Ryley resident Maurice Belanger honoured for Korean war service – July 27th the first Korean War Veteran’s Day

Maurice Belanger still stands straight and tall at the age of 80. Part of the reason for this is his pride in serving his country as a soldier in the Canadian army, as well as his voluntary service in the Korean War.

It’s a service that was recently recognized by an Act of Parliament with the establishment of Korean War Veterans Day on July 27. This is the same date the Korean conflict ended with the signing of the Armistice in 1953. This is also the first year a date has been set aside to honour all Korean War veterans.

Belanger hails from Montreal, P.Q., born in 1932 to a large French Canadian family with a military tradition.

“My family is a military family,” said Belanger. True to his roots, he signed on for the army at the relatively tender age of 19, with the express idea of fighting in Korea.

“I was too young for the Second World War but was just the right age for the Korean War,” he said. “We knew the Canadian Armed Forces were going to Korea. My father said to keep autonomy at home you have to protect other people’s autonomy.”

By Patricia Harcourt
Editor

For more see the July 16/13 issue of the Tofield Mercury