| -continued from page two
But Willy Fong was more than a colourful and spirited soldier who occasionally ‘liberated’ chickens. As mentioned above, he was twice wounded while serving with the R22e R in Italy in 1944-1945; during that period, he served as a scout/sniper in the Intelligence Section of the Regiment. Infantrymen immediately recognize and admire the special skills and nerves of steel required for this particular specialty: As snipers, they are required to ‘lay-up’ for extended periods ahead of the forward positions awaiting the appearance of ‘targets of opportunity’ with camouflage their only protection; when acting as scouts, they are in the lead of fighting patrols and invariably the first to contact the enemy. What motivated Willy Fong to re-enlist for the Korean War and more, to volunteer to serve as a scout? As a twice-wounded veteran of World War II, he was fully aware of the risks involved not to mention that, as a Canadian of Chinese extraction, he could expect the worse if ever taken prisoner by the Chinese Communist Forces. But volunteer he did, re-enlisting in January 1952, arriving with 1 R 22e R in Korea three months later on April 29, 1952. John Longpré, who also served at the time with the Intelligence Section of the Battalion remembers him well as a popular comrade who spent countless hours on a lonely Observation Post trying to intercept enemy radio transmissions. John also relates, in suspiciously vague terms, that there was an occasion, with the unit out of the lines, when the Officers’ Mess somehow obtained some fresh chickens. Although Willy would have nothing to do with such an opportunity, he did suggest to his friends that the Officers’ Mess cook would probably part with one if offered a suitable emolument. It was apparently good advice for it worked and Willy was eventually persuaded to assist in cooking and partaking of the fowl! But there was more serious business at hand. On the night of June 23rd, 1952, a 40-man patrol commanded by Lieutenant Arthur Herman (subsequently killed in action in August 1952) advanced into no-man’s land. Their aim was to capture a hill 500 yards in front of the main defensive positions which was suspected of serving as a firm base for enemy patrols. Guiding the patrol to its objective were Willy Fong and another scout, Conrad Desroches. They crept to within fifteen yards of the enemy trenches when they were detected. The enemy rained down numerous hand grenades and Willy Fong was fatally wounded in the head and immediately rendered unconscious. His comrade, Desroches (subsequently mentioned-in-despatches) dragged Willy down the hill and turned him over to other members of the patrol before going forward again to assist other wounded. Despite attempts to dress the wounds, Willie Fong died a few minutes later without regaining consciousness; J.P. St-Aubin was next to him when he died. While the firefight still raged and with the help of artillery and mortar fire, the arduous task of evacuating the wounded and dead began. Besides two dead, there were eight wounded and the task of getting them back to our lines was very painstaking and time-consuming. The patrol first came under fire at 11:38 PM; they were still forward and were engaged anew by the enemy at 3:30 AM and could not extricate themselves for another hour. By this time, it was dawn and a smoke screen was required to cover the last phase of their withdrawal. Willy Fong was subsequently buried in the UN Cemetery in Pusan. And that’s how Willy Fong died, these many years ago. May he rest in peace for he is not forgotten. Fifty years later, his family still mourns him and the eyes of grizzled veterans who knew him still moisten at the mention of his name. Rest in Peace, Willy Fong, and may a ‘liberated chicken’ occasionally cross your path. click to enlarge
Lest we Forget
|
