Tommy Prince - Korea

Korea

In August 1950, Prince re-enlisted in the Canadian Army to fight with the United Nations troops in the Korean War. As he later commented, "As soon as I put on my uniform I felt a better man." Re-instated with his previous rank of sergeant, Prince was now a member of the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI), the first Canadian regiment to arrive in the war zone.

In February 1951, the Patricias joined the 27th Commonwealth Brigade on the battlefield. Prince was second in command of his rifle platoon, and shortly after arrival in Korea he led an eight-man evening "snatch patrol" into an enemy encampment. The successful patrol returned with two captured machine guns, and Prince went on to lead several more raids. However, his CO eventually avoided assigning him patrols because of the risks he took with the lives of his soldiers.

Prince was present with the 2 PPCLI when it became the first Canadian unit awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation for distinguished service in the Battle of Kapyong on April 24 and 25, 1951. The battalion had maintained a defense post on Hill 677 despite heavy fire from Chinese and North Korean forces.

Prince's wartime duty was taking a toll on his body, and his knees were subject to painful swelling and premature arthritis. He was hospitalized after a medical examination in May 1951, and was later put on administrative duties and returned to Canada, where he served as an administrative sergeant at Canadian Forces Base Borden in Ontario. Here his knees improved, so in March 1952 he volunteered for a second tour of duty in the Far East. He sailed for Korea that October with the 3rd Battalion PPCLI.

Though the battalion was officially still training in November 1952, when Chinese forces attacked a key location on the Sami-chon River known as "the Hook" the 3rd PPCLI was called to defend the rear of the UN forces. The battalion had five members killed, but was able to recapture the post with a UN unit by November 19. Prince was among the nine Patricias wounded; though he recovered from his injuries, he was hospitalized for several weeks in early 1953 for treatment on his knees. The armistice was signed during this period.

Prince received the Korea Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. Following the Korean Armistice Agreement, he remained in the army, working as an instructor of new recruits in Winnipeg, Manitoba, until his honourable discharge on October 28, 1953. He continued to work at a Winnipeg personnel depot in Winnipeg, until September 1954.