Donation from South Korea to Assist VA with COVID-19 Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC – “We go together!” (“Katchi Kapshida!”)

On Tuesday, Stan Shin, a Vice President at PFS, had the privilege of being part of a momentous occasion. The Korean government’s generous donation and delivery of 500,000 protective masks (KF94) to the VA—especially for American Veterans of the Korean War—was gratefully accepted by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Stan was instrumental in coordination for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Procurement and Logistics Office (P&LO) for the receipt and transfer of the masks from the South Korean aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base to American trucks bound for VHA for distribution. This very meaningful, high-profile event was attended by Korean Major General Se Woo Pyo, Defense Attache to the United States; Karen Brazell, Assistant Secretary for VA’s Office of Enterprise Integration, John “Wolf” Wagner, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of VA’s Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, and William Hudson, Jr., VA’s Acting General Counsel.

According to Stan, this was a “no-fail” mission, which the team executed seamlessly. In addition to helping coordinate all logistical details for the transfer, Stan had the privilege of acting as a liaison between representatives from the South Korean government and VHA. Also, as a naturalized US citizen born in Korea who also served there for 6 years in the US Army, it was Stan’s pleasure and honor to converse in Korean with South Korean government personnel on site.

“Although I was only doing my job, it really didn’t feel like work. It was a very special day and I was honored to be a part of it. The opportunity to serve as a conduit for international communications allowed me to develop relationships with representatives from the South Korean government. That was very special.”

For more information, reach out to info@pfs.us.