The Korean War Veteran. An independent Internet publication dedicated to the sacrifice and indomitable spirit of those who served in the Korean War.

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1 The Korean War Veteran An independent Internet publication dedicated to the sacrifice and indomitable spirit of those who served in the Korean War.

2 March 26, 2011 Presenting scholarships to Kapyong Buk Middle School scholars in April, Many veterans made presentations, representing virtually all Canadian services and units. Further down the presentation line in photo above is retired Brigadier John Burstall, who served in Korea with the Royal 22e Regiment, the Vingt Deux. Love and Duty fund raising project receives enough donations to present 19 scholarships to Kapyong students On January 1, the Korean War Veteran Internet magazine began publishing chapters from the nonfiction novel, Love and Duty, a Canadian Remembers the Korean War. At the time, we expressed that the text and photos could be downloaded without cost for one-time personal, non-commercial use. We also suggested that anyone who wished to express appreciation for the book might do it by making a donation to the Kapyong Buk Middle School scholarship program. The scholarships help young students in the middle school in Kapyong County in Korea pay for their books, in-school meals and other expenses. The fund has been operating for more than 20 years. While it was first launched with a donation from the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry, it is an all-canadian, all-unit project. Indeed, the scholarships are presented on behalf of all of Canada s Korean War Veterans and by appreciative businesses in Korea that have Canadian ties. The checks were all mailed by donors to Peter Seiersen, a veteran in Courtenay, BC, who volunteered to receive and transfer the funds to the scholarship manager at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul. We are very happy to report that 30 individuals responded to the request. Between them, they have contributed $4,776 enough to provide 19 full scholarships fully half of all of those that will be presented to the students in Korea in April. In other words, the funding project established by the Korean War Veteran in Canada has raised as much money as all other sources combined.

3 Through this effort, we have doubled the number of scholarships that will be presented to Kapyong Buk Middle School students at ceremonies near Kapyong on Sunday, April 24. The ceremonies will mark the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong, but will also commemorate the contributions and sacrifices of all Canadians who served in Korea. During the ceremonies, wreaths will be placed by various veterans at the Canadian War Memorial in the Canadian Peace Gardens. The memorial overlooks the old Kapyong battlefields. The scholarships will be presented by some of the donors who are present. As usually happens, representatives from many Canadian services and units will also be involved in the presentations. While we will not disclose individual names, it is significant that among the 30 donors, two of them contributed twice. Of the 30, eight of them donated funds for full scholarships ($250). One Kapyong veteran, who will be among those at the ceremony, funded two of the scholarships. The funds also include donations made by three British veterans who receive the Korean War Veteran in the UK. Each of them sent checks for 100, approximately $157 and combined they more than cover one scholarship. Two of the British veterans served with the Middlesex Regiment, which fought at Kapyong in April, 1951 and one of them served with the Royal Artillery sometime later. One of the full scholarship donations was made by a woman Royal Canadian Legion activist member whose brother was killed in action in Korea. One full scholarship was donated by a retired officer from the Republic of Korea Army, who served both in the Korean and Vietnam wars and is now a Canadian citizen. Every donation is greatly appreciated and the students and their parents in Kapyong County will be very moved by this strong support. The publisher of the Korean War Veteran and Peter Seiersen both express thanks for this heartfelt outpouring of donations to help the students of Kapyong County.

4 Australians also have a Kapyong Valley Scholarship Program. Shown above in a 2009 ceremony at the Australian and New Zealand memorial sites near Kapyong are student recipients of scholarships donated by Australian Korean War Veterans, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and others. The presenters, below, look quite formidable as they prepare to hand over scholarships to the recipients. The Australian scholarships are awarded to both middle school and high school students.

5 Middlesex Regiment veterans will also contribute scholarships to Kapyong students Shown above at the Middlesex Regiment Memorial in Kapyong are former members of the Regiment (left) Harry Spicer, who now lives in Australia, Ray Rogers and Frank Screeche-

6 Powell. (The photo was taken in a previous year and the three are not the scholarship donors mentioned in the article.) Photo by Ivor Screeche-Powell Middlesex Regiment veterans also contribute scholarships While the Middlesex Diehards through the years have received little acknowledgement for their role in the Battle of Kapyong, the 1st Middlesex was there and in the fighting. They sent two companies to retrieve the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery which had lost its Korean infantry screens when units of the 6th ROK Division were overrun. Later, when the battalion headquarters and medical evacuation centre of the Royal Australian Regiment was under heavy attack and preparing to withdraw, a company of the Middlesex made a daring bayonet attack on the enemy, dashing through tracer machinegun fire. This year two veterans of the Middlesex will present scholarships at Kapyong and a third scholarship has been funded by a veteran of the Royal Artillery. American Scholarship Program The Kapyong Middle School and the Kapyong High School were originally built using funds volunteered by members of the U.S. 40th Division. Serving soldiers in Korea, veterans and others fund a program

7 to award scholarships each year to high school freshmen and seniors. This American Korean War Veteran is shown raising the Flag of the Republic of Korea at a friendship ceremony at the Kapyong High School. The 80th US Infantry Division was positioned near Kapyong following a major battle in The commander visited Kapyong where 150 students were studying in two tents. He returned to Division and asked his men to donate $2 each to build them a proper school. They put up the funds and his engineering teams built the school, then named the Staff Sergeant Kenneth Kaiser, Jr. Middle- High School. It was named for the first member of the Division to fall in action in Korea. The Korean people in Kapyong expressed the name in their own idiom as Gaisa Middle School and Gaisa High School. The name was changed to Kapyong Middle School and Kapyong High School in The American scholarship program has continued since it was launched in 1987 and a reunion of graduates of the first class was held at Kapyong in February this year.

8 Monument to commemorate soldiers of the U.S. 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, which fought at Kapyong in the battle that lasted from April 22 to April 26, before an offensive pushed back the enemy. Shown at a commemoration for the monument in 2007 is LCol Thomas Ibson, commanding 1st Battalion, 72nd Armored Regiment, 2nd US Division. It is the successor to the 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion. The monument is on a hillside overlooking the Kapyong River Valley. A Company of the Battalion fought at Kapyong in support of all infantry units. In one of its platoons one tank commander was killed and all other commanders were wounded. The tankers extracted dozens of wounded Australians from the fighting and helped cover their withdrawal. Like the Royal Australian Regiment's 3rd Battalion and the Princess Patricias 2nd Battalion, Company A, 72nd Heavy Tank was awarded a US Distinguished Unit Citation. The US 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion s Company A was not the only American unit that fought in the battle of Kapyong. Three US artillery units were engaged and contributed substantially to the defeat and forced withdrawal of the enemy. The 5th Regimental Combat Team of the 5th US Cavalry Division counterattacked the positions that had been held by the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment the morning after the Australians were forced to withdraw. The Australians had fought until virtually out of ammunition and had sustained more

9 than 100 casualties. A battalion from the 5th RCT also relieved the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry on April 26 and launched an attack. The Indian 60th Parachute Field Ambulance, which was the mobile surgical hospital serving the 27th Commonwealth Brigade, also is not often given credit for its extremely significant support of all units at the Battle of Kapyong - and in other actions. That is the history of the Battle of Kapyong: Troops from Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Republic of Korea all engaged in resisting and repelling the enemy offensive. Other battles were fought all along the line, as the enemy offensive was broad in scale, extending virtually from coast to coast.