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HooJung Jones
From:
Date:
Subject:
<[email protected]>
March-30-13 9:54 AM
LUCKY VETERANS ON COMMONWEALTH REVISIT WILL ENJOY TRULY MARVELLOUS
PROGRAM
The Korean War Veteran
Internet Journal March 30, 2013
Lucky veterans on Commonwealth revisit will
enjoy a truly marvellous program
Veterans who are delegates on the Commonwealth Veterans Revisit to Korea that is
sponsored by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs are assured of an excellent
program, thanks to the hard work and inputs of Colonel Jacques Morneau, the Canadian
Defence Attache in Seoul.
Colonel Morneau and the other Commonwealth attaches stay involved with MPVA
officials throughout the planning process.
Colonel Morneau’s inputs clearly show in places where the program has been modified
from the regular itinerary that has been in place for many years.
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Colonel Jacques Morneau assists veteran Caporal Albert Gagnon, who places
flowers on the grave of his brother, Joseph Omer Gagnon. Albert and two of his
brothers served in D Company of the 2nd Royal 22e Regiment which fought a major
battle on a vital saddle of ground between Hill 355 and Hill 227 in November, 1951.
The occasion was the November 11, 2011 Turn Toward Busan program held at the
United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan.
The program runs from April 22 through April 27, with the MPVA absorbing one half of
the air fare for the veterans and one-third for the veterans’ wives, close family members
or caregivers. The MPVA fully covers the in-country hotel, meals and ground
transportation for the entire program.
It is noteworthy that Colonel Morneau effectively presented his claim to expand the
number of Canadians invited to participate. He showed the MPVA revisit team how
Canada provided a very high ratio of soldiers, sailors and airmen, compared to the other
Commonwealth nations.
Canada had a fully independent reinforced brigade of infantry in the field in Korea,
providing the second highest number of personnel in the Commonwealth, next to the
United Kingdom. Additionally, Canada always had three destroyers, with more than 500
crew members and shore personnel in
action, a squadron of transport planes
flying throughout the war and fighter
pilots and nurses on loan to the United
States Air Force.
This revisit will be very special because
Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans
Affairs Canada, has chosen to
accompany the veterans throughout their
journey.
Minister Blaney has been intrigued by the thought of traveling to the land where
Canadians served so long ago and seeing first hand the places where they fought and the
grand changes the Korean People have brought about that are based on the freedom
provided by Canadians and all of their United Nations Allies.
Minister Blaney also has met in Canada with his Korean counterpart, Honorable Park
Sung Choon, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, who has visited Canada officially
on two occasions in the past two years.
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Minister Park Sung Choon with VAC Minister Steven Blaney in the House of
Commons, Ottawa.
So here are some of the highlights:
On arrival on Monday, April 22, the veterans and Minister Blaney will be met at Incheon
International Airport in the afternoon by Colonel Morneau and an appropriate ranking
political officer from the Canadian Embassy, as well as by key officials from the MPVA.
On Tuesday, the veterans who have never been back to Korea since they were there
during the war will get their long wish, which has been in their hearts for the past 60
years.
After breakfast they will travel by bus to Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and visit the
Panmunjom Joint Security Area and have a briefing in Outpost Dora, which provides a
panoramic view of many positions along the old front.
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View from observation platform outside Obervation Post Dora, situated atop
Dorasan (Mount Dora).
However, and here is where Jacque Morneau’s planning work becomes apparent, the
Canadian veterans then leave Outpost Dora and travel the backroads parallel to the DMZ
to Outpost Sang Seung (Typhoon) – which is a working ROK Army OP just 700 meters
from Hill 355!
While much focus has always been put on Kapyong and the battle fought there in April,
1951, by the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Colonel
Morneau is cognizant that more Canadian troops – from all three infantry regiments,
supported always by the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery or the Royal Canadian Artillery
and all corps units – served at one time or other on Hill 355. More Canadian casualties
were incurred there than on any other position in Korea.
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Hill 355 viewed from side of Outpost Sang Seung along the DMZ. The ROK Army
has observations posts atop the Gibraltar feature of Hill 355, but nobody is
permitted beyond the wire except those authorized for outpost duty and others
whose entry if properly authorized, requires signatures of both the Korean and
American generals who command the US-Korea Joint Command.
Hill 355 was the site of a terrible battle fought by the Royal 22e Regiment in November,
1951, and also a devastating battle fought by The Royal Canadian Regiment in October,
1952.
Further, Hill 355 was in the hands of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricias when the
Military Armistice Agreement was signed in July, 1953.
On Wednesday, the veterans and Minister Blaney will depart by bus for Gapyeong (the
current spelling for Kapyong).
There they will take part in a
memorial service along with all other
Commonwealth Veterans in the heart
of the small City of Kapyong. The
service will be held at the
Commonwealth Memorial Wall in a
pleasant park located along the main
street.
There Ambassador David Chatterson
will deliver a Message from the Queen. There Minister Blaney, Ambassador Chatterson,
Colonel Morneau and a selected veteran will collectively place a wreath of
commemoration at the Wall.
This will be followed by a memorial service at the Canadian Memorial Gardens, which
overlook the positions where the Patricias fought in April, 1951. The Gardens contains
the Canadian War Memorial and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
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memorial cairn.
Minister Blaney and Ambassador Chatterson will place a wreath for the Government of
Canada, Colonel Morneau will do the same for the Canadian Forces and a veteran will
place a wreath for all veterans who served in Korea.
It’s going to be a most busy day thereafter, but everyone should still be full of vim and
vigour.
The delegation has lunch in the field – at a suitable restaurant – then returns to their hotel
in Seoul to freshen up and depart at 3 p.m. for the Jeong-Dong Theatre for a Miso
performance.
MISO is a narrative set that tells a love story of a young man and woman in an era
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gone by. The piece is rich with Korean traditional dance, instrumental music and
includes a percussion quartet and songs that meld to present a mesmerizing tale of
romance in the Land of the Morning Calm.
From the theatre the veterans will travel to the Canadian Embassy. As a piece of inside
information, there is a tale of romance there, as well. Veterans no doubt will meet
Madame Chatterson, the Japanese born wife of Ambassador David Chatterson, whom he
met early in his career when he worked in her home country. She looks like a teenager,
but they have had their silver wedding anniversary, or will very soon.
At the Canadian Embassy a warm reception will be co-hosted by Minister Blaney and
Ambassador Chatterson. There will be toasts, there will be food, there will be much
conversation, then the weary veterans and their escorts will return to the hotel to rest.
They are encouraged to rest, because next day they will be getting up with the sun!
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The new Canadian Embassy is in its own free standing building in the Jung-gu
District of Seoul.
On Thursday, forget breakfast at the hotel. The buses leave the hotel at 6 a.m. sharp and
travel to the War Memorial of Korea – a huge, multi-story indoor and outdoor museum
and shrine that marks Korea’s history through wars that have been fought over the course
of the country’s 5,000 year history.
But they are going there for two very special ceremonies:
There will be an ANZAC
Sunrise Service at 6:30
a.m. This service is held
marking a national day of
remembrance in both
Australia and New
Zealand for the
servicemen who perished
in all of the wars fought
by those nations.
At 7:30 a.m. there will be
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a sumptuous buffet
breakfast at the Wedding Hall that is adjacent to the War Memorial of Korea.
Then, at 9 a.m., there will be a very special ceremony. For the first time since the end of
the war, Irish veterans will be honoured and celebrated. There will be an unveiling of the
newly installed Irish War Monument, with suitable ceremony.
As most veterans know, the Royal Ulster Rifles fought valiantly in Korea and lost more
soldiers in a single battle in 1951 than most other units lost in an entire year.
The 7th Irish Hussars also fought valiantly with their Centurion tanks, and also incurred
heavy casualties, both in the enemy's January, 1951 New Year’s offensive and the
follow-on all-out April, 1951 offensive. Additionally, Irish born troops were sprinkled
throughout many other British units, as well as some from Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and the United States!
From there, all veterans will travel to Korea’s National Cemetery to pay their respects to
Korea’s Korean War Fallen. This is a moving ceremony, a must for all visiting veterans.
Incense is burned and wreaths placed at the Hyeon Chung Tap shrine, which holds tablets
that bear the names of 104,000 Republic of Korea soldiers who are listed as missing in
action, as well as 6,000 sets of remains of unknown soldiers.
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By now veterans will likely begin feeling a little fatigue. They can rest on the bus. It
departs at 2 p.m. and they can rest up at the hotel in the afternoon, or do some shopping.
The hotel is connected to the Lotte Jamsil department store, where prices are quite high
and bargains are a rarity.
We strongly recommend refreshing and resting instead. Because at 6 p.m . everyone is
invited to participate in the highlight of the program, the Minister of Patriot and
Veterans Affairs's grand appreciation and awards banquet!
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At the April, 2012 Commonwealth Revisit banquet, the MPVA’s Yongjin Jeon, who
is director of the international team of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War
Commemoration Committee, hosts a table of veterans from New Zealand as they
drink a welcoming toast. The reception was held at the Grand Ambassador Hotel in
Seoul, which was hosting the Korean War Veteran Revisit programs throughout
2012. This year the hotel’s main banquet facility is undergoing renovations and the
veterans are staying at the Lotte Jamsil Hotel in the Namgang district.
There is a cocktail reception preceding, a gourmet table served meal, appreciation
remarks from the Minister, and the award of Ambassador for Peace Medals for those
veterans who are eligible to receive them. Everyone should be on their way to their rooms
by 9 p.m.
Sometimes the MPVA provides veterans with mementoes.
Again, unless one has amazing fortitude, rest in the room that night is strongly
encouraged!
Because on Friday, everyone must turn out for breakfast at the hotel by 6:30 a.m. and be
aboard their respective buses by 7:15 a.m. for travel to Seoul Station. This will be the
new Seoul Station, not the venerable station that was used during the Korean War,
although part of it is still standing and in good repair.
It’s about a half hour bus journey at that time of day to the station.
Everyone then boards the KTX bullet train for Busan (previously spelled Pusan), which
departs at 8:30 a.m. sharp. This is a wonderful journey that takes just two hours and 42
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minutes, with an ETA of 11:12 a.m.
You will be able to see the beautiful Korean countryside, and if you are lucky, here and
there the blossoms in various fruit tree orchards will be in bloom. No matter if the petals
have fallen or blossoms are not yet blooming, the country is gorgeous.
When you arrive at Busan buses will take you to the delightful MunHwa wedding hall
restaurant for a delectable Korean fusion buffet – and if you are lucky there will be giant
prawns among the offerings.
Then things will get serious, or they should get serious, and one hopes everyone will then
travel to the United Nations Memorial Cemetery with a certain air of solemnity, to visit
the graves of 378 Fallen Canadians, now 379 since an interment last year.
There will be a joint Commonwealth commemoration ceremony. It is usually held at the
ceremonial flagged area at the top of the cemetery. The flagged area is “ceremonial” in
that it holds some of the remains of veterans from 16 United Nations Allied Nations.
The majority of the Korean War Fallen are buried in the large plots below that are
dedicated to each nation.
The Canadian Veterans will then place a wreath and hold their own brief service at the
Monument to Canadian Fallen, the bronze memorial that is situated in the centre area of
the Canadian graves section. It has on one side the United Kingdom graves and on the
other, those of the Australians who fell.
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The Monument to Canadian Fallen was sited in the United Nations Memorial
Cemetery in September, 2001, initially dedicated with Ambassador Denis Comeau
representing the Government of Canada. It was officially dedicated and
Consecrated with a full compliment of Canadian veterans present in April, 2002. (If
any veteran sees bird droppings on the bronze, such are visible on the central
figure’s right shoulder, please be proactive and take the initiative to respectfully
clean it well.)
Leo Demay, a Canadian expatriot who is the director of international affairs at the United
Nations Memorial Cemetery likely will have a tour of sorts organized.
However, veterans are encouraged to give priority to locating and paying homage at the
graves of their Fallen Comrades. Leo will probably have charts available that will guide
veterans directly to specific graves if they should ask for
assistance.
Leo Demay, a Canadian, has been the director of
international affairs at the UN Cemetery since 2008.
His father, Andre A. Regimbald fell serving with the
Royal 22e Regiment and is buried in the Canadian
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graves section.
My, organization of the revisit program has been great!
Now everyone departs for the Busan station at 4:40 p.m. and a KTX bullet train will
leave exactly at 5:45 p.m., with a Seoul arrival time of 8:32 p.m.
Some have been known to gripe about it, but they are few, and we encourage everyone to
take things in stride and enjoy the cold boxed dinner that will be provided aboard the
train. Veterans should let their minds go back to a time when troops and passengers
traveled in dilapidated, wooden sided train cars, and sat on slat wood seats, and were
rattled and shaken in a journey that seemed it would never end.
Well, that journey really never did end, and the veterans are still on it! They will come to
realize this, and they will rejoice.
Saturday is going home day, so on Friday night everyone will have lots of packing to take
care of, but on this grand schedule the Canadians have a full open Saturday morning.
Breakfast and lunch are provided at the hotel.
If the bags are packed, there's time for a good shopping stint in Itaewon, or in nearby
Tongdaemun (East Gate) or Namdaemun (South Gate) and on Saturday the market
ambience will be most memorable!
The Canadians leave the hotel at 1 p.m. for the run to Incheon International Airport.
Veterans from other nations depart in accord with their flight times.
The Air Canada Flight 064 is scheduled to depart at 4:45 p.m.
Everyone will be entranced; Korea much in their minds and hearts.
Virtually everyone will be promising to return to the country again, but few ever do.
So don’t waste your time while you are there, and enjoy every possible moment that is
available to you.
If you see something you might like to buy as a souvenir, don’t dilly dally, scoop it up,
for you will never see it again and the moment will be gone.
The journey is more than wonderful. It is a blessing!
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