Honouring Veterans of the Korean War
July 27 is Korean War Veterans’ Day — a deeply personal day for Senator Yonah Martin.
Her family immigrated to Canada from South Korea in 1972. She credits the United Nations-led force (including tens of thousands of Canadians) that pushed the communist forces back above the 38th parallel in 1950 with saving the fledging South Korean democracy and giving her family the right to live in freedom and greater prosperity.
With this history in mind, Martin introduced her first public bill, the Korean War Veterans Day Act (S-213), in 2012. Her bill became law on June 19, 2013, in time for July 27th that year to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
Nearly 30,000 Canadians volunteered to fight in the Korean War. Of these, 516 never returned.
“I am forever grateful to our Korean War Veterans, without whom I would not be alive today,” Senator Martin often says about her indebtedness to Canadians who went to Korea.
This year, she honoured veterans at a ceremony at the Ambassador of Peace Korean War Memorial in Burnaby, BC’s Central Park. She organized the ceremony in collaboration with the Korean War Commemorative Alliance.
Alongside veterans and their families, dignitaries and members of the regional Korean Canadian community, the Royal Westminster Regiment, the HMCS Discovery, the Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Command, RCMP, Burnaby Firefighters, and Richmond Squadron Air Cadets, Senator Martin laid a wreath to honour the sacrifices of those who fought and perished for the sake of the Korean people (including her parents and many of her family members).
“We remember the brave Canadians whose selfless service and sacrifice have made Korea the dynamic country it is today,” she said. “We must continue to honour their legacy, teach our future generations about the importance of the Korean War and never forget that many Canadians paid the price for others' freedoms.”
The national Korean War Ceremony, held every year at the KVA Wall of Remembrance in Brampton, Ontario, was held on July 27, a day designated in perpetuity as a day of remembrance of all those who served and sacrificed in the Korean War, as enacted in Senator Martin's bill.
Peter Seiersen (President of KVA Canada Heritage Unit) and other veterans, dignitaries and hundreds of participants, including students from Korea, stood shoulder to shoulder in honour and memory of the Korean War.
Other ceremonies took place in smaller gatherings across Canada, including our nation's capital.
We will remember them. Nous nous souviendrons d'eux.
Related articles
Tags
Committee news
Honouring Veterans of the Korean War
July 27 is Korean War Veterans’ Day — a deeply personal day for Senator Yonah Martin.
Her family immigrated to Canada from South Korea in 1972. She credits the United Nations-led force (including tens of thousands of Canadians) that pushed the communist forces back above the 38th parallel in 1950 with saving the fledging South Korean democracy and giving her family the right to live in freedom and greater prosperity.
With this history in mind, Martin introduced her first public bill, the Korean War Veterans Day Act (S-213), in 2012. Her bill became law on June 19, 2013, in time for July 27th that year to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
Nearly 30,000 Canadians volunteered to fight in the Korean War. Of these, 516 never returned.
“I am forever grateful to our Korean War Veterans, without whom I would not be alive today,” Senator Martin often says about her indebtedness to Canadians who went to Korea.
This year, she honoured veterans at a ceremony at the Ambassador of Peace Korean War Memorial in Burnaby, BC’s Central Park. She organized the ceremony in collaboration with the Korean War Commemorative Alliance.
Alongside veterans and their families, dignitaries and members of the regional Korean Canadian community, the Royal Westminster Regiment, the HMCS Discovery, the Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Command, RCMP, Burnaby Firefighters, and Richmond Squadron Air Cadets, Senator Martin laid a wreath to honour the sacrifices of those who fought and perished for the sake of the Korean people (including her parents and many of her family members).
“We remember the brave Canadians whose selfless service and sacrifice have made Korea the dynamic country it is today,” she said. “We must continue to honour their legacy, teach our future generations about the importance of the Korean War and never forget that many Canadians paid the price for others' freedoms.”
The national Korean War Ceremony, held every year at the KVA Wall of Remembrance in Brampton, Ontario, was held on July 27, a day designated in perpetuity as a day of remembrance of all those who served and sacrificed in the Korean War, as enacted in Senator Martin's bill.
Peter Seiersen (President of KVA Canada Heritage Unit) and other veterans, dignitaries and hundreds of participants, including students from Korea, stood shoulder to shoulder in honour and memory of the Korean War.
Other ceremonies took place in smaller gatherings across Canada, including our nation's capital.
We will remember them. Nous nous souviendrons d'eux.