Feb 20, 2013 Minister Steven Blaney honours veterans of the Royal

The Korean War Veteran
Internet Journal February 20, 2013
Minister Steven Blaney honours veterans of
the Royal 22e Régiment in 2013 Year of the
Korean War Veteran ceremony at the Citadel
in Québec City
(This caption did not come from Veterans Affairs Canada, which provided the
photograph).
At the venerable Citadel in Quebec City, Quebec, Veterans Affairs Minister
Steven Blaney paid special tribute to the courageous, honourable and
unbelievably unsung veterans of the Royal 22e Régiment whose superb record
in the Korean War is seldom acknowledged. For expediency, historians and
authors who try to chronicle the service of Canadians in the Korean War put
focus on the Battle of Kapyong, in which the Princess Patricia’s Canadian
Light Infantry’s 2nd Battalion had 10 soldiers killed in action and 23
wounded. They overlook entirely the unsung, ferociously dedicated and brave
soldiers of the Royal 22e who fought in the November, 1951 battle that took
place over the course of five days on a saddle of ground between Hill 355 and
Hill 227. In that battle D Company of the 2nd Battalion of the R22eR held
back overwhelming numbers of enemy assault troops and kept them from
fully consolidating and conquering the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Regiment of
the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division (The Rock of the Marne Division), which was
defending Hill 355. In this battle, D Company of the R22eR sustained casualties
of greater than 80 percent! The R22eR lost 16 men killed in action, 44 soldiers
wounded in action and three soldiers missing in action. It was perhaps the
fiercest action fought by Canadians in Korea. This in no way detracts from
the strategic significance of the Battle of Kapyong, which gained historic
notoriety when the PPCLI 2nd Battalion was awarded the U.S. Presidential
Unit Citation, or from the bravery of the soldiers of the PPCLI or other units.
However, as usual, the French speaking R22eR was overlooked. While the
enemy did take the high Gibraltar features of Hill 355, small teams of the 2nd
Battalion Seventh Regiment were able to hold elsewhere while the R22eR
pummelled their enemy below until the enemy force finally was routed by a
counterattack launched by the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment.
It is noteworthy that one of the veterans of the November, 1951 battle between
Hill 355 and Hill 227 was 15 years old. An orphan, Alex MacDonald had
joined the R22eR in Canada’s Special Force for Korea at age 14. He is
believed to be in the photograph that was supplied by VAC, which did not
have accompanying identifications. One R22eR Veteran who is identifiable by
his beaming smile is Captain Arthur Lortie, front row left of photo, who
served as a corporal in Korea. Arthur was later commissioned and finished
his service as Regimental Adjutant. Like many veterans, Arthur has suffered
his health travails since leaving the Canadian Army. He is recovering from
lung cancer surgery and radiation therapy treatments. One would never know
it to see his face.
It is also noteworthy that when the 1st Battalion of The Royal Canadian
Regiment held Hill 355 from August through October, 1952, the Battalion
suffered well over 100 casualties on the position and outlying areas, including
more than 40 Royals killed in action. The Battalion survived a devastating
massed artillery and shock troop attack on the night of October 23, 1952,
when 18 Royals were killed in action, 35 were wounded and 14 were listed as
missing in action.
QUÉBEC CITY - The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs,
today highlighted the Year of the Korean War Veteran in Québec City. Since 2013
has been declared the Year of the Korean War Veteran, Minister Blaney, joined by
Veterans of the Korean War, went to the Citadelle of Québec to pay tribute to
Veterans and members of the Royal 22e Régiment.
“I am pleased to be here among the members of the Royal 22e Régiment, past and
present, to highlight the regiment's significant contribution during the Korean War,”
Blaney said.
“Members of the Regiment found themselves at the front alongside a number of
other Canadians who served commendably on land, aboard Royal Canadian Navy
ships and in the Royal Canadian Air Force. More than 26,000 Canadian men and
women in uniform came to the aid of South Korea during the war, and 516 of them
made the ultimate sacrifice. It is our duty to pay tribute to them.”
The Royal 22e Régiment was part of the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade in the 1st
Commonwealth Infantry Division during the Korean War. This was the first major
mission led by the United Nations, newly formed in 1945. The regiment was
involved in several intensive battles including the battle of Hill 355 where
members of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22e stood their ground against enemy
forces for five days.
Between November 22 and 26, 1951, the regiment lost 16 men killed in action, 44
soldiers were wounded and three were reported missing. Hill 355 was the most
difficult battle for the Regiment on Korean soil.
“The Royal 22e Régiment lost 104 of its members during what was one of the
bloodiest conflicts in which our country took part,” Blaney said. “We will never
forget them. This year, like South Korea, our nation will salute their sacrifices.”
For more information on Canada's role in the Korean War or the Year of the
Korean War Veteran, visit veterans.gc.ca.
Le ministre Blaney souligne l'Année des
vétérans de la guerre de Corée à Québec
Québec - Dans le cadre de l'Année des vétérans de la guerre
de Corée, Steven Blaney, ministre des Anciens Combattants,
s'est joint à des vétérans, aujourd'hui, pour rendre
hommage aux vétérans et aux membres du Royal 22e
Régiment. (Groupe CNW/Anciens Combattants Canada)
QUÉBEC - L'honorable Steven Blaney, ministre des Anciens Combattants, a tenu
à souligner aujourd'hui à Québec l'Année des vétérans de la guerre de Corée.
L'année 2013 ayant été décrétée Année des vétérans de la guerre de Corée, le
ministre Blaney, accompagné de vétérans de la guerre de Corée, s'est rendu à la
Citadelle de Québec afin de prononcer un hommage aux vétérans et aux membres
du Royal 22e Régiment.
« Je suis heureux de pouvoir me retrouver entouré de membres du Royal 22e
Régiment d'aujourd'hui et d'hier afin de souligner la contribution importante du
régiment au cours de la guerre de Corée, a déclaré le ministre Blaney. Les
membres du régiment se sont retrouvés au front aux côtés de plusieurs autres
Canadiens qui se sont tout autant illustrés sur le terrain, à bord des navires de la
Marine royale canadienne et dans les airs. Plus de 26 000 Canadiens et
Canadiennes en uniforme sont allés prêter main-forte à la Corée du Sud lors de ce
conflit, et 516 d'entre eux ont consenti le sacrifice ultime. Il est de notre devoir de
leur rendre hommage. »
Le Royal 22e Régiment faisait partie de la 1e Division d'infanterie du
Commonwealth au cours de la guerre de Corée. Il s'agissait de la première mission
d'envergure sous la responsabilité des de l'Organisation des Nations Unies,
nouvellement formée en 1945. Le régiment connut plusieurs combats intensifs,
dont la bataille de la cote 355 où les membres du 2e Bataillon tinrent tête aux
forces ennemies pendant cinq jours. Entre le 22 et le 26 novembre 1951, le
régiment perdit 16 hommes en plus de voir 44 de ses membres blessés et trois
portés disparus. La cote 355 fut l'un des combats les plus difficiles pour le régiment
en sol coréen.
« Le Royal 22e Régiment a perdu 104 de ses membres au cours de ce qui fut l'un
des conflits les plus sanglants auquel prit part le Canada. Nous ne les oublierons
jamais. Cette année, tout comme la Corée du Sud, notre nation saluera leurs
sacrifices », a ajouté le ministre Blaney.
Au cours de l'année, le ministre Blaney participera à de nombreux événements à
travers le pays afin de souligner l'Année des vétérans de la guerre de Corée.
Pour en savoir plus sur le rôle du Canada lors de la guerre de Corée ou sur l'Année
des vétérans de la guerre de Corée, consultez veterans.gc.ca