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On July 27, 1953, exactly 57 years ago this week, the armistice agreement that ended the three-year long Korean War was signed by both sides.  It was the first time in history that an international organization, like the UN, had intervened with a multinational force to stop a war. 

Casualties from this conflict were great, with the UN Forces suffering 450,000 casualties, including 516 Canadian soldiers, and another half million wounded.  It is estimated that 1.5 million Chinese and North Korean soldiers were killed and many more wounded. 

The Korean War also saw some of Canada’s best soldiers from the Second World War re-enlist to serve their country.

Thomas George “Tommy” Prince was among them and is known as one of Canada’s most decorated First Nations soldiers.

Born in Manitoba, he was the grandson of the Ojibwa Nation’s Indian Chief, Peguis.  While growing up, Tommy became an excellent marksman with incredible tracking skills learned from days spent hunting in the wilderness around the Aboriginal reserve. 

At the beginning of the Second World War, Tommy volunteered for the Army but was turned down several times before finally being accepted mid-1940.  Originally a member of the Royal Canadian Engineers, he transferred to the 1st Special Service Force (SSF) where he was promoted to Sergeant by September 1942.  In November 1943, while serving with the SSF in Italy, Tommy earned the Military Medal.  His citation read (in part) “Sergeant Prince’s courage and utter disregard for personal safety were an inspiration to his fellows and a marked credit to his unit.”

In September 1944, as part of the 1st Airborne Task Force, pushing eastward towards the Franco-Italian border, Prince’s actions once again earned him a medal, this time the Silver Star.  His citation read (in part): “So accurate was the report rendered by the patrol that Sergeant Prince’s regiment moved forward on 5 September 1944, occupied new heights and successfully wiped out the enemy bivouac area. The keen sense of responsibility and devotion to duty displayed by Sergeant Prince is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the Allied Nations.”

In all, in the Second World War, Tommy was decorated nine times.

After the war, he returned home to Brokenhead reserve in Manitoba. 

In August 1950, Tommy re-enlisted in the Canadian Army to fight in the Korean War.  He was re-instated in his previous rank of Sergeant and became a member of the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI).

On April 24 and 25, 1951, Prince’s regiment held a defensive position at Hill 677 so that a South Korean division could withdraw during an attack.  Regardless of the battalion being completely surrounded at one point, the resupply of ammunition and emergency rations was accomplished by air and the 2 PPCLI held its ground. They lost 10 members and another 23 were wounded during the two-day battle. The 2 PPCLI, along with the 3rd Royal Australian Regiment, were awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation for distinguished service in this battle.

In March 1952, Prince volunteered for a second tour of duty in the Far East and sailed to Korea that October with the 3rd Battalion PPCLI.

In November 1952, the 3rd PPCLI was ordered to help defend “the Hook,” a key position west of the Sami-chon River, when a Chinese battalion gained a foothold on the forward positions of another UN unit.  By dawn the next day, the UN unit, with assistance from the Patricias, had recaptured the post.  Five were killed and nine were wounded - one of whom was Prince.  He recovered but remained plagued with knee issues and the armistice was signed before he could return to battle.

For his part in the Korean War, Prince received the Korea Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. 

He remained in the army as an instructor of new recruits until his discharge in October 1953.

Civilian life was not easy for Prince and alcoholism overtook him in his final years.  He died in Winnipeg in 1977 and is buried at the Brookside Cemetery.