The 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending the Korean War was remembered by local veterans Saturday.
In a morning ceremony at the cenotaph in North Battleford, members of Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 70 laid a wreath in honour ofCanadians who fought in Korea, a war which lasted from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953.
A total of 26,000 Canadians fought in the Korean War. Of those, 516 died.
In addition to legion members, other dignitaries were on hand including Battlefords MLA Herb Cox and Councillor Cathy Richardson, representing the City of North Battleford. Also received were letters from Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz and Veterans' Affairs Minister Julian Fantino.
Compared to other conflicts, the Korean War has a low profile.
"Lots of times it's known as the 'forgotten war' because a lot of people don't know about Korea," said Legion No. 70 president Bill MacDonald.
"You hear about the First World War, the Second World War, Vietnam you hardly ever hear about Korea."
Events like the one this past weekend help to keep the memory of the war alive. MacDonald said July 27 was been named Korean Veterans' Day by the federal government and 2013 has been named Korean Veterans' Year.
The Korean War lasted longer than many expected, with the armistice negotiations taking two years before the document was finally signed. "They thought the war was going to end after the first year but it didn't," MacDonald noted.
The conflict was also notable as troops realized quickly that the Korean climate featured every type of weather, including winter conditions that created challenges for those involved.
The sacrifice of the veterans who served was tremendous, MacDonald said.
"It may have been the first time that Canadian and Allied forces really had sort of a guerrilla type of warfare where they didn't know who they were fighting against, because a lot of the participants weren't in uniform on the North Korean side. So, they had no idea who the enemy was and who the enemy wasn't."
Two of those who fought in the Korean War, Lawrence "Woody" Woodbury and Art Good, were at the remembrance ceremonies.
Good was with the signal corps of the 81st Royal Canadian Artillery. He was very glad to see the war over with.
"It wasn't very nice. Any war is not nice," said Good.
Woodbury was with the first battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, an airborne regiment, and he later served in the Far East and Germany for two more years after his time in Korea.
"It was very different," said Woodbury, who noted they weren't expecting the 40 below winter conditions they encountered. "We walked from hill to hill. It was quite an experience."
He noted about half of those Canadians who fought in Korea included Second World War veterans, and "thank goodness they served because we were greenhorns," said Woodbury. "Without their guidance we wouldn't have survived."
Woodbury takes pride in the effort Canadians put into that war, and notes how much South Korea has progressed since then. The soldiers who go back there "tell me what a tremendous place it is," he said.
