. (Photo by Sgt Martin Riley/Getty Images)
A US Marine feeds an orphan kitten found after a heavy mortar barrage near 'Bunker Hill' during the Korean War. (Photo by Sgt Martin Riley/Getty Images)
loading...

On being active, Pisarski says they're still meeting each week, working on being in parades, and speaking at schools, sharing their experiences with students. That part is so important...movies and books can tell the story, but not like someone that was there.

"On July 27, 1953, North Korea, China, and the United States signed an armistice agreement. South Korea, however, objected to the continued division of Korea and did not agree to the armistice or sign a formal peace treaty. So while the fighting ended, technically the war never did." (National Geographic)

If you know someone that'd like to attend the regular club meetings, tell 'em to be at Grandmas Kitchen in the Silver Lake Shopping Center every Monday.

I can't embed the post, so please, click HERE to see all the lovely (for a welcome change) comments on the Spotted In Rochester post by clicking here. 

23 Photos From and About US Involvement in the Korean War

The 71st Anniversary of the Korean War armistice is almost here (June 25, 2021) and as we learn about the Rochester Korean War Veterans Club  that gets together at Grandma's Kitchen, I realize there are many people that may know little to nothing about the Korean War. So, a few pictures seem in order.

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com

Listen to James Rabe and Jessica Williams Weekday from 6 - 10 AM on Y-105 FM

From one end of the experience spectrum to the other, take a look at what kids in Southeast Minnesota want to be when they grow up.

Top 10 Things Minnesota Kids Want To Be When They Grow Up

What do kids want to grow up to be? In 2019 a bunch of surveys were done and it really hadn't changed much from when you and I were little kids...with one addition. See if you can spot the NEW career (and a parent obviously NOT happy with the kid's Dad Trend).

More From KOLM - 1520 The Ticket