Veteran remembers end of ‘forgotten war’
It’s known as the “forgotten war” in Canada, but the Korean people live with the legacy of the 1950-53 conflict every day.
The communist north and the capitalist south remain technically in a state of war despite an armistice signed 60 years ago, but intervention by Canada and its allies saved South Korea and its people decades of oppression and privation.
Calgarian John Chapman is part of a delegation of Canadian veterans and officials leaving Wednesday for South Korea to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of hostilities.
“It’s a forgotten war, by all means, in Canada, but it sure as hell wasn’t for the people (of Korea),” said Chapman, a Royal Canadian Navy veteran who retired in 1984.
The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950.
At one point, the communists succeeded in taking over almost the entire peninsula before a coalition of United Nations and South Korean forces pushed them back across the 38th parallel, the original dividing line between the two Koreas.
UN and South Korean troops continued to push deep into the north, but China’s decision to enter the war on North Korea’s side swung momentum back and created the stalemate that led to the signing of the armistice on July 27, 1953.
More than 26,000 Canadians served in Korea; 516 were killed in combat.
Chapman, now 80, nine other veterans and Veteran Affairs Minister Julian Fantino are scheduled to attend commemorative events in Seoul, Busan and Panmunjom, site of the armistice and occasional talks between the two sides.
At the time of the armistice, Chapman, now 80, was serving aboard the destroyer HMCS Haida, which was defending a South Korean island off the west coast of the peninsula.
“Tensions were very high,” Chapman said.
Sailors from the Haida used to share their food with the islanders and Chapman said he saw widespread destruction during trips to the South Korean capital, Seoul.
During a trip back to South Korea on the 50th anniversary of the armistice, Chapman couldn’t believe the wealth and prosperity that flourished in the south since the war.
Meanwhile, the North Korean people have for decades remained cut off from the rest of the world by an oppressive communist regime and have been grappling with widespread starvation.
Although Chapman is proud of Canada’s contribution to defending South Korea, he said he’s troubled by the ongoing separation of the Korean people.
“It was a sad mistake, going to war the way they did. It should have never happened,” he said.
In Calgary, the Military Museums will open an exhibit commemorating Canada’s participation in the Korean War on Saturday, to coincide with the anniversary of the armistice.