Internet Journal June 25, 2013

Second Day of Korean War Veterans Korea

Day weekend in Ottawa

Saturday, June 22, gave veterans participating in the Veterans Affairs Canada

weekend to honour them were given the opportunity to tour the Canadian War

Museum in the morning. VAC had arranged for the Korean War Book of

Remembrance to be placed there for viewing and many veterans found nearness to

the ornate book to be moving, even with sorrow and melancholia in some cases.

In the photo above, albeit posed for the photographer, it is no less moving for

veteran Douglas Steer as he points out the name of his brother, Lance Corporal

Donald Henry Steer to Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney.

Lance Corporal Steer was killed in action on New

Year’s Eve, December 31st, 1951. In addition to his

brother Doug, he left behind his wife, Mary Juliette

Steer, his son, Donald Henry Steer, Jr., his parents,

Henry Walter and Theresa Ann Steer, a sister,

Marjorie Grace Steer and two other brothers, John

Charles and Robert James Steer.

Though the records list his death as occurring on

December 31, Bill Boss, correspondent in Korea for

the Canadian Press wire service, wrote that Lance

Corporal Steer was shot by a sniper a few minutes

after midnight as his patrol was returning to its

position.

Lance Corporal Donald Henry Steer

2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment

1928-1951

Boss wrote in wrote in his report that it was a most improbably shot, from more

than a hundred yards off at night. It may have been that the shot was fired from a

carbine with night scope. The Chinese had taken such weapons from other allied

units when patrols were overrun and when positions were attacked.

Ironically, when Douglas Steer arrived in Korea with the 1st Battalion of the RCR,

he replaced a unit in the 2nd RCR in which Elburn Duffy, a friend of the two

brothers from Cornwall was serving. Doug Steer and Elburn Duffy remained

friends through the decades.

In the afternoon some of the veterans accompanied Korea’s Vice Minister of

Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Choi Wankeun, and Senator Yonah Martin, to pay

respects to veterans who are in long-term care residence at the Perley and Rideau

Veterans Health Centre in Ottawa. Vice Minister Choi presented four of the

hospitalized veterans with Korea’s Ambassador for Peace Medal. He also

presented them with DVDs of the hour-long documentary made by KBS TV of

Korea that tells the story of the Hearsey brothers from northern Ontario. The

reporters visited their homes, interviewed friends and family members, Senator

Martin, other government officials. They covered by video the transport of the

ashes of Archibald Lloyd Hearsey from Canada and the interment in the grave of

his brother Joseph William Hearsey, in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in

Busan. The burial and services, as well as the KBS video, were all sponsored and

managed by Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

To top off their day, the Veterans were guests of His Excellency David Johnston,

the Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall which is the seat of Canada’s

Chancery of Honours and the Governor General’s official residence. The event

was by invitation only and the two corporals from the Governor General’s Foot

Guard above made sure that only the invited veterans and other special guests

gained entry to the Tent Room, where the reception took place.

The veterans gathered to chat with refreshments while Governor General Johnston

chatted with Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney at the rear of the room.

A couple of old friends swapped war stories – not necessarily about the one in

Korea but about the vicissitudes as well as pleasures of heading the Korea Veterans

Association of Canada. On the right is David Davidson, who was national

president of KVA Canada ten years ago and on his right is Douglas Finney, the

national president elect who takes his office on July 28, the day following Korean

War Veterans Armistice Day, which marks the 60th anniversary of the signing the

Military Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War.

Governor General David Johnston formally but warmly welcomed them and gave

some words of praise, but words of humour, too, as evidenced by the grin on the

face of Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney who is standing off to his left side.

When the KVA Canada Ottawa Unit 7 Veterans Choir began singing, Governor

General Johnston (2nd from photo right) joined in with them.

Here’s a Korean War Veteran who knows how to lead the way! Every Veteran

should shake his hand! If you look at his medals you will note that he wears the

Korean War Service Medal that was authorized by the President of the Republic of

Korea for award to all members of the United Nations Force in Korea. Veterans in

all other nations except Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom wear it with

their government’s approval and acknowledgment. The Chancery of Honours at

Rideau Hall, where this picture was taken, balked at the repeated request of the

Korea Veterans Association of Canada to have the medal approved for wear and

finally sent a letter advising them not to apply any longer, that the matter would

never be placed on the agenda. This veteran wore his to Rideau Hall, shook hands

with Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney while wearing it and presumably

also met His Excellency William Johnston, the Governor General of Canada, who

is the vice regal authority in Canada. The Government of Korea would dearly love

to issue the medals formally through the diplomatic channels. Thus far Canada has

not been receptive. Some think that it is almost an offence to the People of Korea

for whom we all fought in the war years!

To the right of Minister Steven Blaney is Captain Arthur Lortie, former

Regimental Adjutant of the Royal 22e Regiment of Canada. Arthur is undergoing

chemotherapy treatment for cancer but traveled from his home in Quebec to

participate in the weekend event. Charles is the surviving brother of the four Lortie

brothers who all served in Korea with the Royal 22e Regiment. He played a major

role in getting the Monument to Canadian Fallen sited in Ottawa and was a

member of the Commemoration Committee that handled the transaction. Veteran

on left is Major Charles Kim, who served with the ROK Army in Korea and

Vietnam, next to him is Douglas Finney national president elect of the Korea

Veterans Association of Canada, and, of course, to his left is His Excellency David

Johnston, Governor General of Canada.

There is always a record shot, of course, and this is a good one with the Governor

General center, the wife of Cho Hee-Yong, Korea’s Ambassador to Canada on the

extreme right, Yonah Martin and wearing white hats, four decorated ROK Army

veterans of the Korean War who were specially flown to Canada by the Ministry of

Patriots and Veterans Affairs. They arrived early and were feted for a few days by

veterans from Hamilton, Ontario, who stand on the right of the photo with

Honorary Member Hoojung Jones and beside her is the first lady of the Korean

Embassy in Canada, the charming wife of Ambassador Cho Hee-Young (Korean

ladies retain their fathers’ names and do not adopt the names of their husbands).