>> My English name is Bill Kramer. I'm born in Amsterdam, 19 December 1934. I joined the Navy when I was 16. After 2 years, then I was 18. I joined a ship for Korea. The Dutch Navy had six ships, always 1 year in Korea. We arrived just after peace fire, so I don't experience the shooting, but we did always patrol, checking for [INAUDIBLE] assistant to aircraft carriers and so on. But we had it a lot better than the ships before. We go regular to Japan to refuel food and R&R for the crew, rest and recreation for the crew. We go [Indistinct] and so we had a wonderful time in Japan, and in Korea, I really was only 9 days. Then I was ashore. We were ashore two times in Pusan and one time in Imjin. Imjin is the harbor of Seoul. Pusan was, during that time, nothing, only some American nationhood a couple concrete buildings but were nothing left. I was last May in Pusan, and I saw a wonderful, big city, and I was in 2008 in Korea. I was not to Pusan but before to the 38th border, and we saw just [INAUDIBLE] back in Korea, and we saw a nice train station that is built for connection from Pusan, Seoul to Paris, yeah. North Koreans don't allow to make railway complete, but impression of Korea is very, very high, and the people is so nice and friendly. I have no words for it, so don't ask me. It's too difficult. I was back in Holland in 1954, and I got an accident in 1957 and a medical discharge in 1960, so that's my story. >> Well, first of all, you must have been very proud when you went to Korea because you were part of Korea becoming what it is today. All right. So thank you very much, and not a lot of people know that the Dutch stayed after the war. People think, "Oh, armistice, and everybody go home," but that's not true. >> No, no, after my ship [INAUDIBLE] another ship that arrives in 1954 until 1955. >> Yes, a lot of people don't know that the countries that participated stayed until 1955. >> But from the Navy, only two men are died, one quartermaster. It's in very heavy storm overboard. He went to save one of the lifeboats, and he was not fastened and get overboard. They never find him, and a radioman in Korea was calling ashore, little, little boat to pick up a Korean officer that was wounded to give him medical help, but the engine of the Dutch boat [INAUDIBLE]. It was English, and it makes the same noise as not Korean fishing boats, so it was foggy, and it starts fire, and the boat had a noise, so it was friendly fire, okay? >> Maybe you can tell about what your experience, the revisit from last year with your ... >> Yeah, yeah, I was ... >> ... last experience with Korea. >> ... Back in 928 last year again, and last year, it was very special because the Korean government are allowed that people who died here in Holland that all Korean veterans that are cremated can go back to Korea and go to Pusan International Cemetery. In Pusan, the cemetery is the only in the whole world what is from the United Nations, and so [INAUDIBLE]. >> [INAUDIBLE] >> Next year [INAUDIBLE]. When we arrive on the air field in [INAUDIBLE] and complete guardian watch [INAUDIBLE]. After that visit, we got a DVD that a whole studio and DVD that pictures only about 700. He was there, and he was there and I. >> When? November? >> No, May. >> May. >> May. >> May. >> [INAUDIBLE]. >> Good weather. >> Good weather, yes. Monday, it was raining, raining, raining, and the director of veterans affairs told us, "Don't worry. At 2 o'clock when you arrive at the cemetery, it is dry." We call it [INAUDIBLE]. Rain, rain, rain. We arrive, ding, dong, 2 o'clock. The rain stops. >> Yeah. >> It was beautiful, yeah. >> It must have been very emotional when you went to the cemetery. >> Yes, and what my buddy told about South Korea and North Korea, we were the last soldiers in Seoul, and [INAUDIBLE] people walk around and a big sign, "What do you think about North and South together?" So we signed it and yeah. >> [FOREIGN LANGUAGE]. >> Yeah, it was beautiful. >> Yeah. >> I am going to visit Korea, Pusan, the United Nations cemetery last after I go everywhere around the world, and I know that there are many Dutch soldiers. >> One hundred twenty-four. >> Are they all there? No. >> Yes. >> Not all in the cemetery in Pusan. >> No. One is in Singapore because he died on his way back to Holland. >> That's [INAUDIBLE]. >> Two men are missing. >> How many are there in Pusan cemetery? >> [FOREIGN LANGUAGE]. >> All of them went back to Holland. Their families took them back to Holland. I don't know exactly how many. >> The Americans are all back. >> Yes. Americans always bring back. >> Yeah, yeah. >> But I learned that recently, some of the Dutch veterans have requested that they be buried at the United Nations cemetery along with their comrades, so I am looking forward to visiting them and paying tribute. I think it will be very emotional for me. >> I think so too. Yes. You speak Korean? >> I do. >> Oh. >> I will be there in May. >> Because in museum where I was this afternoon, I saw Korean boy that works [INAUDIBLE]. He's working by the Dutch police, and he goes back to Korea 2 years ago. He said it was so difficult because I'm a Korean, but he arrives in Netherlands, been there 6 months, so he don't speak one word Korean. >> But he is Korean. >> He is Korean, so it can be happen. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE]. >> My uncle adopted two Korean girls, and they had restaurants [INAUDIBLE] here in Holland, Korean restaurant. >> Really? >> Yeah. Well, they are my nephews. >> Oh. I told you, my uncle. >> I know. >> I told you. >> I know. It's permitted? >> Oh, yes, please. >> Thank you.

>> Richard Davie, member of the British Korean War Veterans Association. I served in Korea 1953, and I initially was posted there. I went over on a fast ship which only took 4 weeks, and when it arrived, the First US Division, Infantry Division was playing the band as we arrived in Pusan. I posted up to headquarters at the Royal Artillery, and after 3 weeks there, I was attached to the First Field Artillery Observation Battalion, United States Army, where I was sending map preferences of the Chinese guns back to headquarters. And we had six-figure map preferences or possibly eight-figure occasionally so that they could be fired upon as kind of bombardment. Questions? >> Well, so what do you think is the British participation ... the significance of the British participation? >> It was more or less made a direct line between Pyongyang and Seoul where the division was at the time I was there, and we had ... The last biggest battle was at the Hook, in fact, has been said that that would be the last battle of any ... with any two great armies fighting each other that the world has ever seen, the last Battle of the Hook, the Third Battle. >> When was that? >> That would be, ooh, right about June, May-June time 1953. After truce was signed, I went back to HQRA for a while, and then I was sent to a unit where we did all the paperwork for the prisoners of war as they were released. >> Whoa, can you explain that? No one has ever told me about the POW process. >> No, well, it was just our little unit. Basically because we were drawn in from several places into HQ, I think they were wondering what to do with us, so they sent us down to the center Canadian hospital unit, and all the British POWs who came through, we took down details of them, who they were, the Army number and messages for them to send home, which we wrote down, and these were coded messages because the only long-distance writing in those days was Morse code. So it was turned into code, then switched to be recoded, retranslated when it got headed back to this country. >> And what did you do in the process? >> Well, I was taking down the names and the addresses and everything for them, all the paperwork. >> Have you been back to Korea? >> Yes, went back in 2001. >> Hmm. >> And it's amazing, the difference. >> Explain a little bit. >> Well, everything is so modern and things so industrious and so going ahead with everything. My grandson went over on the UN Peace Camp last year, and as a result, he's very keen to go again, and he's just going to start a course at university in Seoul in March this year. >> That's cool. So what do you think of the Korean people? >> Oh, they're lovely. They're so hospitable. >> We're very grateful, that's why, grateful for your service, grateful to the country and all the other United Nations service that fought, and again hopefully there will be peace on the peninsula. >> Yeah.

>> Go. >> [INAUDIBLE]. My name is Gorfed Gormumen. I'm 88. When the Korean War started, I was 21. I was a Korean War ... >> [INAUDIBLE]. >> [INAUDIBLE]. >> And now I am a veteran as a Korean War volunteer. >> Volunteer. >> Volunteer. From September '50 ... 18 of September '50 to the end of the war was armistice. The war is still going on at the moment. It was armistice on the 27th of July '53. Then I stay in Korea a little bit longer, more than 1 month. In September, I was back in Belgium, September '53. Then I stay in the army. When I leave Belgium, I was a sergeant, and I was the leader of a squad. Then I stay longer in Korea, 1, 2, 3 years, and become sergeant first class, sergeant major, and then I was the leader of the weapon platoon then the third year. Then after we come back to Belgium, I stay in the army, and then I leave the army on pension as a [INAUDIBLE] officer. >> What? >> [INAUDIBLE] officer. >> More for the moment. >> And [INAUDIBLE] museum now? [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] >> Oh, yeah. >> [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] So you are now in charge of a museum? >> No. Yes. The commander of the Para, it ask us to [INAUDIBLE] museum, and that we did. >> And when was it ... >> I must do it because [INAUDIBLE] Koreans. And I did my best to help that commander in [INAUDIBLE]. The 3rd Para Battalion take over [INAUDIBLE], and because of that, they build a museum. Okay. I did. I ask around to have some items for the museum. There were a lot of items, and I asked to send them to 3rd Para. Then after any time, I [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] ... >> I was sorting out ... ... after ... >> ... all objects that were sent in. >> We started there with the museum in the late '80s, '87, '88, but the innovation, no ... >> The inauguration. >> ... inauguration in 1990 [INAUDIBLE] it is 25, 27 years that I do it in the museum. >> What do you think is most important for people when they come visit the museum to know about the Korean War? >> About? >> What is it [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] museum [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] >> Yes, the interest because the Korean War is known as forgotten war, and now when they visit the museum, no more forgotten. See? When you come in, there is a title, "Forgotten War," and when you come out, "Forgotten No More." See? >> What are some of the more interesting things in the museum? >> Interesting? Our battles. We don't have so much place. I must [INAUDIBLE] to our situations [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] See? And there's a theme. Around the theme, we have our museum. I can't show everything in museum. Our battles are the most important rings on our colors [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] on our colors of the battalion. The 3rd Battalion, they take over our traditions but not our history because the 3rd Battalion is ... >> Forms. >> ... founded. >> Or founded. >> ... during the Korean War, you see, and it's at that moment you take over colors, our tradition, but the history start later, and because our history in '50, September '50 [INAUDIBLE] and the 18th of September '50, see? I can tell much more, but do you like it? >> When young people, okay, go to the museum ... >> Oh, yeah. >> ... how do they feel? >> How they feel? >> Mm-hmm. What do they think about it? >> Yeah. Yeah, they don't know nothing. There's nothing saving Korea. What do the younger people know of the Korean War? >> Very little. >> Yeah, yeah. >> Very little. >> Same here. The Second World War, First World War, Second World War, no, they know nothing about Korea. >> What is the significance of Korea in Belgium's war history? >> [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] >> Yes, it was a terrible time. That was a terrible time. >> Can you explain the historical context? >> Maybe it was the Cold War and with all the trouble in the east, east of Europe. Then the 25th June, Korea War broke out. I was one of the first to enlist as a [INAUDIBLE] for Korean War in Amsterdam. I was 21. It was a long time ago now. >> Okay. >> For the moment, I still stay with our veterans always, always. I was back in Korea. Six times I went back, and once with the inauguration in Washington, D.C. I was there. A lot of rememberings from Korea. Three [INAUDIBLE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Sometimes, I was in front of the first line. I spend 29 months in the first line in Korea, and sometimes I'm asked to do some listing calls before the front line many times. I'm leaving, and we are there. I notice that light here, light there, lantern. We are making our Chinese New Year in that, so we had the fireflies. You know? You know that? And I was there with a couple of men with the radio and two, three men more in front of the [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] because of that then and because of the red. It's characteristic for Korea, the poncho. Because of that, in Washington, D.C., you have with the poncho. >> Poncho. >> Yeah. Ask me what. >> I hope you're very proud of your contribution. I hope you're very proud. I hope you and Belgians are proud ... >> Yes. >> ... of Korea. >> Yes. That time, I think it was neat. It was naughty. >> It was necessary, we thought, at that time. > It was necessary. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I [INAUDIBLE] it was necessary to go over there to stop that the congress ... >> Power. >>... system there took over, overthrowing ... > Expanding, overthrowing other countries. >> Yes, yes, yes, and now I hope it don't start again. It go sometimes, right? You never know, huh? >> I hope so too, and I hope there will be peace and two Koreas unite and one Korea. >> Mm. >> Mm. Okay.

>> This reunification between families is, at least to person outside the Korean nations, I think it's a little bit peculiar. This is not really a reunification. They meet for 2 days, and then they split again, so it's ... But anyhow, I think it must be very important to both the Korean nations, the people of the two because it's really heartbreaking to know that families were split because of the Korean War. And so I think this of course is very, very important to a lot of people both in South and in North Korea, so I hope it will continue. Definitely I hope so, but as you know, it's very much a result of the political game between the two governments, I think. I think that perhaps today there is hardly any need of a Swedish-Korean friendship association because there are some very good relation between our two nations. I think Korea is quite well known in Sweden today and especially to the younger generation with an interest in Korean popular culture. Korean films are quite popular in Sweden, Korean music. And this is the purpose of my association, is to spread information about Korea and to promote exchange, and this is what we do, of course. We have a magazine, and we have also a scholarship that we annually give to a young Swedish student that wants to study in Korea, and there are a lot of Swedes, young Swedes going to Korea to study today, and we have ... Every year we have something like 30, 40 applicants for this very small scholarship, and we know that there are many more going there, so there is a very good relation and quite well-spread knowledge about Korea today in Sweden. It's quite rewarding also in Sweden to do this, and still there are many connection. Many Swede in Korea, like in Korea, Sweden, we have something like 70 or 80 companies established in Korea with offices, representatives, so there are many Swedish companies on the Korean Peninsula, but Sweden, I can find perhaps six or seven Korean companies, although they are very big, Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia. I think they are the four. Hankook Tires, so that's the five. I don't know any more. I think there is more need of spreading the word about Sweden in Korea than the opposite way, I think, but anyhow, when you go to Korea and you say, "I'm from Sweden," many people are more than friendly. They are very enthusiastic, and they think very highly of Sweden. Sometimes I may get a little bit embarrassed about that, and I think that many Koreans think that Sweden is the perfect country, but of course it's not, but anyhow. There are still ... There are many, many connections with Korea and Sweden. We have quite a few adoptees. Almost 9,000 Korean children was adopted to Sweden, 3 years, of course. It started after the Korean War but still today, it happens. More rare, but it happens that Swedes adopt Korean children, and yeah, so still we send some military personnel there every year. Five persons goes to Panmunjom. >> Well, I'm sure as Koreans tell you when you're there and the veterans when they're there, we are very grateful. >> Yeah, definitely. >> Because we learned, especially Koreans learned medical, a lot of medical ... >> Yeah, yeah, I think so. >> ... techniques from the Swedes, got that from the hospitals, so thank you, and thank you for your service. >> Okay. It was ... That's a perfect assignment for a military man as long as nothing happens. >> Well, knock on wood that can continue. >> Definitely. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you.

>> My name is David Sothers. I'm a colonel in the Royal Engineers. I'm 88 years old, and I went to Korea in 1952 and came back in 1954. I worked on the docks in Busan and Incheon and K-9 and looked after all the ammunition that went out to the front and all the food and everything, and we had two harbor masters in Busan. I was one of them, and we looked after all the shipping and the railways, and we flew to Incheon to deal with the vessels up there, and I came out in 1954. I recalled to the army in 1956 for the Suez landings, and I then was with 3rd Armored Division, and I retired [INAUDIBLE] colonel a few years ago. >> Wow, so how many years did you serve in the ... >> Full-time? My full-time service was 2 years national service and 6 months in Egypt in the Egyptian landings, so in total ... >> Yeah. I was in the Territorial Army for 40 years. >> Wow. Well, thank you for your service, but what do you remember about the Korean War? >> The children didn't have any food, and we used to feed some of them, and sometimes the ladies working for us had babies when we were working, and we looked after them, and the people had a very bad time. >> You know, I have to say, a lot of the veterans, they all tell me children and that ... How much it left an impression, and if I'm correct, the British Korean War Veterans Association even supported an orphanage. >> Yeah. That's right and a scholarship, yeah. >> Yes, and a scholarship until pretty recently or even maybe until now, but yes. >> Yep. We have students from UK to go over to Korea to study for a year or 2 years. >> That's really amazing. >> Yeah. >> Well, I do want you to know that the Korea today you see is ... has been able to rise from the ashes of war thanks to your contributions, so thank you. >> Yeah. I went back when the Queen made a state visit. She took 30 of us, and we went back to Korea for 2 weeks, and we went around, the Queen. >> With the Queen. >> And we had a ... We were looked after. We all got medals and met the president and things. >> Wow. When was this? >> Ten years ago, I can't remember, when the Queen went. >> Wow, and how are you selected? How did they select the 30? That's a great honor. >> It came down from above. >> Well, you must have been very special. >> No, no, no, no. Just lucky. >> No, there's no such thing as luck, God's way. >> Okay. >> Thank you.