Educating the public on national and international issues beyond media sound bites is the genesis of the Glacial Forum.

Glacial Forum founders are David Hafer, a retired maxillofacial surgeon; retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely, a longtime military analyst for Fox News; and Ray Thompson, owner of Sykes’ and founder of Semitool.

They plan to schedule experts to speak on topics in economics, education, national security, health care and U.S. foreign relations.

“There really wasn’t a good forum in the valley here to be able to bring in speakers and address those issues,” Vallely said.

The trio attended a Sept. 19 Glacial Forum presentation on North and South Korea by Tom Sward of Cubic Applications in the lower level of Sykes’. Sward had recently returned from South Korea and travels to Asia regularly as an analyst supporting Pacific Command Theater Engagement exercises.

“Our interest is public education on subjects that are absolutely current, subjects that people need to hear about and try to provide that through experts,” Hafer said.

All but a few chairs were filled to hear Sward. Hafer and Thompson said running out of seats is not unusual.

“There is incredible interest,” Hafer said. “We’re looking into bringing in national and international speakers.”

Vallely is the next speaker planned.

His topic is “The Middle East Chessboard; Unlocking the Secrets of Syria and Egypt” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Sykes’.

Vallely travels frequently to the Middle East and recently returned from a September trip to Egypt to co-lead a delegation sponsored by Westminster Institute to meet with key government, civic and religious leaders. In August, he went to Syria. He was Glacial Forum’s first speaker.

“I sat down with General Vallely when he returned from Syria and Turkey,” Hafer said. “I said, ‘Gee, Paul, you have to share that with the people in the Flathead Valley.’ Because of his credentials he can go where nobody else can go. He said if you can set it up, I’ll do it.”

Vallely’s politically conservative organization, Stand Up America, has sponsored Glacial Forum’s speakers, but Hafer said the forum has no political stance.

“We are not Republican, we are not Democrat, we are not independent. We want everybody here and we want everybody’s input and everybody’s questions,” Hafer said.

The accessibility to experts living in the Flathead Valley is the foundation for Glacial Forum.

“It’s just amazing the people that are here in the Flathead Valley,” Hafer said after talking to a two-star general before Sward’s presentation.

Thompson said he wasn’t impressed just by the caliber of each speaker but also the quality of the audience.

“They’re right here,” Thompson said, gesturing over the audience.

He also said the average American can and should make a better effort to be informed about contemporary issues and the Glacial Forum presents that opportunity in Kalispell. He used Sward’s presentation on North Korea as an example.

“We don’t know anything about North Korea, we don’t want to know everything about it, but we should — and we need to — and it’s important for us to know and that’s why we’re here,” Thompson said.

People interested in contributing to the Glacial Forum may make donations online at www.standupamericaus.org or mail them to SUA, P.O. Box 1596, Bigfork, MT 59911.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].