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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 15, 2010 · 10 Veteran invited to Korean War 60th anniversary ceremony By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The recognition may be a little late, but for one Oakville veteran it's still deeply appreciated. Herman `Paddy' Weedle, 83, recently received a letter from South Korean President Lee Myung-bak thanking him for his service to the Korean people and inviting him and 2,400 other veterans to Korea as the country commemorates the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. "We Koreans made a promise to build a strong and prosperous country that upholds peace and freedom so that the sacrifices that you made would not have been in vain. We have faithfully kept that promise," said Myung-bak in his letter. "Korea today is a vibrant democracy with a robust economy and we are actively promoting peace and stability around the world. Korea transformed itself from a country that received aid to one that provides aid to others. We are proud of what we managed to accomplish MICHELLE SIU / OAKVILLE BEAVER MEMORIES OF WAR: Korean War veteran Herman Weedle poses for a photo with his medals at his Oakville home. Summertime Backyard Sales Event! Win A Backyard Makeover! Win a $5,000 Gift Card towards a backyard makeover* All Floor Models, Stock and Demo Models Reduced! *No purchase necessary. See store for details. 2000 Appleby Line (Millcroft Shopping Centre) Burlington 2379 Trafalgar Road (Winners Plaza) Trafalgar Ridge Plaza, Oakville 905-315-7800 905-257-5006 w w w. t h e s u n d a n c e s p a s t o r e . c o m and we wish to dedicate these achievements to you." Weedle came to Canada from Ireland aboard a rickety, overcrowded wooden ship in the summer of 1949. Tired of being stuck in Ireland and eager to see new places, he had said goodbye to his father and paid the ship's captain 25 pounds to take him across the Atlantic. When he arrived in Canada it was not long before Weedle joined the Canadian Army at the age of 24, just as the Korean War was getting started in 1950. "I kinda liked the idea of soldiering," said Weedle. "I had thought about it when I was in Ireland, joining the Irish Army, but they didn't go anywhere and the British Army at the time was discharging people rather than taking them on." Weedle's initial attempts to enter the army were rebuffed as the army felt at that time it had already recruited enough soldiers. Eventually, Weedle was accepted into the Canadian Army as an officer when the recruiters discovered he had a year of post-secondary education. After a year of officer training, Weedle, then a second lieutenant, was posted to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) in Petawawa. Weedle said the regiment was very short of officers and he was given a platoon of 60 men, which needed to be trained so they could be sent to Korea. This task was accomplished with the help of Lieutenant Gerald Meynell, another RCR officer. "We were close friends. He was American-born and he was just a nice guy, a good officer who helped me along. He took me under his wing and if I had questions I could go and ask him instead of going to my company commander," said Weedle. "I was pretty green at the time. I'd never commanded troops in my life before." Despite this, Weedle got his platoon trained for combat, after which he was charged with selecting the 50 best men for Korea. Weedle still remembers the 50th soldier he selected to go to war. "This guy was a Newfoundlander, right from the fishing villages, and he wasn't the smartest guy, but he was a good hard-working soldier," said Weedle, who eventually determined the soldier would be sent overseas. Weedle had also been preparing for deployment, but was told he had more training courses to finish and would be staying behind. Meynell was put in command of Weedle's platoon, which left for Korea. Ten months later, Weedle got word that his platoon had been involved in a skirmish during a night patrol in Korea. Meynell had been killed along with the private from Newfoundland, the 50th soldier Weedle had selected for Korea. While Weedle said it was hard losing a friend like Meynell, he was struck by the fact that had he not been ordered to finish his training, he would have been in Meynell's place. "I thought to myself, `there but for the grace of God go I,'" said Weedle. "If I had gone instead, that could have been me." In March of 1954, Weedle was finally sent to Korea. While a cease-fire was in place by that time, for Weedle and the other Canadian soldiers patrolling the cease-fire line near the Imjin River there was no guarantee it would stay that way. "You had your weapons loaded, cocked, safety catches off on patrol, because if something happened, it was going to happen quickly," said Weedle. "You would occasionally come close to or even See Veteran page 11