>> My name is Roger Verbist. I went to Korea with the first battalion. I joined the first Belgian volunteers on the first or second of October, 1950 and got trained in Belgium until we left on the 18th of December on board of The Camina to go to Korea. It took us 6 weeks to arrive at last in Korea, in Busan, after a not-so-pleasant trip because the ship was not made for so many people. We were overcrowded. Anyway, we arrived at last on the 31st of January '51, in Busan at port. After that, we went to a trainings camp for a week of adaptation equipment change because we were fully equipped with the good old Belgian army coat and everything, which was really not adapted for the Korean thing. Also, to sleep, we had five, six blankets, which was really uncomfortable or impossible to take with you. Anyway, so after 1 week or so change, in 2 weeks maybe, where one nice remembrance is that we went training at night. Our second in command, Major Vivario at that time, he became later lieutenant general in the Belgian army, head of the Belgian army, but at that time, he was a major, second in command. He took the whole battalion out on a night exercise to get adapted to the mountains and everything and the hills, and we left in Indian file, and when we came back, he only had two people behind him. All the rest of the people had been lost. But anyway, we came back a few hours later to the camp. After that, we went for another what they call [INAUDIBLE] and said [FOREIGN LANGUAGE]. It was [INAUDIBLE] of course between guerrilla and [INAUDIBLE]. After there, a few things, at last, we could go to the front line at the Han in the winter that time still, quite cold at the Han and everything, stayed there in position. Anyway, we crossed the Han and moved to the north. We had in April the Battle of the Imjin where we got surrounded, and as I said, I had nothing, but I've seen it all what happened there and everything. After that, we had some relative peace when we went to the neighborhood of Gimpo, the other side of the Han. That's where I took my first rest and recreation holiday in Japan and where I got promoted from corporal to sergeant for the Battle of the Imjin. Anyway, after that, we had, with the first battalion, a lot of [INAUDIBLE] which have been explained by General Crahay in is book. [INAUDIBLE] participated on that, and while I was there, on the 23rd of March, we had a fight before the Imjin, even, on the hill where I had some personal experiences and killed an American observer and some Chinese, but okay. I never had any. It was not my fault. He shouldn't have been there in the dark at night. We never knew he was there, but he was a hero, really, this guy. But anyway ... >> Explain what ... Explain a little bit. >> Explain? >> Uh-huh. What happened? >> Well, it's never ... You see, it was what they said, hill 155, 3 kilometer out of [INAUDIBLE]. The C company, which was my company, and the third platoon, we had been progressing, and in the afternoon, we took over hill 155 from an American company. I don't know which were the guys, but they had taken the hill, and they were still everywhere, Chinese around foxholes and everything, some still smoking from phosphor and everything. Anyway, we took over the top, my platoon, the rest of the battalion. It was the top of the whole thing. The rest was down. The battalion was everywhere. We had the top. So the lieutenant, the American, I still remember. When he left, he said, "Oh, guys, I would be careful. You probably will get a visit tonight." He meant from the Chinese. Anyway, we had foxholes, and we threw the bodies off. I don't know if this [INAUDIBLE] threw them off. We took over the foxholes because they were [INAUDIBLE], and we settled down for the night, but we had been working just with a little backpack, so nothing, sleeping bags, nothing, nothing, nothing real. Anyway, at the certain time when it got dark, they said, "Ah, the trucks arrived downstairs at the hill. One-third of the platoon can go down and get the kit bags for your sleeping bags for the night," and everything and everything. So instead of 1/3, about 25 people went down. We were left on top of the hill with maybe 10 people. That was all. So while they were down to pick up, we got attacked by Chinese, and the first thing I heard, I was in a foxhole. It was when a grenade fell in the shoe of the companion who was with me. He had took off his shoes. He was not supposed to, but he had done anyway. A grenade fell in his shoes and rolled away, and his shoe exploded. He had size 46, so at around maybe 3 months later because they didn't serve the size of shoes on his gymslips. Anyway, we got out. They were all over the place between us in the dark, and I got out, and I did something to some Chinese [INAUDIBLE], and as I said, very dark, confused. One guy came getting up on the thing, and I couldn't tell. It was an American first sergeant, I found out later, an American first sergeant major, who was an observer for the motors. I didn't know he was there. Anyway, I shot him, and he died of his wounds later, so I still thinking ... I have never known, knew his name, who he was or everything. That was one thing that, if you say, that after that, that I said we did. After May, everything got more quiet down, a little bit more comfortable, so then after the day, the day after that I shot this guy, General MacArthur came on visit. Oh, yeah, I met him downstairs. They called me down. In effect, he said, "I know what you did. Don't worry. You did what you have to do. It's not your fault," and at that time, too, the chaplain of the battalion came to me said. He said, "Oh, you know, I have some bad news for you." I said, "What?" He said, "Your father died." I said, "Oh, yeah?" I said, "When?" He said, "Well, in the middle of January." I didn't know, so I said ... Well, he said, "Yeah, we apologize that you've been advised so late," and so on and so on. And then he said, "Do you want to go to Belgium?" I said, "What am I going to do in Belgium now? He's gone 2 months already. Now you tell me, so, no, I don't want to go to Belgium. I stay with the battalion." So then, anyway, the first battalion went back home somewhere middle of August. We had to take the General McRae to go back to Amsterdam, and about 400 of us went back to Belgium. In Belgium, I had 1 months of holiday, and after that, we joined the first airborne battalion to get parachute training which I did obtain my parachute training. At the beginning of January, I was qualified and everything, and then I was giving training to some [INAUDIBLE]. That time, they had draftees. We still had draftees, so I was training draftees in [INAUDIBLE]. I didn't like it, so I re-enlisted for Korea, and the 3rd of March, I went back to the training center of Korea in [INAUDIBLE], stayed 1 month, and I rejoined the battalion where I arrived. I left Belgium again on the 7th of April and arrived on the 24th of April, just in time for the celebration of the Battle of the Imjin where there was a ceremony there. And there, at that time, I decided, and I said, "I'll never go back until the last Belgian goes back," and that I did. I stayed until '55 until the last Belgians had to come back. >> [INAUDIBLE] >> No. If you're interested, in '54, but then after the third year or second year, you got 1 month of holiday in Japan, and regular R and R, like they said, famous R and R. I had people I knew in the embassy. In fact, one of my friends, he's married to a Korean. Her name is Kim, by the way. They have this shop in [INAUDIBLE], very famous, really became rich, she did, very aggressive saleswoman and everything. No, they have a very good company. It's still existing, Pagoda, in [INAUDIBLE]. It specialized in Oriental stuff and everything, and that's why I learned my wife, my friends married her. I went to their wedding party in Tokyo. One year later, I also went to the celebration of their first baby which was born in Tokyo, so I've been kept in touch with them very much. I learned my wife there, and I went back to Korea, and then I applied for permission. You had to have permission to get married that time. Oh, yes. There are a lot of regulations. I still have them. In fact, you had to do this and that and that and that and that. I did all that and brought it to the embassy in October '54 to get married, and I came to the embassy. This is another story, and the chancellor said to me, "I'm sorry. I can't marry you because the Belgian government changed the regulations. If you want to marry, you first have to go back to Belgium, stay 1 year there, and you can't come back to Korea. You have to bring her there and everything." He said, "I can't marry you. Everything is okay, but I can't marry you." Said, "but," he said, "Do you want to get married?" I said, "Sure." He said, "Okay. Tell your wife to go to the local administration not outside of Tokyo." I said, "They don't have the instructions yet." I said, "Get married for Japanese law." And he said, "If it's Japanese, and if you're married there," he said, "You bring me the papers. The same day, I make a Belgium passport for it." That doesn't exist anymore. At that time, it was. "And you're legally married because Japanese law is legal in Belgium," so we did. My wife went to ... We lived in Tsurumi between Yokohama and Tokyo. She went there. In fact, I didn't even go. She just brought all the papers. No, I was staying at home. She took two witnesses, and they witnessed, and we were legally married. So I went to the embassy. She got a passport. It's the chancellor who did it. I was not supposed to do it. He was a very nice fellow, so that's it. So then I stayed until '55 in Korea until the last one and came back on the last like everybody else, and wife rejoined me. >> After the armistice in 1953, July 27th, what were some of the things? Because people think the war ended, so everybody goes home, right? But you stayed until 1955. >> Mm-hmm. >> What did you do there after the armistice? >> '55? Well ... >> No, after the armistice, what did you do there? Why did you stay in Korea for another year and a half? >> Well, we had still some obligations to the American thing and to the United Nations. There was not officially, shall I say, a peace. There was a cease-fire, but still, they still have demarcation line, as you know, so at that time, we were still there at the first time. They still expected some attacks even after that from the Chinese, so we were staying there on the line, occupying our position. We had to move back so many kilometers to have the demarcation zone. We had to move back. We occupied and just stood guard like we did before except that we didn't get artillery shells and everything for the rest. Then after 5, 6 week, we went back, rotated, got in reserve, and there, we did like the Belgian army does when they're on the camps, and we're training, exercises with the Americans, tests, to compare our combat readiness, tested by the Americans, which, by the way, we came out first of the whole thing. We had 87 percent, I think. We always used to love the [INAUDIBLE] They wear those big boots. They couldn't move around, so I think we wear just a normal thing. We moved around like that on the hills three times when they moved. That was the thing. We were training just like, as I said to him, hasn't known this. He has just known the period in Korea at the beginning there when there was every day moving up mountain, down mountain, up mountain, here a shot, there a shot, attack, this and that, never ate really. At night, you slept in a little hole and everything. After that, from when I went back in the beginning of '52, '51, things had changed completely. Before, it was a moving war, and every day, as I said, up and down, up and down, up and down. You never had any food, C rations and things. After that, when we get a static war and got on lines, it changed. We had tents where you had certain periods on line where of course, you were in bunkers and had some attacks and patrols, but once you were out of the line, in reserve or so, you had tents, beds, cots, to sleep on. You got a bar. You got food instead of C rations all the time, so conditions changed completely, and I said, I've had worse training in Germany as I had there in Korea at that time. That was the thing, but we stayed there because they wanted, how I shall I say, to have the representation of a Belgian thing. That was 200 people they chose who stayed. >> Mm. Did you go back to Korea? >> Huh? >> Did you go back to Korea after the war? >> Yes. After the war, as I said, after Washington, I quit the army after 6 years at the embassy in Washington. I quit the army. I took to my pension after 20 years, and at that time, I was 38 years old, so I had to make a decision. Am I staying in the army, no promotion until I'm 56 and then retire, or am I going to try to do business, a career in private civilian life? I decided to get out, so in fact, I still have my blue card as a permanent resident of the United States, but my wife and my daughter then, they wanted to move out, and me too, out of Washington, so we went to Hawaii and lived 1 year in Honolulu where, in fact, I got my first job as assistant manager from the Hilton Lagoon apartments. I don't know if you know Hawaii. The Hilton Lagoon, I got there. After 1 year, my wife and daughter, and me too, said "Always this sun, always this beach. Let's go back to Japan," so we moved to Japan. >> I asked whether you went back to Korea to ... >> Yeah, well, that's what I'm coming to, yeah? So was in Japan, I start working in civilians for civilian transportation, German, Japanese thing. I went. I had very good relationship with ... It was in the air cargo business, so I had very good relationship, first of all, with Korean Airlines, and I had to go at least six, seven times to Korea as civilian then for business. >> What year? What year? >> I was in from '76 to '90, I stayed. I was in Japan, but as I said, at that time, I traveled to Australia and New Zealand. I'm doing what you're doing now, I did many times before: the States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Europe. I did that at the time, but I went back at least four or five times to Korea for business with a certain Mr. Lee. There are also many Mr. Lees and Kims. I've been back many times. >> When was the last time you went? >> As civilian? The last time I went was in 2012 for the big Revisit Korea thing. >> Oh, and so it was very different from when you went for ... >> That's what I've told him. He remembers, and I remember, first time where we went in Seoul, I still remember the railroad station. Everything was in ruins, and everything there in '55, when I left, was already quite a different change, but not like this, but I told him. I said, "You're going to be surprised when you're going to [INAUDIBLE]," because it was still in his mind this way. Anyway, but it's the same in Tokyo. When I was first time in Japan in Tokyo, it's nothing. Now, the last time I went to Tokyo was maybe 4 years ago. Every year, and I lived in Tokyo [INAUDIBLE] between Tokyo and Yokohama, 12, 13 years there. I lived there. When I left in '90, came back to France because I lived in France, and I went back 5 years later, I didn't recognize Tokyo already: new highways and everything. And every time I go back with my wife and my daughter now, it changes so quickly. >> Well, so let's go back to Korea. >> Yes. >> So, did you think of ... >> You know what? >> The people, I mean, what you experienced now towards the end of ... You visited again recently in 2012, and, you know, it's very ... You say, it was very different, and, I mean, just the people. Explain a little bit more about what you felt because you were there when ... almost 70 years ago. >> What I saw in 2012 was the normal Revisit Korea program. We went to Busan to the military cemetery, or to the United Nations cemetery, to visit. We visit [INAUDIBLE], a few ceremonies in Seoul and things like that, ceremonies and medal and things like that of the normal program, but I was amazed by the efficiency. This tour was organized, and as I said, how they took care of us, that amazed. There was just another couple who was in a wheelchair. They were waiting at the airport. Took us there. I said, everything was perfectly organized because I have been worried. I said, many times, I worry when Korean veterans, Korean nationals, came to visit Belgium, they didn't get the same reception. Much less, huh? >> Okay. >> I found that regrettable.

>> Okay, and my name is Walter Wideck, see, but they all call me Wally, well, from the time I joined the Army. I joined the New Zealand Kayforce, the 16th Field Regiment, which was a infantry regiment, of course. We went to Korea from 1951 to 1954. I returned home when the regiment returned home. I must say, I have never regretted my time in the Army because I met so many great people, who up until just recently because most of them are now passed away, we always had good friendships, and the same with the Korean people. We didn’t have much to do with the Korean people in the wartime because we were so far away from them. They, of course, were all moved south, as far south as they could go. They were hiding, and one of the Korean consorts that was in Auckland about a few years ago, he took me to lunch one day, and there were some elderly Korean women there, and they had their daughters with them. And one of the daughters said to me, “Wally, when you were in Korea, did you have anything to do with the young Korean girls up there?” And I said, “No, because we never saw them. We saw probably in the whole time I was there, up until the cease-fire, I would have probably seen half a dozen.” But what this mother of one of these girls said, “No,” she said, “They couldn’t see us. We were taken when the North Koreans came down. We were all pushed up into the hills.” And if you know Seoul at all, it’s got a ring of hills almost all around it, and they lived in the caves up there. So they never saw us, and we never saw them. But I made the little piece I added to that, and I said, “Quite honestly,” to the consort general, “if many of our boys had seen the girls that were arriving in New Zealand now, the Korean girls, every one would have married one.” And of course, the mother was in stitches.

>> What do you remember from the war?

>> The war?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> I remember the cold, the intense cold. I remember the heat in the summer, and I remember the noise from, of course, with the artillery. Boom! Boom! Boom! Artillery guns all the time.

>> What year were you? When were you there? From when to when?

>> From ’51 to ’54. It finished in ’53, but we had to … We signed on for a second term.

>> Most people …

>> Normally, New Zealanders were expected to do no more than 18 months. Most of them only did 12 months, but after the cease-fire in ’53, it became very hard to get replacements, so the strength went down, down, down. So they asked a lot of us to sign on for another 12 months, and that’s what we did.

>> Wow! And how old were you?

>> I was almost 22 when I joined up because we weren’t allowed to go overseas until we were 21. That was a restriction with the Army, and I would have been just probably 22 1/2, so, yeah.

>> Wow. Most New Zealanders were older than other soldiers because other soldiers were in their teens.

>> Yeah, there was a lot of teenage units. Well, I was 89 2 days ago.

>> Happy birthday! My birthday is in 2 days. We’re both Taurus!

>> Mine was the 23rd!

>> Mine is the 27th!

>> Well, well, well …

>> So what do you … I know that in total maybe about 5,000 served, Right?

>> The best estimate that is given now because that 5,000 odd could be individual one, but people like myself, and there’s probably at least a couple hundred of them that signed on for the further 12 months. So what they relate to is that basically 6,100 or something served in Korea, but that was because those of us that did two tours, yeah.

>> But luckily, not too many, compared to other forces, died.

>> I think it’s 40 …

>> Forty-three.

>> Forty-three, that’s right. Yes.

>> And wounded. And only one POW.

>> That’s right. Only one, yeah. And he died probably … He probably died 16 or 17 years ago, something like that.

>> And I know you you’ve been very active in the New Zealand Korean War Veteran’s Association.

>> Yeah, well, I don’t know what to call it in Korean language or American language, but I got conned into it.

>> How many are there now?

>> Twenty-nine years ago I got conned into being a treasurer.

>> Oh, wow.

>> I’m still treasurer because I don’t finish for about another 2 months. I’m the last person …

>> Well, what happened to the national? I know the national …

>> That’s a national body, a national association. The Auckland branch is still going.

>> Okay.

>> And I belong to that, yeah.

>> How many are there?

>> It’s probably down to, I would say the best part of 70, 68 or 70. That’s all that’s left.

>> But the national association …

>> And most of those, incidentally, most of those are ex-Navy because Navy boys went … They were allowed to go younger than us, so if they signed on as a seaman boy at 16 of age, which they could, or 17, we’d say, “Good.” And the ship that they’re on went on Korea, then they went with it. But we weren’t allowed to even think about going overseas until we were 21.

>> Because you were part of the Army.

>> Part of the Army, yeah. That’s just the …

>> Part of the Kayforce.

>> Yeah, the Kayforce.

>> And the Kayforce were all volunteers.

>> The 16th Field Regiment.

>> All volunteers.

>> Well, 99 percent volunteers, yeah.

>> Except for the officers.

>> Well, no, it wasn’t the officers. It was one or two specialist people. In other words, a field gun had a specialist called an articipar, and he was responsible for keeping it repaired and because of that, he could … They had to have a limited number of them, one for each battery. So they would have needed at least 12 of them, yeah, six of them.

>> Have you been back to Korea?

>> I’ve been back. I’ve been lucky because I’ve been back four times.

>> The first time was 1984, yeah, and the last time was 3 years ago. And I was supposed to go to two more, but they wouldn’t let me go because the New Zealand government suddenly brought in a restriction that you had to have full medical insurance, and I couldn’t get medical insurance for some reason. I tried 12 different companies, and they all said, “Sorry.”

>> What did you think when you first went to Korea?

>> The first trip I did back was 1984, so I left in ’54, and 30 years later, 1984, we went back. That was the first trip from New Zealand that went back, that returned, and there was 21 of us on the trip. That included a couple of wives, but it wasn’t my wife because she said, “No, it was for veterans, so if I go, one veteran can’t go,” so she stayed home. And it was … Well, I couldn’t believe the changes because when we left … When we got on the train at Kopyang, I think, from memory, and headed down to Pusan, to catch the boat to Pusan. The train was chockablock, and when you looked around, there was nothing. There was two or three small buildings in Seoul. That’s all there was, nothing else. Everything had been wiped, but things like the American PX was doing a good trade in the middle of Seoul. Yeah.

>> But it was so different when you went back.

>> It was so different! The first trip back, and, wow, it had made huge … Pardon me. Huge … My trouble is, I can’t even think properly now. The difference, the changes, were absolutely unbelievable. Yeah.

>> And 30 years since in 2014 …

>> In 2001, I made a trip up, which just included … That was put on by the Metropolitan City of Pusan and the mayor and all his councils, and my wife came on that, the only trip she did that. But she was very regretful when she got home. She said I should have taken those other opportunities earlier, but she didn’t.

>> Well, I’m so glad you got to see the the changes and the contributions that you made.

>> Wow. Look at the Lotte Tower, which is just about to open this month. The last time went up, 3 1/2 years ago, the Lotte Tower was just belowground. They had just finished the base part of it, and I saw it and how it was opening.

>> Again, I hope you’re very proud because that was part of what you fought for.

>> Well, I’ll tell you what, as I said earlier, I never regret 1 minute signing on to go to Korea as a volunteer.

>> Thank you so much. Thank you.

>> I have met so many Korean people in New Zealand, heaps, in fact, the last one …

>> My name is Stephanas Gabramaskan, Colonel retired. If you want information about the war, I think Colonel Melissa will better explain, and he has more experience, and he knows more about the war, and he will inform you better. I think you better, but from my side, I was in the 4th Battalion, and the 4th Battalion was not engaged in the war. We change the 3rd Battalion and their bunker and their defense line, and we stayed about 5, 6 months in the defense line and then were replaced by the native or the Korean army. The whole defense area after the war was replaced by the Korean army. The Korean army were good fighters. They did their best. They lost so many lives because of the invasion, and we stayed there for 1 year, and before, we were making training in case if the war started. We were making training and then stayed 1 more year. Now, everything was, I think, the ceasefire was constant and thorough, so we came back, but the three Battalions who were engaged in the war, they did a lot of fightings, about 235 times they engaged by three Battalions, and they lose about 122 men, the martyrs died in the war and totally 635 wounded that days, and they have captured so many places, and they were engaged. They captured prisoners and got information about the enemy. We were very sorry because we went to Korea, but our government, the Emperor Haile Selassie, when the Ethiopians invaded by the fascism, nobody was trying to help us, so we know. Those who are weak when they are invaded by the powerful nations and our emperor gave a faster response to the request of the UN forces and to the UN, and we just went. We sent four times a Battalion and one time a company just to represent. I think we tried to do everything what we can. We tried what weaken, and we did, and we came back. We really saw after the war the Koreans were very developed, very much developed. The highways, the buildings, the construction and everything was fantastic, unbelievable within these short times, and they became the 10th developed country in the world that nobody will ... Admire that, nobody will do that fast. There were so many countries developed before them, but within short times after the war, after they suffer everything, after everything was destroyed and after they were a colonialist, and every resources were taken from them. You don't believe it to see that. Those who know Korea first ... We saw Korea. I saw Korea first, how it was during the war, and then after the war, I just visited Korea, and there was a fast development in that country that people, you see they were working here, there, run, and you don't see people talking just in one place, collected in one place. You see people running for work, and they did their best for their country. >> We're very grateful for you. >> But about the war, Colonel will better ... In the country where we don't know, in the country where the air conditions, the atmosphere was not known to us, and in the country where we don't have ... We were fighting with old types of weapons, but when we go there, we were trained by any weapon which we don't know. After that, we start to fight with that weapon. >> You went after the armistice. What was your position? What was your rank, and what did you do? >> I was a second lieutenant, and everybody, our president also was a second lieutenant. He was very young. We were on 20s. Now, we are over 80. >> But the war didn't break out again after the armistice. >> I beg your ... >> After the armistice ... >> Yeah. >> ... no more war, you know? No more battle, right? Did you do more battles? Did you fight more battles? >> Well, inside the country. Inside the country, there was fighting. There were secessionists, and to avoid that, we tried to fight, but we were not successful. The government at this point, they made a coup. >> Which government? >> Our government. The army made a coup and overthrow the king and kill him, and they become communist influenced, so the developed countries were not supporting us. We had done also some mistakes. The army did some mistakes also, and we lose the war and the new government, the present government have won the battle, and now we are under the new government, and after this government has come, we have our friends, the South Koreans, come to us, come to help us, and through us, they were introduced to the new government. >> Did you see Korean civilians? >> And we also were not allowed to wear the medals which we got from the Korean War. >> Why? >> Because they were communist influenced, and they said you were not democrat and you fall to the communists. They said that, and we are not allowed to wear, and we were supposed to be a communist, but the west won at last because they help them, and they lose, and our friends come to help us. They build this. They build this building, the office. They build a monument for us, the same monument in Korea, the only monument for those who fought in Korea. They have one here and then here. They didn't build for others, and we have a respect for the Korean people and the government. >> Did you see Koreans when you were there fighting? What year did you go, 1953? >> '54. >> '54. >> Yeah. >> Did you see Korean kids, children, women? Did you see civilians? >> Yeah. We have met Korean people, the civilians. We were introduced after especially we come back, and we had friends also, but especially the 4th Battalion was helping the young, the students of the Korean people. We were helping. We donate some monies and specially the religious group. They had contact with our religious or the father of our religion with us who was with us, and we had contact. And even there was a boy who don't know how he is, whether he died or alive. We call him Samtayo. >> Who is that? >> A champion man. >> He was Korean? >> He was a Korean. He write Amharic. He speak Amharic within that short period. >> Wow. He learned. >> Yeah, and he was intelligent. He was intelligent. >> Was he a houseboy? Was he a houseboy, young? >> No, we were helping them. No houseboy with us. We have only those who cook foods and people, chefs, Korean chefs. >> What did they cook for you? >> Huh? >> What did they cook for you? Korean food? Ethiopian food? >> No, European food, and Ethiopian food, we don't get it. We have the C-rations and also some other foods which we receive from the UN. They cook that, prepare for us, and we eat that. They were Korean chefs with us. We never forget them. >> When you went to Korea to visit, they must have been so welcoming you, you know, welcome you, right? >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> They welcome us. Even the president was present when we reach in the port, the president was Mr. Syngman Rhee. You will see it in our museum if you ... >> Yes. >> ... if you walk to the museum. >> Yes, yes. >> You will see him. >> He greeted you. >> Yeah. He was coming to the port where we land, and then he gave salute and he received us. He was Mr. Syngman Rhee. >> Yes, first Korean president. >> Yeah, the first ... >> Yes. >> ... Korean president. >> Yes. I would like to go to the museum, yes. Let's go. >> Yeah. >> I think this is great for ...

-Me llamo Hermelindo Unchala Cisneros. Batallé en el Batallón Colombia,cuando viajé a Corea en 1952. Fuimos a relevar a la compañía Cota. Pero como a la compañía Cota la hunden... los desaparecieron, pues. Quedaron nueve soldados nada más de la Cota, compañía Cota. Duré año y medio en Corea. Y nada, no me puedo, no pasó nada. Aquí estoy. - ¿Quieres, esto, explicar...? - Distintivo de, de la paz de Corea. Distintivo la paz de Corea. - Hombre de paz. - Sí, soy hombre de paz. [HABLAN AL TIEMPO] - Hombre de paz. - Corea de paz. - Hombre de paz. - ¿Sí? ¿Por qué? [HABLAN AL TIEMPO] [VOCES INDISTINTAS] ¿Y coreanos dicen "gracias" muchísimo? ¿Sí? - Sí, muy bien. Todos, gracias. - ¿Visita a Corea? - No, no he visitado. - ¿No? ¿Quiero? ¿Quiere? - Sí, claro. - ¿Sí? ¿Cuántos años tiene usted? - No, ya tengo 82, 84. - 84. [MAULLIDO] ¿Y qué se, qué se piensa que...? [MAULLIDO]

>> Okay. I’m Alan Everett. I’m not Australian. I came from England originally. I served in the First Essex Regiment, and in those days, in 1952, all the British men at the age of 18 conscripted, and so I was conscripted, and I elected to stay in the army for 3 years rather than just 2 years National Service because that was half pay, and I served in Germany, then Korea and then Hong Kong, so that was my 3 years which was spent mainly overseas. I was very fortunate in my training because I was trained to be a signalman, so I went to the School of Infantry in England, and in that School of Infantry, all the officers and NCOs all combined in their exercises, so it was quite an all-embracing training, so I then went to Germany, and then my battalion got moved to Korea, and we arrived just after the ceasefire, so I’m not a peacemaker. I’m a peacekeeper. So we were stationed on the southern bank of the Indian River for 12 months, and that was incredibly cold and incredibly hot, and we didn’t get to see much of the people because we were in a defensive position, and so most of the stories we heard were from the previous people who had been through the war itself, so that was quite a challenge, and I found since I left the army and I was trained in Hong Kong, as a national servicemen, you’re allowed to get some retraining to get back into civilian life. I wanted to go to agriculture college, and I had to study chemistry to meet my qualifications, so I went to the Royal Agriculture College at Cirencester in Gloucestershire, and I did my course there. Farmed in England, met my wife Nicole who you’ve met, and we had been together for 8 days, and then I came out to Australia, so that was quite [INAUDIBLE], and when I arrived in Australia, I got myself a job. It was great. A year later, I rang up and proposed to Nicole, and she came out with her mother, and we got married over here, so quite a different story to what you expected, I guess. So my servicing career, I did so much there because I was working in the signals office, and being part of the brigade and the companies that reformed our defense positions, so I was in contact with people all the time, so when the opportunity here came available for to be a secretary for the Korea Veterans, I offered to take that job on, so I’ve been National Secretary for 8 years, but I haven’t been involved in the war side of the whole thing. The impact of the Korean War hit me when I had been here some time because the Australian soldiers that came back from Korea were not recognized as having been part of a war, and they were actually refused entry, particularly in New South Wales, to go into the returning servicemen’s clubs. They said they weren’t eligible to be members, and that took some time to overcome which is very sad, but that’s the sort of reception the Australian soldiers got when they came back to Australia. We didn’t have that in England. We just went back, and we just got on with our jobs, and it was no problem. Here in Australia, in Maldon, every year, we have a church service run by a Korean church in Maldon, and we have one of our biggest attendances of the year. We have about 90 people turn up, and about a good half of them will be veterans, [INAUDIBLE] one, and one day I was standing next to a father with his little Korean boy, and the little boy talked to his father and said, “Why are all these people here?” His father thought for a bit, and he said, “Well, without these people, I wouldn’t be here. Your family wouldn’t be here, and you wouldn’t be here.” I think that says it all. It’s such a moving experience to me. I found that quite fascinating, and the Korean community here are so helpful and want to look after the veterans as we get less and less, so it’s a beautiful encounter, that was. Now, we’ve given you the background to the memorial in Queensland, in Cascade Gardens. To me, that is the most beautiful memorial that anyone could make for any country. It’s a tribute to the people of Korea as well as the veterans from all nations who served, and when you see it, there’s a whole history that goes with it, but it’s well worth it, set aside in a beautiful park, and it depicts everything that is Australian and Korean. It’s just so well … And then, there’s another little memorial in Alexandra Heads, which a small association got formed in Queensland and the Sunshine Coast, and they made it specific for their veterans, so they’ve got this wall, and when one of their members dies, they put a brass plaque on the wall with his name and his service record on it, and I think that’s another one of the best memorials I’ve ever seen, so that’s my story.