Jim Billiel: Walter Billiel’s sacrifice remembered

Walter Billiel of Shelburne was recently honored for laying down his life while serving in the Korean War. Walter was a corporal in the 13th Engineer Combat Battalion of the Army. He was killed in action on Dec. 1, 1950 at the age of 19.

A ceremony was held for him at the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School on Sept. 8. During the ceremony, a plaque was presented by Sungyull Koo and his wife, Changwha Koo, from South Korea, to be mounted in the school’s library along with a generous donation to the school. Mr. and Mrs. Koo are founders of the 6.25 Foundation, which aims to honor fallen Korean War soldiers and fund education for the youth belonging to the soldiers’ schools.

As his brother, it meant a lot to me to see that Walter’s sacrifice has not been forgotten. I would like to thank those who showed up — particularly those from the VFW — who came to demonstrate their support. I also extend my gratitude to Principal Hayley Gilmore and Assistant Principal Joe Moynihan.

I would especially like to thank Sungyull Koo and his wife for the donation and the plaque, and the honor that my brother as well as the other service members mentioned on the plaque have received. Thank you to everyone else who attended or were involved in making this special event happen.

Jim Billiel

Colrain