David Labonte Interview April 27, 2005

Your name is, can you tell us your name?

David Labonte Can you tell us when and where you were born?

In Tecumseh, Ontario Do you remember what your father did for a living?

My father was a carpenter for many years than he bought and operated a taxi in the town of Tecumseh for about 20 years.

Did your mother work ?

No she was just a housewife Growing up what memories do you have of school, of your teacher, your friends? I attended St Anthony's school in Tecumsh and I had some friends there which I still enjoy seeing every now and then and I played a lot of sports as a child. Baseball and hockey and ice skating.

What grade level did you attain in school?

I attained Grade 9.

So you mentioned sports, you were involved in sports, did you have any other hobbies you were engaged in?

I, as a child as a boy from the age 9 to 16 I caddied at Lakewood Golf Course where I learned how to play golf which has been a life long hobby of mine playing golf. You still do it today?

Yes, I also set up ten pins at the bowling alley and I still bowl today. How did you come to serve in Korea?

I was coming out of church one Sunday morning and I had just been laid off from Ford Motor Company and a few of my friends were on their way up to London to join up and they talked me into joining to go down there so I eventually told my brother to tell my mother I was on my way to London to join up and we left. We came back at the end of the week as a member of the Armed Forces. What was your families reaction to you joining?

Not to do it. We had a friend that had a brother that died in the Second World War.

You mentioned London, is that where you enlisted? Yes it is. And after you enlisted, can you tell us about your training? After spending a week at home we took the train, we preceded to go to Quebec City to Camp Mount Price which is north of Quebec City, where we done our basic training and in January we began our advance training. And we were told we would be going to Korea in the month March, April rather.

What did your basic training involve, can you elaborate a little bit? We were learning how to march, and handle guns, and stripping guns, and how to take them apart and put them back together again and learning all the basic parts of Army life and lots of drilling on the Parade Square and learning various things about Army life.

You mentioned you had then gone on to advance training, is that similiar? No this is much harder because it took place in the months of January and February in about 3 or 4 feet of snow and our training was really intense to get use to the cold weather and sometimes spent two or three days living in these tents in 30 to 40 below weather. And learning how to handle ourselves in the snow and how to be patrols and that. Which was very hard at the time.

But it did prepare you later when you were in Korea?

Yes it did prepare us for later because there is very cold weather in Korea.
You said you left in March, is that March 1950? No it was April 1952.

Do you remember how you were transported there?

We took a train to Seattle, Washington and from there we took a boat and we stopped in Yokahoma, Japan for a couple of days, picked up supplies and other troops and proceeded on to Korea and landed at Inchon Korea where we debarked and proceeded to load on trucks and drove for a few hours north and we were disembarked from the trucks and then climbed a large mountian to get us to the mountainous territory of Korea.

Once you arrived in Korea do you remember you initial reaction once you were there, like what you saw, what you were thinking?

Well we went through the country side we figured that the country was very different then Canada because all the homes were built differently they had straw roofs on them, and we know that they were quite far behind the times then the way Canada was.

Once you arrived in Korea where were you assigned, like where did you stay?

We went straight to the front lines within a couple of days of arriving which was the 38th parrallel at that time and their was a static line where we did have to do any attacks or anything like that other then patrolling at night. What were the patrols, do you remember, can you elaborate on the patrols? It was what we called the no mans land between the allies and the North Korean and the Chinese troops and we patrolled this no mans land at night to see what we could find out about the enemy, and sometimes we would meet each and have a little fire fight and when we could we would return back to our base of operation.

Do you remember thinking this war is going to be won or do you remember thinking like that that this war could be won or did you think it would take a long time or did you have any idea how long you would be over there? No, we had no idea how this war was coming along with because we were at the front lines and we didn't get any information of that type what so ever so we were just told that we would be there approximately a year which ended up we were there for 13 months.

Did you think about the danger to your life when you were on the front lines?

Oh definetly Really?

We had few encounters
Did you want to elaborate on this?

Well once I had a water shell land about 5 feet from me and I was lucky that it landed that close because I would of been almost buried alive in the dirt that it through up but a friend of mine that I was talking to at the time about 30 feet away was not so lucky he recieved a piece of scrapmetal right through his arm into his heart and it killed him and then I ran over to him after I dug myself out and found him like that and had to get the medic. What were the when you went to go get the medic, do you remember what the medical tents, what did they have set up if somebody was injured or sick?

Well if somebody was injured they would get an ambulance from behind the front lines which would be there for a short while and transport them to the medical station which was situated about 5 to 10 miles behind the front lines where the hospital was located.

Do you remember how they were run, were they sufficant?

Oh yes they were very well equiped there were many doctors there that know what they had to do and was well adapted. What was the atmosphere like in Korea, like if you looked around at the land, you were say they were obiviolously behind in times, was there a lot of destruction from the war? Oh yes there was very much, lots of destruction. When we went by some of the little towns and that a lot of them had been destroyed and people were always begging for food from us. They were just down and out because they had nothing to eat so we would give them whatever we could give them Chocolate bars, chewing gum, and if they were near one of our camps we would give them our leftover food over the fence so that they would have something to eat.

Would you happen to get periods of leave when you were there? Yes every couple months we were brought back to about 20 miles behind the front lines for about a week or two for rest and recoparation and then we had once a year we were allowed a leave for 5 days to Japan.

Did you go?

Yes I went to Japan, Toyko and spent a week, enjoyed it very much.

What shape was Tokyo and Japan in during the Korea war?

Very well, great shape, they were very well advanced after the Americans took over after the Second World War and the Japanese people were vere prosperous.

They had no damage from the war?

No, I never did have a chance to see Hiroshima or Nakaskoi so I never did see those cities that were destroyed by the atom bomb.

Did you get a chance when you were over to visit Shoul at all? No, I never made it to Shoul I guess I heard the city was a lot of damage done and anyone now that has returned to the city is completely refurbished and rebuilt? Thats what I understand.

What do you remember of your comrades and your officers, do you have any interesting stories? We had some very good solidiers that were in the army with me and they were, you could rely on most of them to be a help to keep you safe and our officers were very good people they were well trained and a lot of them had been veterans of the Second World War, so they were well experienced on how to handle the various problems of the world. Do you, you had shared that a friend of yours or comrade was hurt with shrapmetal, I guess I'm going to ask you like as far as death and injury you probably had seen it I was just wondering like what you thought of it when you were exposed to it? Well at first it scares the hell out of ya, but then again we were just glad that you had received any wounds or anything to yourself. We had the thought everyday that death was very close, it could happen at any time. Did you engage in any kind of combat with the enemy personally? No, I didn't. From a distance yes that's all. Did you see anmy of, I know they took a lot of prisoners of wars, would you have happened to see any of them at any time? No No

You had said that you had got some free time I was just wondering how you passed your free time when you were on leave, when you would get your leave?

When we were behind the front lines we played volleyball and softball and baseball just to relieve our tension well we were back there and we use to go swimming in the Engin River. Anything that would take our minds of the war for a short period of time. Your had stated 3 of your friends had enlisted in the Korean War and did spend time with them over when you were in Korea and get a chance to be with them? Yes I did some of them, one of them was with me pretty well throughout the whole stay and the other two were near by in another company but same regiment, we were with the Royal 22nd regiment also known as the Van Dues. Why the Van Dues? Well 22, we were the 22nd regiment and 22 in french is Van Dues. So they were know during the 2nd World War as Van Dues. Do you remember a time like at the end of the war where you where when it was annouced or proclaimed that it would be time of peace now? Yeah, I was back in Canada here and I was very happy to hear the war ceased over there. That peace had finally been obtained for the time being anyway. The North Koreans made a truce didn't they? Yes So, you were over there for 13 months so you weren't in Korea at the time of the truce? NO the truce was after we had come back to Canada. I believe it was July or August of '53 the truce was signed. When you returned to Canada, how long did it take you? Was it a longer voyage coming back or a faster one? It was about the same. I think we were 19 or 20 days on the ship coming back and then a train from Seattle to Quebec City. It was about a 5 day trip. How were you on the ship? Were you ok with it? Did you become ill, a lot of men talk about getting sea sick? No, I was one of the lucky ones I never got sea sick but a lot of the other soldiers did get sick. Do you remember the sleeping quarters and everything on the ship, how it was set up? They were very very cramped they were just hammocks hung from one post to the other, It was very very cramped on the two ships. They carried 4000-5000 troops. Thats a lot of people. You must feel a great sense of pride having served in the Korean War, when you look back now at all the danger you face, would you do it now with what you know? I probably would if it was to help someone, like the Southern Korean people. Especially now seeing how the country has progressed so far comparing to what they were in the 1950's. I would like to go back, the Koreans you said you were giving them food and that do you remember their overall attitude towards the Canadians? Oh, they just loved the Canadians. They thanked us tremendously because we would go out of our way to give them extra food if we could. To this day I am told they are still very appreciative? Very much so. Previous generations, the families that were part of it carry it on to the next generation, there has been letters written and e-mails and there are these Korean children that are actually thanking the Korean War vets? Right If you could speak to young people about dutying, patriotism what would you say? Well, if the time would ever come it is a great honour to serve your country and you look back on it with pride when you get older. When we think of Remembrance Day, we all have our own meaning, when you think of November 11th, Remembrance Day, what does it mean to you? Well I remember all the fellow soldiers that were with me when they were wounded or killed and I think of them and I also think of the people and the soldiers that were wounded or killed in the 2nd War because my brother was one of them and he eventually died of his wounds when he was only 34. I remember him.

I have gone through the questions, I just wanted to know if there was anything else that you would like to share with us or feel would be educationally to the young kids?

Other then when we came back from Korea, I was sent on a paratroopers course and I became a paratrooper and after that I became a instructor for recruits at Kanval Cartier and I spent a few weeks before I was released from the Army as an instructor of the new recruits coming into the service and I enjoyed that very much.

You served a total of how many, 3 years?

3 years in the service Were you married before you went in the, no, you weren't married before, so you married once you came back? Yes in 1958 to my beautiful wife.
And you have children?

4 children How would you feel if one of them came home and we had claimed war and they went and join the military? I don't know I would have to wish them the best of luck and to look after themselves to the best of there ability. Would you pass on the knowledge and wisdom you gained?

As much as I could.
Going to a foriegn land, Korea, you must have anticipated or had a lot of thoughts do you want to tell us about that and about making your committment? Well when we first got there we really didn't know what we were going to be involved in and I just figured I was sent there to do a job and I would do it to the best of my ability and thats what I stuck to well the time I was there.

You knew even though you thought maybe I shouldn't have done this maybe it's too late, the importance of the committment that you made?

I joined the service to see the world and I ended up going to Korea and I made that committment and I stuck with it so I figured that when you do something you see it right through to the end. After you were discharged from the military did you find it hard seeking employment?

No I was lucky I, may job had become redundant at Ford Motor Company so I was able to get in at Chrysler Corporation and I worked there for approximately 6 years and from then I was able to get a job with Canada Customs and then spent my whole career working with Customs in Windsor and retired at the age of 55 in 1986 and have enjoyed retirement tremendously.

I imagine your military career helped getting the job at Canada Customs? Yes it did because veterans had the preference at that time.

On behalf of myself and the Windsor Historical Society we would like to thank you for coming out and sharing your stories and we would like to also say that we are very appreciative of what you did as your role as a Korean War Veteran.