Canadians in Korean War from the start

Re: “The Korea conference: What were we thinking?” comment, Jan. 18. William Geimer says that in September 1950: “The Korean War was [effectively] over … Canada to this point was not present.”

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950. Canada was present from the start. In two weeks, HMC ships Cayuga, Athabaskan and Sioux departed Esquimalt Harbour and were in Korean waters on July 31, 1950. The war was not over. In October 1950, in a massive assault, the North Korean and Chinese forces had pushed back into Seoul.

Canada was not able to send soldiers to Korea until December 1950. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wanted to send the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry into action immediately. The Canadian commander, Col. Jim Stone, objected, as they had not completed their training. He said: “I wasn’t going to throw them into the line before they knew what to do once they got there.”

After training in the mountains for eight weeks, they went into action under Canadian national command on Feb. 15, 1951, as part of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade.

Concerned that MacArthur would act on his own to “transform the Korean War into a major conflict,” then-president Harry Truman fired him on April 11, 1951, for challenging the president’s authority as commander in chief of the U.S. military.

About 26,000 Canadians participated in the 16-nation UN force in the Korean war. Read Korea: Canada’s Forgotten War by John Melady, or simply search the internet. Gerald Pash Victoria