Far Eastern Tour: The Canadian Infantry in Korea, 1950 - 1953 ( Canadian Army / Korean War ) by Watson, Brent Byron - 2002

Montgomery, Alabama: Montreal, QC / Kingston, ON: McGill - Queen's University Press / MQUP, 2002, 1st Edition, First Printing , 2002. -----------hardcover, a Near Fine copy in a Near Fine dustjacket, faint dampstain on verso of jacket does not show through, 238 pages, b&w illustrations, ---"What was it like to serve in the infantry during Canada's "Forgotten War"? In Far Eastern Tour Brent Watson tells the story of the Korean War from the perspective of Canadian soldiers. Dealing with the fiasco surrounding recruitment, a training regime inappropriate for the war they were to fight, and the stark living and combat conditions the soldiers faced, Watson examines the human consequences of an army that was totally unprepared for service in the Far East. ---A gripping social history of the Canadian infantry during the Korean war. --The Canadian army brass and defence planners insisted on viewing the Korean conflict - the "forgotten war" - through the familiar lens of their World War II experiences. As a result Canadian soldiers in Korea suffered needless casualties and endured conditions that bordered on criminal neglect. --Using rigorous archival research and oral accounts, Far Eastern Tour follows the experiences of Canadian soldiers from the time they responded to the government's call to arms to the indifferent reaction to their homecoming a year later. Dealing with the fiasco surrounding recruitment, an inappropriate training regime, and the stark living and combat conditions, Brent Watson examines the human consequences of an army that was totally unprepared for service in the Far East."--- CONTENTS INCLUDE: Introduction: bums from the slums -- Slit-trench attitude -- A lot of good men died -- Domain of the golden dragon -- Rice burners and KATCOMS -- Keeping the gunners in good training -- Pucker factor -- Butcher's bill -- Permanent souvenirs -- Forgotten people -- Rum and Coke -- Conclusion: Kap'yong couldn't have been much of a battle., any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine (see description)/Near Fine (see description). Illus. by Photo Cover.