Korea Veterans Association of Canada Ontario Newsletter www.kvacanada.com May 1 st. 2014 Introduction: This month Patty Harris who has assisted us with the services held at the National Wall of Remembrance, Meadowvale Cemetery, received a promotion, and has been transferred to another location. I would like to thank her on behalf of the KVA for her dedication and support for these events, and wish her well in her new position. She will definitely be missed. Attached is a copy of a presentation made by an Australia student commemorating the Battle of Kap-yong.It was forwarded to me by the Australian Korea Veterans Association. Units are still not reporting deaths of their members, this is important so that the records can be kept up to date. Please be advised that my computer will be down from May 8 th until June 5 th From the Memory Project The Memory Project encourages Korea veterans to share their stories through interviews with our historians. Please contact the Memory Project at 1 (866)-701-1867 and memory@historicacanada.ca Upcoming Events: May 9 th 2014 June 29 th 2014 National Day of Honour Various Locations See attached letter Korea Day National War Memorial Ottawa Date has been confirmed Full details will be available later Contact Bill Black at verbal@sympatico.ca
July 27 th 2014 October 24 th 2014 National Korea War Veterans Day Memorial Service Meadowvale Cemetery Brampton Ontario Details will be available shortly Festival of Remembrance Regent Theatre Oshawa Ontario Details will be made available later Roll of Honour Unit 8 Peterborough Jack Crouch PPCLI died April 1 st 2014 Unit 71 Kawartha Lakes Joseph King (Resident at Sunny Brook Hospital) Unattached Ronald W. Pearce PPCLI died March 19 th 2014 Gwylym J ( Bill) White PPCLI died March 24 th 2014 Limited Kit Stores The following items are still available Blazer Crests 6 Ties 17 Car window decals 54 Please contact Paul Rochon at 1 st.vandoos.korea@gmail.com or 519-668-2599 Note Once this stock is exhausted their will be no further orders placed with our suppliers On the Lighter Side. An Arab Sheik was admitted to hospital for heart surgery, but prior to surgery the doctors needed to store his type of blood in case the need arose.as the gentleman had a rare type of blood, it couldn t be found locally, so a call went out. Finally, a Scotsman was located with a similar blood type. The Scot willingly donated his blood for the Arab. After the surgery, the Arab sent the Scotsman in appreciation for giving his blood a new BMW, diamonds and $50000.00
A couple of days later, once again, the Arab had to go through corrective surgery. The hospital telephoned the Scotsman who was happy to donate his blood again. After the second surgery, the Arab sent the Scotsman a thank-you card and a box of Laura Secord chocolates. The Scotsman was shocked that the Arab did not reciprocate his kind gesture as he had anticipated He phoned the Arab and asked him: I thought that you would be generous again, that you would give me another BMW, diamonds and money. But you only gave me a thank-you card and a box of chocolates. To this the Arab replied: Aye laddie, but now I have Scottish blood in ma viens!!
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0P4 fyf 1 6201' Mr. George Beaulieu Dominion President Army, Navy, and Air Force Veterans in Canada 2-6Beechwood Avenue Ottawa, Ontario KlL 8B4 Dear Mr. Beaulieu: I am pleased to inform you about the Government of Canada's efforts to mark the end of our country's military mission in Afghanistan with a National Day of Honour on May 9th. This will be a special celebration of Canadian patriotism. His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will issue a Royal Proclamation celebrating the strength and resolve of our troops, their families and the many communities they call home. A National Ceremony will occur on Parliament Hill with Veterans of all branches of the Canadian Armed Forces and families. This will be an occasion to pay tribute to the fallen, the sacrifices of the wounded and the special burden borne by military families. Members of the public and students will be invited to honour the legacy of these heroes with a national moment of silence. However, to make this day a truly national commemoration, I would ask that your organization play a role by raising awareness and inviting Veterans to host or participate in events commemorating our country's efforts in Afghanistan on this day. Our goal is to honour the end of a generational mission that affected almost every community in Canada. The tremendous respect our men and women in uniform have earned through their courageous efforts has been evident from coast to coast /) Canadd
-2- to coast. May 9ft will be the culmination of these tributes and a special opportunity to salute the fallen, honour our Veterans and celebrate the strength of our country's remarkable military families. These heroes deserve our unwavering support and everlasting respect. The Government of Canada will provide its full support to mark this historic event and make the National Day of Honour an unprecedented success. For additional information, please consult the canada.ca website or contact Mr. Michel Bento with Veterans Affairs Canada's Commemoration Division at l-844-815-641l. Sincerely, Hon. ulian Fantino, PC, MP
The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, It is a pleasure to be here to join you this afternoon for this service. Today, we commemorate the 63rd year since the Battle of Kapyong, widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Australian military action during the Korean War. On the night of 22 April 1951, Chinese forces launched a major offensive against United Nations forces defending the South Korean capital, Seoul, and positions further east. Next morning the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade (including the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment) was ordered to the valley of the Kapyong River about 60 kilometers north-east of Seoul, where South Korean forces were being driven back. During a night of fierce fighting and throughout the daylight hours of 24 April the Australians and a Canadian battalion, supported by a New Zealand artillery regiment, stalled the Chinese advance before eventually withdrawing after dark. At a cost of 32 men killed, 59 wounded and three missing, the Australians had helped hold up the Chinese 60th Division and inflicted heavy casualties which totaled more than 500 killed alone. For their contribution to this action, the 3rd Battalion was awarded a US Presidential Citation. The impact on our small nation was profound, not least because we lost so much of the future talent of our country. Current and future leaders in their fields artists, scientists, farmers and sportsmen - beloved children and fathers.enlisted and marched straight to their deaths.
And yet, from conflict prosecuted in the pursuit of a righteous cause, some good does come. Besides the protection of our fundamental freedom, servicemen and women are bonded together in an enduring sense of mateship, a sense of doing the right thing; a sense that no matter the deprivations, your mates will not let you down, nor you them. Late last year, the Year 10 students from St Patrick's College visited the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway near Concord Hospital. While there, the students were lucky enough to meet retired Australian General Peter Cosgrove. When speaking to the boys regarding Australia's military history, he described the generation of Australians who lived through the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War and the Korean War 'as the greatest generation of Australians ever'. Today, we honor the sacrifices of this great generation of Australians with gratitude and with thanks. We are now almost 100 years removed from the onset of WWI, 68 years from the end of WWII, and a generation or more away from the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam and it is very difficult for us to comprehend what our service men and women went through. In fact it is very difficult for anyone who hasn t experienced it themselves, to comprehend what it must be like. But that is no excuse to dismiss or to forget. Today we remember solemnly and with gratitude the men and women who have given their lives for us in the many conflicts that have afflicted us in the past century. Even though many of those men who fought in the Korean War are no longer with us, how better can we honor their sacrifice, than by making sure that they are always in the forefront of our minds. That we in our generation pass on their lessons to our children, by
example and to remember for all time that the standards they set for us by their sacrifice are the foundations upon which Australia has become the great nation she is. Then they can rest at peace. Since then, willingly and unconditionally, many men and women of the Australian Defence Force have continued to answer the call to serve their country. Thus, today is also an opportunity to acknowledge their service and sacrifice and hope that those who serve find strength and resolve in the support we lend them from afar. Our thoughts and prayers turn to those currently posted abroad. We pray for their protection and, more importantly, their safe and speedy return. I would encourage everyone here today and indeed every Australian, to remember those who left the comfort and security of their homes to serve their country; who left the warm embrace of their wives, children, friends and other loved ones. Ladies and gentlemen, the memories of our veterans and those who made the greatest sacrifice will live on forever in our hearts and minds. If we can live by the values they fought for, and died by, we will have nothing to fear. To forget is to do disservice to the memory of all who served and lived and died through the horrors of the Korean War and in all conflicts since. War is like love, easy to begin, difficult to end, but impossible to forget.