Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Return to Gapyeong

The Joongang Ilbo has an interesting story about the tribute to the Canadian troops (attended by 50 veterans) who fought at the Battle of Gapyeong between April 22-26, 1951, which focuses on the story of Archibald Lloyd Hearsey, who fought in the battle.
Six months [after Gapyeong], Hearsey would survive another battle on Hill #187 in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi, north of Gapyeong. That would be the day of his greatest tragedy. Stumbling into the battle, he discovered that his older brother Joseph William Hearsey had enlisted, been shipped to Korea, and was fighting alongside him.

Joseph would die on Hill #187 - in his younger brother’s arms.

The group of visiting Canadians have brought the ashes of Archibald, who died last June, to be reunited with the remains of his brother Joseph. They are the first two foreign siblings who fought together in the Korean War to be reunited in this way. Archibald left a will asking his family to try to make it happen.
Read the rest here.

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