Category: The Forgotten War

In the mid-1990s, the Canadian government added the dates of the Korean War to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa. Local cenotaphs in Canadian towns and cities added the names of Korean War veterans to their monuments (Brewster, 2020).

The veterans had to lobby for themselves in order to achieve some recognition and benefits for their sacrifice.  In 1992, they were awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for their service, and in 2007, they were given pensions (TVOntario, 2024).  Korean War veterans in Canada paid for and raised funds to create their own Wall of Remembrance in a Brampton cemetery in 1996 (Wilkes, 2010; Johnson and Bowen, 2023). In recent years, more attention has been focused on Korean War veterans due to the efforts of the South Korean government, South Koreans who have immigrated to Canada, and veterans’ families (Johnson and Bowen, 2023). 

The government of South Korea showed their appreciation to the veterans before Canada did.  South Korea organizes trips for war veterans to revisit the country and observe the progress of rebuilding and renewal. It organizes commemorative ceremonies for veterans and summer programs enabling the grandchildren of veterans to visit Korea (Johnson and Bowen, 2023). 

Canada now has five memorials dedicated to Korean war veterans, in Brampton, Niagara Falls, Winnipeg, Langley, and Airdrie (Johnson and Bowen, 2023). 

Why is the Korean War frequently referred to as “the forgotten war”?  The Korean War took place between the Second World War and the Vietnam War, two major conflicts etched firmly in the consciousness of the United States.  In Canada, the Korean War was overshadowed by the two preceding world wars (Johnson and Bowen, 2023).  The long periods of stalemate and eventual lack of a victory were also reasons the war became quickly forgotten by the press and the public.  The armistice that ended the fighting did not end the war itself.

Romeo Daley served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry for a year in Korea and was injured during his deployment. He recounts, “When I came home, I got on the train in BC, went to Toronto, where my mother lived.  When I got to Union Station in Toronto and I got off the train, hit the platform, there was my mother.  No military, nothing (TVOntario, 2024)”.

Veterans of the Korean War were for years not recognized for their service (Cuggy, 2021).  They felt that their service in Korea was not taken seriously, even by veterans of the First and Second World Wars (TVOntario, 2024).   The Canadian government did not acknowledge the Korean “conflict” as a war until the 1980s (Cuggy, 2021), when the veterans of Korea were acknowledged as war veterans. 

Romeo Daley said “The Canadian government did not treat us well. We wanted, um, a volunteer medal for Korea.  Canadian government says ‘No’. We said, ‘you’ve got thousands of volunteer medals in Ottawa from the Second World War’.  ‘Can’t give them to you’.  ‘Why not?’  ‘That would insult the Second World War soldiers (TVOntario, 2024)’.”