Harold Finnegan was a member of
the Special Force that fought in Korea under the Canadian and UN flags. The
Special Force was a mixed bag of men and boys who signed up in droves, flooding recruiting
offices. Many, like Harold, were youngsters who had “missed the fun” when WW II
ended in 1945. Others were veterans whose lives as civilians didn’t work out
for one reason or another. And they certainly didn’t know what they were
getting into.
Why a “Special
Force”? The Canadian army was exhausted and run down after herculerian efforts
in World War II. And when the call went out to members of the United Nations to
do a “police action” Canada, as a charter member of the UN, wanted to be there.
So, the thinking went, rather than send battle-scarred regiments which had
settled into peacetime duties, recruit a new bunch: hence a Special Force,
whose members signed up for eighteen months—plenty of time to do Canada’s duty
in the Hermit Kingdom, right?
Fortunately for
the Canadians who volunteered, they had excellent leadership. And, at the end
of the day, the men who volunteered did their country proud. More than five hundred of them did not come back from Korea. Harold Finnegan is one who did.
Harold's medals, above, include the Canadian Forces Decoration with bar, UN, NATO, Korea, and Vietnam service decorations. (The latter was earned prior to the Vietnam War, following the illfated Paris Peace Accord.)
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