By Vince Courtenay
While they are a hardy lot, time and a plethora of illness and disease is steadily taking down the Korean War Veterans from all countries.
It is correct to say they are a "hardy lot," for injury and sickness from the war have plagued many of them for most of their entire adult lives, yet they have, as the saying goes, "soldiered on."
Canada is one example of both the attrition among veterans, and also of their steadfastness in overcoming injury and personal hurts from their Korean War service.
Peter Seiresen, 86, is the president of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada (KVAC). He is also his country's revisit coordinator. He spends many hours assigning and preparing veterans who participate in South Korea's very generous veterans revisit program.
The program is provided by Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Eligible veterans from all 21 nations that sent military or medical units to Korea receive air fare subsidies and all hotel and local travel expenses for a five-night stay in Korea.
Depending on the nation, the veterans are able to visit the graves of comrades at the United Nations cemetery in Busan. They also experience the remarkable, actually breathtaking transformation of the entire nation, from the way it was during the war, to its present industry-leading state.
As KVAC president, Seiresen was preparing to travel to Korea with his veterans in April, even though he was recovering from service-related cancer surgeries and scheduled to undergo chemotherapy treatments. On the night before the plane left from Vancouver he was admitted to a hospital emergency room with yet another malady.
He was released four hours before the plane was scheduled to leave. He decided to cancel out, lest he have a relapse while in the air or while in Korea.
Despite his afflictions, Seiresen is planning to fly to Busan this November at his own expense, to participate in the November Turn Toward Busan program. It is the fulcrum of a global service commemorating the fallen soldiers who serve with the United Nations Forces during the Korean War.
A good comrade of his, a very well-known veteran who lives in Vancouver was recently asked if he would like to travel to Korea to participate in the same program.
After much consideration, William Newton, 86, said that he couldn't do it. He was in so much pain every day from old injuries that he had to perform his own daily physiotherapy exercises.
He had taken a two-and-a-half hour flight within Canada a few years ago and was in agony. He reckoned that the 12 hour flight from Vancouver to Incheon would be unbearable for him.
Because of such deteriorating health conditions among veterans the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is permitting American veterans who served in defense of Korea long after the Korean War ended to participate in the program. Those veterans are eligible to fill the vacancies in revisit quotas when not enough healthy, eligible war veterans are able to travel to Korea.
In Canada and the other nations that provided military support during the war, the cut off dates for eligible veterans is 1955. That permits healthier post armistice veterans who served in Korea between 1953 and 1956 to participate.
While in the mid-1950's there were close to 30,000 Korean War Veterans in Canada, today the estimates are around 6,000 and they may include "peace keeping" veterans who served in 1954 or later, after the armistice was signed.
This attrition of around 80% is extrapolated for all of the UN Allied Nations, and undoubtedly for Korea's own veterans of the Korean War.
William Newton, whose injuries are too painful to stand the long flight to Korea, is a Korean War hero.
He was implored by fellow veteran Claude Petit, the chairman of the Aboriginal Veterans of Canada to reconsider and travel with him to Korea this November. As well as participating in the November 11 Turn Toward Busan ceremony in Busan, Petit had wanted Newton, to view the old Hook battle site with him.
Both of them had participated in the second Battle of the Hook, in November, 1952, so the revisit will mark the 65th anniversary of that battle. Newton was the medical aide with Petit's company of 70 soldiers during that battle. He treated Petit's wounds.
While on the Hook position Newton treated the wounds of more than 20 men, and saved the lives of several. He also processed 12 of his comrades who had been killed in action. He also treated wounded Korean Service Corps porters who brought up ammunition and other supplies to his company.
One of the soldiers Newton treated while mortar projectiles were exploding around them was Corporal Charles Pond. Pond was 19, a former high school football star.
Newton was outside in the open when a projectile struck right in front of Pond. He remembers that the badly wounded Pond was lying on his back looking toward the sky, but both his legs were turned the other way with the toes of his boots pointing downward.
Newton lashed his legs together with rubber tubing and stopped up the arteries that were pouring out blood. In a few seconds more Pond would have been dead. The young soldier lost both of his legs because of the severe damage.
To his credit, Charles Pond operated his own transport business for several years. He drove his own tractor-trailer rig that was equipped with hand controls more than 1,000 miles on regular hauls from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Montreal, Quebec.
Newton was awarded a Mentioned in Dispatches decoration for bravery and superb service under fire.
I, the writer of this column, was also treated by Newton at the front during the Hook campaign. I am the initiator of the global Turn Toward Busan program, which is now in its 12th year.
I will be here in November, along with Claude Petit. Both of us were treated by Newton and sent to the Norwegian Mobile Surgical Hospital at roughly the same time.
In addition to bullets, shells and mortar projectiles, there was another silent, sinister peril lurking that has taken down many of the veterans from all nations.
They were exposed to many carcinogens during their frontline service. A lot of the toxic exposure resulted from inhaling fumes and soot from diesel or kerosene burning stoves used to warm the freezing frontline bunkers.
Korean War veterans in all nations have a far higher incidence of cancer afflictions than those of like age in the general population.
It is notable that Charles Pond, who lost both legs serving on the Hook, died a few years ago while undergoing surgery for colon cancer.
Claude Petit has been operated on for colon cancer.
Another comrade who served on the Hook, "Butch" MacFarland, had a lung removed to help him survive lung cancer.
I who served with them have had several surgeries for three different cancer conditions, all attributable to carcinogens ingested during service in the front lines in Korea.
Petit was 16 years old when he fought on the Hook. I was 18, and led a section fire team. Charles Pond led an infantry section and was 19. Butch MacFarland was 19.
From time to time I talk to Petit by long distance, for we live far apart in different provinces in Canada. We confidentially compare our own injuries and health condition; something we would never talk about to anyone else.
We wonder who will finally succumb first to the injuries and illnesses from the Korean War.
But like Seiresen and Newton and MacFarland and thousands of other Korean War Veterans, we "soldier on" and try not to let the hurts show.
Vince Courtenay is a long-time auto journalist and spent much of 1994 and 1995 explaining the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to corporate clients and automotive industry associations.
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It is correct to say they are a "hardy lot," for injury and sickness from the war have plagued many of them for most of their entire adult lives, yet they have, as the saying goes, "soldiered on."
Canada is one example of both the attrition among veterans, and also of their steadfastness in overcoming injury and personal hurts from their Korean War service.
Peter Seiresen, 86, is the president of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada (KVAC). He is also his country's revisit coordinator. He spends many hours assigning and preparing veterans who participate in South Korea's very generous veterans revisit program.
The program is provided by Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Eligible veterans from all 21 nations that sent military or medical units to Korea receive air fare subsidies and all hotel and local travel expenses for a five-night stay in Korea.
Depending on the nation, the veterans are able to visit the graves of comrades at the United Nations cemetery in Busan. They also experience the remarkable, actually breathtaking transformation of the entire nation, from the way it was during the war, to its present industry-leading state.
As KVAC president, Seiresen was preparing to travel to Korea with his veterans in April, even though he was recovering from service-related cancer surgeries and scheduled to undergo chemotherapy treatments. On the night before the plane left from Vancouver he was admitted to a hospital emergency room with yet another malady.
He was released four hours before the plane was scheduled to leave. He decided to cancel out, lest he have a relapse while in the air or while in Korea.
Despite his afflictions, Seiresen is planning to fly to Busan this November at his own expense, to participate in the November Turn Toward Busan program. It is the fulcrum of a global service commemorating the fallen soldiers who serve with the United Nations Forces during the Korean War.
A good comrade of his, a very well-known veteran who lives in Vancouver was recently asked if he would like to travel to Korea to participate in the same program.
After much consideration, William Newton, 86, said that he couldn't do it. He was in so much pain every day from old injuries that he had to perform his own daily physiotherapy exercises.
He had taken a two-and-a-half hour flight within Canada a few years ago and was in agony. He reckoned that the 12 hour flight from Vancouver to Incheon would be unbearable for him.
Because of such deteriorating health conditions among veterans the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is permitting American veterans who served in defense of Korea long after the Korean War ended to participate in the program. Those veterans are eligible to fill the vacancies in revisit quotas when not enough healthy, eligible war veterans are able to travel to Korea.
In Canada and the other nations that provided military support during the war, the cut off dates for eligible veterans is 1955. That permits healthier post armistice veterans who served in Korea between 1953 and 1956 to participate.
While in the mid-1950's there were close to 30,000 Korean War Veterans in Canada, today the estimates are around 6,000 and they may include "peace keeping" veterans who served in 1954 or later, after the armistice was signed.
This attrition of around 80% is extrapolated for all of the UN Allied Nations, and undoubtedly for Korea's own veterans of the Korean War.
William Newton, whose injuries are too painful to stand the long flight to Korea, is a Korean War hero.
He was implored by fellow veteran Claude Petit, the chairman of the Aboriginal Veterans of Canada to reconsider and travel with him to Korea this November. As well as participating in the November 11 Turn Toward Busan ceremony in Busan, Petit had wanted Newton, to view the old Hook battle site with him.
Both of them had participated in the second Battle of the Hook, in November, 1952, so the revisit will mark the 65th anniversary of that battle. Newton was the medical aide with Petit's company of 70 soldiers during that battle. He treated Petit's wounds.
While on the Hook position Newton treated the wounds of more than 20 men, and saved the lives of several. He also processed 12 of his comrades who had been killed in action. He also treated wounded Korean Service Corps porters who brought up ammunition and other supplies to his company.
One of the soldiers Newton treated while mortar projectiles were exploding around them was Corporal Charles Pond. Pond was 19, a former high school football star.
Newton was outside in the open when a projectile struck right in front of Pond. He remembers that the badly wounded Pond was lying on his back looking toward the sky, but both his legs were turned the other way with the toes of his boots pointing downward.
Newton lashed his legs together with rubber tubing and stopped up the arteries that were pouring out blood. In a few seconds more Pond would have been dead. The young soldier lost both of his legs because of the severe damage.
To his credit, Charles Pond operated his own transport business for several years. He drove his own tractor-trailer rig that was equipped with hand controls more than 1,000 miles on regular hauls from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Montreal, Quebec.
Newton was awarded a Mentioned in Dispatches decoration for bravery and superb service under fire.
I, the writer of this column, was also treated by Newton at the front during the Hook campaign. I am the initiator of the global Turn Toward Busan program, which is now in its 12th year.
I will be here in November, along with Claude Petit. Both of us were treated by Newton and sent to the Norwegian Mobile Surgical Hospital at roughly the same time.
In addition to bullets, shells and mortar projectiles, there was another silent, sinister peril lurking that has taken down many of the veterans from all nations.
They were exposed to many carcinogens during their frontline service. A lot of the toxic exposure resulted from inhaling fumes and soot from diesel or kerosene burning stoves used to warm the freezing frontline bunkers.
Korean War veterans in all nations have a far higher incidence of cancer afflictions than those of like age in the general population.
It is notable that Charles Pond, who lost both legs serving on the Hook, died a few years ago while undergoing surgery for colon cancer.
Claude Petit has been operated on for colon cancer.
Another comrade who served on the Hook, "Butch" MacFarland, had a lung removed to help him survive lung cancer.
I who served with them have had several surgeries for three different cancer conditions, all attributable to carcinogens ingested during service in the front lines in Korea.
Petit was 16 years old when he fought on the Hook. I was 18, and led a section fire team. Charles Pond led an infantry section and was 19. Butch MacFarland was 19.
From time to time I talk to Petit by long distance, for we live far apart in different provinces in Canada. We confidentially compare our own injuries and health condition; something we would never talk about to anyone else.
We wonder who will finally succumb first to the injuries and illnesses from the Korean War.
But like Seiresen and Newton and MacFarland and thousands of other Korean War Veterans, we "soldier on" and try not to let the hurts show.
Vince Courtenay is a long-time auto journalist and spent much of 1994 and 1995 explaining the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to corporate clients and automotive industry associations.
