Richard “Jet” Vertz who thinks of himself as red hasn’t been able to recruit many reds in this blue state. That hasn’t deterred him from his mission to bring people together to bridge partisan political opinions that divide this country.

He is inviting people of similar opinion to build a strong community – red or blue – to meet Feb. 19 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Warwick Public Library to learn about Braver Angels.

His mission, forged from a childhood when he was a street urchin in South Korea, is to save this country because he has experienced firsthand the opportunities it offers and how it can change lives.

“I worked hard, studied hard, persevered. I don’t think I could have done that in any other country,” he said in an interview Friday. On Thursday he spoke at the Warwick Rotary Club about Braver Angels, the nationwide volunteer movement to bridge the partisan divide for the good of the republic.

Vertz became a volunteer for Braver Angels more than a year ago and then stepped up to co-found of the Rhode Island Alliance. The Alliance is one of 111 nationwide. According to its website, the organization has nearly 60,000 participants.

Vertz is having difficulty recruiting “reds” to the cause. Of 38 Ocean State members of the movement only two think of themselves as red. To effectively conduct meetings where people learn to accept differing political views, express their opinion and listen to others, Vertz is looking for evenly balanced numbers of blues and reds as well as those who aren’t of either political persuasion.

Why is he so committed to this cause?

Growing up in the streets

Vertz’s  [Lee Seug Young]  story starts in Seoul and takes many twists and turns from the 1950s when the North Koreans invaded his home and took his father and older brother. The Americans recaptured the area but advised his mother to flee south with the remaining family. After a day’s walk and a night ride on the roof of a packed boxcar he was separated from his family. He searched but never found his mother or sisters.

He lived in the streets of Suwon, South Korea.  There were other street children. He stole food and clothing. At the age of four or five [he doesn’t know when he was born and his birth date of Nov. 11, 1948 was randomly chosen], he was taken into an orphanage run by Buddhist monks. The monks daily sent the children, about 60 in all, out to beg for food to be mutually shared. One spring day Lee decided not to return to the orphanage.

Living on the street wasn’t easy and Lee realized he wouldn’t survive the harsh winter without shelter. He sought out another orphanage, the Garden of Children, run by an America Christian mission. His experience at the mission led him to becoming a Christian.  American GIs visited the orphanage and dropped off packages of toys, candy and food.  He had dreams of going to America, but that seemed unlikely because people looking to adopt wanted young children.  By this time Lee figured he was 13. His chances looked dim.

When the orphanage was approached by a US serviceman looking to adopt a ten year old boy, Lee passed himself off as 10 years old. Eight other boys did the same.

Chosen for adoption

Fred Vertz, a sergeant in the Air Force, chose Lee, however there were complications. As Lee explains, laws forbade a single person to adopt a child 10 years old or older.  He was given the name of Richard John Vertz. Marion, Vertz’s sister, who lived in New Berlin, Wisconsin with her husband and two children adopted Lee with the plan that after a year her brother would adopt him. That was permissible since they were brother and sister.

 Lee arrived in this country with little knowledge of English, yet believing he was 10 years old Marion enrolled him in fifth grade. He made friends. He learned.

One day, a group of boys from school inquired if he could join them to play football. With Green Bay Packers commanding the headlines, Jet had an idea of what football was all about.  He quickly picked up the game, running, catching passes and tackling. His teammates nicknamed him “Chink” and used the name when they came to recruit him to play. His surrogate mother objected to the name. She huddled with the team and they named him “Jet” for his speed that coincidently suited him well later in life.

After a year in Wisconsin, Jet moved to live with his adopted father who was stationed in Keesler Base in Biloxi, MS.

Upon graduating from high school in 1967 and anticipating he would be drafted, Jet and three of his friends decided they would drive motorcycles across country and then collectively enlist in the Army under the “buddy pack” program where they would all be assigned to the same unit.

SAT scores change everything

 Jet’s high school advisor had another idea. He recognized Jet’s potential and urged him to take the SATs. Jet saw no need. He had no plans to further his education and besides the test cost $12.

The advisor persisted and challenged Jet, saying he didn’t have the fortitude to take the test. That did it. Jet would prove him wrong. As the advisor suspected, Jet performed well, so well that the three Mississippi universities sent the results all offered him full scholarships.

Jet told his friends he wouldn’t be traveling across country. He accepted the offer of the University of Mississippi in Starkville where he earned a degree in engineering.

Upon graduating Jet accepted a full-time position as an aircraft engine turbine design engineer from Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Two months after starting, he sought a leave of absence .
“I know this sounds corny, but I felt I had a duty to serve the country in the armed forces. After all I was adopted by an American GI, who was serving the country,” he writes in a biography.

It was a decision that brought him to Newport and the US Navy Officers Candidate School where he received  a commission as an ensign in December 1972.  It also led to him meeting his future wife and to eventually living in Rhode Island.  Meeting his future wife resulted when he and several friends at the Officers Candidate School decided they needed to inject some life in the Officers Club. They ran a classified ad in the Providence Journal inviting those interested in “meeting an officer and a gentleman” to the club. Joyce was one of the women who showed up.

Jet served aboard a vessel  stationed at Subick Bay in the Philippines that patrolled the Gulf of Tokin  during the Vietnam War. During R&R, when his comrades vacationed, Jet traveled to South Korea in search of members of his biological family. He has yet to locate them.

Builds  computer inspection system

 As the war was coming to an end he was reassigned to the Department of Defense Computer Institute in Washington, DC.  to work on computerizing naval systems.  Upon completion of his tour of duty, Pratt & Whitney wanted him back but his naval and jet engine work was also of interest to GE Aviation. He chose to work for GE based in Lynn, Mass. There he developed in 1976 a computerized, automated aircraft engine parts inspection system named SMART [Systematic Modular Algorithm Repeater and Translator] . The invention won him the Young Engineer Award from GE Aviation and put him on a corporate trajectory. Nineteen years later in 1994 he returned to Pratt & Whitney to start the commercial engine aftermarket services business and then retiring in 2012 as vice president.

Reflecting on his life experience, Jet says, “I don’t think I could have done that in any other country. He says he is living “very comfortably” with two pensions and an IRA “nest egg…I’ve realized the American dream. The American system made that happen and I would like to preserve it. We need to unite, we shouldn’t be as polarized as we are.”

Jet turns to history to support his call to act now.

He notes that the nation’s 250^th birthday is next year and that history shows empires start to crumble after 250 years. Jet reasons Russia and China needn’t threaten us as they can sit back and watch us self-destruct

“If we continue down this path, we’re going to fall apart,” he said.

Jet is doing what he can to see that doesn’t happen.

“I want to give back to America that has given me so much.”