LOCAL WAR VETERAN RECIEVES LETTER OF THANKS FROM KOREA

By, Clarence Michon

Recently, local war veteran, Lloyd Michon, of Geraldton received a grateful letter of thanks
from the President of the Republic of Korea for his active service there during the years
1951, through to 1953. This year the Republic of Korea will be commemorating the sixtieth
year since the start of the Korean War and is looking to invite many of those who served to
partake in this year's commemoration , one of which is Mr. Michon. In its entirety, the letter
reads as follows;

“This year we commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, we
honor you selfless sacrifice in fighting tyranny and aggression. We salute your courage in
enduring the unimaginable horrors of war. We pay tribute to your commitment in protecting
liberty and freedom.

We Koreans made a promise to build a strong and prosperous country that upholds peace
and freedom so that the sacrifices that you made would not have been in vain. We have
faithfully kept that promise Korea today is a vibrant democracy with a robust economy and
we are actively promoting peace and stability around the world. Korea transformed itself
from a country of received aid to on that provides aid to others. We are proud of what we
managed to accomplish and we wish to dedicate these achievements to you.

The Korean government has bee inviting Korea War veterans every year as part of its
Revisit. Korea Program since 1975. This year we will be inviting 2,400 Korean War
veterans and their families. We Koreans and myself in particular look forward to welcoming
you. We hop that you will see what you made possible and hope that your families will feel
renewed pride in what you did for us many years ago.”

The letter concludes with a sincere “Thank You” and is signed by Lee Myung-bak, the
President of the Korean Republic.

“Please accept, once again, our warmest gratitude and deepest respect. You will always
remain our true Heroes and we assure you that we will continue to do our best to make you
proud. On behalf of the Korean people, I would like to say “Thank You”.”

As a young man from McDiarmid, Ontario, Mr. Michon, enlisted with others from that
community in Winnipeg, eventually becoming a member of the Princess Patricia Canadian
Light Infantry for five years. Today, as a longtime resident of Geraldton, Mr. Michon enjoys
his retirement, but over the years has partaken in the establishment of the Northwestern
Ontario Native Veterans Association, in addition to being an active member of the local
Legion, Robert Frost Branch # 133, where he has in the past served as President.