CALLING ALL CANADIAN VETERANS OF THE KOREAN WAR
Canadian Tribute to all who participated
Dedication of the Monument to Canadian Fallen
Canadian Korean War Veterans will be honoured in special ceremonies in
Ottawa on September 28th. This Ottawa event is the first time that Canadas
Korean War Veterans have been publicly honoured at the national level by the
countrys leaders.
The main focus will be on ceremonies held at the Monument where Prime
Minister Jean Chrétien, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, Veterans Affairs
Minister Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, and the Korean Ambassador to Canada Ki-Ho Chang
are expected to pay public tribute to the Canadian sailors/soldiers/airmen
who served in Korea from 1950-1955. The event will be nationally televised
by CBC.
The Korean Veterans Tribute Day will also include the dedication of the
Monument to Canadian Fallen. The Monument is the Echo Copy of one that
was dedicated in the United Nations Memorial Ceremony in Busan in April
2001. The Monument was sculpted and cast in Korea. The Echo Copy has
been shipped to Canada for permanent display in Ottawa. Both monuments were
paid for from donations made by Veterans, private citizens, businesses and
various organizations.
The Monument in Ottawa will be situated on the north escarpment of
Confederation Park, within view of the Parliament Buildings and adjacent to
the National Arts Centre. The figures on the monument in Ottawa will face
along a plot line that leads to the graves of the Canadian servicemen buried
in Busan, some 7,100 air miles distant. The names of the 516 Canadians who
gave their lives in Korea are engraved on the base of the Monument.
To conclude the Ceremony, the participating Veterans will gather behind the
flag of their respective ship, regiment or unit with which they served in
Korea and March Past in Review. It is believed that this is the first
occasion on which all of the units concerned have been paraded together in
one location.
After the March Pass in Review, the Veterans will be received at a reception
hosted in the National Arts Centre. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, the
Honourable Sheila Copps, is hosting the Reception as well as the Ceremony
itself.
More than 30,000 Canadians served in Korea under the United Nations Flag
during the years of 1950-1955. This national event in Ottawa honours not
only those Canadians who fought in the Korean War, but also the seven
thousand Canadians who served in Korea following the signing of the July 27,
1953 Armistice Agreement.
The Armistice Agreement brought into effect the cease-fire on the Korean
Peninsula.
Veterans from the RCN, the RCR, R22eR, PPCLI, Canadian Guards, Black Watch,
QOR of C, LdSH (RC), RCD, RCA and RCHA, RCE, RC Sigs, and all supporting
Corps and the RCAF will be present.
Associated events to the ceremony for attending Veterans include a Meet and
Greet on Friday evening, a Veterans Dinner on Saturday evening and a
special Korean War Display at the Canadian War Museum. Additional events
may also be added.
The headquarters hotel for the events is the Lord Elgin Hotel, which is
located on Elgin Street, approximately 100 metres from the site of the
Monument to Canadian Fallen. Veterans attending should check in at our
Korean Veterans Reception Desk in the lobby of the Lord Elgin Hotel. This
is to check in to the weekend and to pick up the latest information and
Programme. Some tourist material will also be available here. This could
be done any time after 1200 hrs on Friday or during the Meet and Greet on
Friday evening.
A Hospitality Room just for the Veterans has been set up in the St Laurent
Room, Lord Elgin. It is next to the hotel restaurant/bar and has a direct
exit to the hotel patio (for those who still smoke!). This is to provide a
rendez-vous location, a quiet place for families to gather after site
seeing and a place for conversations between old comrades.
Please complete the attached Registration Form and Return by mail or email
to:
Canadian Korean War Commemoration Committee
Col (Retd) Bill Grant, National Coordinator
605-71 Somerset Street West
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2G2
KoreaVets.registration(a)rogers.com
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