Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
The Jasper Korean community has raised funds for a memorial plaque commemorating the soldiers and CNR crew members who died during the Canoe River disaster.
The plaque will be erected on Jasper鈥檚 cenotaph in Memorial Park in July.
Dong Han, affectionately known as Grandpa, spearheaded the project and has spent years advocating for Canadian soldiers who fought in the Korean War.
鈥淢ost Koreans feel that we owe a debt which (can) never be paid,鈥� Han said, noting how the United Nations helped his country become economically prosperous.
On Nov. 21, 1950, a troop train and a CNR train collided head-on outside Valemount, killing 17 soldiers and four engine crew members.
The soldiers had been on their way to fight in the Korean War.
鈥淲e owe something which the people sacrificed for us,鈥� Han said.
鈥淭he people in the Canoe River disaster, they never (saw Korea), they never knew the country and they never stepped on Korean soil, but they come (and) try to help us to defend democracy. That鈥檚 why most Koreans, including my friends, feel that we must do something to recognize their sacrifice.鈥�
Han is also advocating for a memorial rest stop south of Valemount, near the original crash site, and hopes this plaque will help kickstart the process once again.
The Jasper Royal Canadian Legion will commemorate the plaque on July 16 beginning at 5 p.m.
