The Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society (AVHOFS) Recognition Program recognizes patriotic service of individuals and entities whose efforts have gone above and beyond the call of duty and social or scholarly obligations to further the initiatives of veterans, patriotism, and humanitarianism in Arizona
The Copper Sword Award is presented annually by the Society to a non-veteran whose personal actions contributed significantly to the benefit and well-being of our military, our veterans, their families and their survivors, their communities, and their neighbors. The award consists of a raised sword signifying leadership.
The 2018 Copper Sword Award will be presented to Mrs. Susan Kee. Susan emigrated from South Korea to the United States when she was 5 years old with her parents who were also survivors of the Korean War.
Susan went on to become successful in our corporate world, and after time she put her career behind her and chose to pursue her true passion – finding Korean War Veterans, to thank them, to assure them that ‘The Forgotten War’ was not forgotten at all. Susan embraced the words etched into the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC “Our Nation honors her Sons and Daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew, and a people they never met”.
She knew that that war should be remembered, and that the sacrifices, hardships and losses sustained by America’s service men and women was special, appreciated and would not be forgotten. As such, she has made it a personal mission to recognize the veterans who answered the call to duty, saved her country and ensured it would prosper.
A strong advocate of bringing Veterans and Students together, Susan has also served as a Director on the Board of the Veterans Heritage Project and has coordinated interviews with Korean War Veterans and students. She helps organize and then participates in veterans events and is also a sought after ‘guest speaker’ for veteran service organizations. She is an author, and is currently writing a book intended solely to honor Korean War Veterans. She intends to ensure that younger Koreans of today know that they should never forget America’s sacrifice to help South Korea become the economic marvel that it is now.
