Search Results for: Korean War

Chris Snider was born March 19, 1932 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.  His parents were Canadian but were living in the U.S. at the time, and as the 1930s unfolded they moved a few more times, eventually landing in Oakville, Ontario.  The realities of the Great Depression had kept them on the move, as Chris’s father looked

Bob Harbula was born January 2, 1931 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He grew up in a working class area there, and he expected to work on the railroad, as had his father and grandfather.  As a young boy he saw the Second World War unfold all around him, and he was inspired by the stories of

Philip Daniel was born July 24, 1925 in Toronto.  He grew up on a farm in the Leaside neighbourhood, where his father – a Great War veteran – delivered dairy goods.  Philip’s father was part of the Canadian Engineers in the First World War, working with horses and keeping the supplies moving; his mother was

Don Martin was born June 9, 1933 in Toronto, and he attended Danforth Tech in the city’s east end.  Don grew up during the war years, and two of his older brothers served in the Second World War.  That includes Jack, who stormed Juno Beach on D-day, and whose story also appears in the Crestwood

Cliff Davies was born September 3, 1927 in Portsmouth, England.  By a strange twist of fate his 12th birthday happened to be the day that WW2 was declared in Great Britain, and it was a birthday that came to be characterized by gas masks and evacuation.  Cliff’s father worked at the Portsmouth shipyards, as did

Dallas Willett was born August 3, 1930 in Rouge Hill, Ontario.  Third child in a family of 12, he grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression, working the family farm and delivering newspapers when he wasn’t at school or playing soccer or hockey.  They would also go into the nearby town of

Mary Cameron-Kelly was born January 5, 1962 in North Sydney, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  Her father had served in the CAF during the Korean War, and she made the decision to enlist herself after she completed high school.  Her air force career began when she became an airframe technician, and at this time Mary

Earl Watson was born April 15, 1930 in Brantford, Ontario.  The family relocated to Owen Sound during the Depression, as Earl’s father found work as a welder.  Earl’s childhood was typical; he went to school and more importantly enjoyed his time with friends, playing baseball and whatever else.  Earl was too young for the Second

Narce Caliva was born on September 7, 1929 in Salinas, California.  His father originally came from the Philippines and had emigrated to California via Hawaii.  In California he met his soon-to-be wife, daughter in a family who had come to the United States from Yugoslavia.  Narce grew up in California against the backdrop of World

Harry Miller was born July 2, 1928 in Columbus, Ohio. He would serve in the American Army in the Second World War, when he was not yet 18 years old. Harry’s mother died when he was only 3, so it would be his father and sister who guided the family through the difficult days of

Don Williams served in the Canadian army during the Korean War.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Second World War, experiencing the ups-and-downs alongside fellow Canadians during that changing time.  As the Cold War escalated, he enlisted for his own war, and with basic training he was assigned to the PPCLI, designated as

Robert “Bud” Jones was born in the St-Henri District of Montreal, and educated in the school districts of St. Henri, Montreal and Verdun , Quebec. Bud Jones is a decorated career soldier of 30 yrs, and a veteran of WWII who also served in Korea. He grew up in Depression-era Montreal, where Bud remembers his

Andy Barber is from Montreal, where he grew up during World War Two.  Not one for school, he left to find employment in the CN rail yards of Point St-Charles, where he found work as a carman’s apprentice.  But the lure of the navy proved strong, and Andy joined up just as the Korean War

Odie Brooker was born in 1929 in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood. In the midst of the Depression, Odie was placed in the care of the Children’s Aid Society. He spent the next nine years in foster homes in the Caledon region. At age 15, he snuck into the Canadian Army and spent the next year training

Bill King served in the Canadian Forces from 1951-56.  Bill  grew up in Nova Scotia, against the backdrop of WW2.  He remembers well the sacrifices of other family members who served in that conflict, and he considers them the real veterans.  Bill’s service coincided with the Korean War, and although he did not go to

Pete Gregerson served in Canada’s armed forces in both World War Two and Korea.  Born and raised in the west end of Toronto, Pete grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, attending public school and then Central Tech, where he studied to be a draftsman.  Pete enlisted in the army as WW2 came

Doug Scott was born in Toronto.  He graduated from Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto.  From there, Doug enlisted in the Canadian army, where he stayed  for five years.  During that time, the Korean War took place, and Doug was deployed overseas.  While in Korea, Doug served in the unique position of sports

We met Walter Metcalfe on a field trip to the Sunnybrook Veterans Wing in the fall of 2012. Walter served in the RCAF in World War Two, when he flew numerous missions as part of Bomber Command.  He enlisted and served in the infantry in the Korean War as well.  Walter’s memories went beyond the

Leon Moyen is a Korean War veteran who came from the small country of Luxembourg. He was born in 1930 and he enlisted in the army at the age of 16. When Leon first arrived in Korea, his main task was to do patrols. According to him, this job wasn’t always dangerous. Eventually he was

Mort Lightstone was born Nov. 13, 1932.  He joined the Canadian Air Force when he was 18, during the Cold War years. He was trained as a navigator and graduated as an officer in April, 1952. His career continued for 28 years and totalled more than 6,600 hours of flying missions.  During the Korean War

Guy Lavergne is a veteran of the Korean War, where he fought alongside United Nations troops in the early 1950s. Guy’s stories remind us that there is an important legacy to capture about one of the 20th century’s “forgotten wars”, not to mention Canada’s important role in the U.N . We met Guy at Sunnybrook

Henry Chu was a captain in the South Korean army during the Korean War of 1950-53. When his family was separated with the designation of the 38th Parallel, he found himself in the south. With the coming of the war, he became involved in a commando unit whose job it was to inflitrate enemy forces

Ron Kirk served in the Canadian Forces in the post-WW2 period, when Canada’s peacekeeping reputation was being established. Ron served in the navy, and he spent time in Korea during that nation’s 1950-53 war. Ron and his shipmates patrolled the Korean west coast, doing their part to counter North Korea’s efforts to export communism. He