Enlistment

Heroes Remember

Enlistment

Transcript

Interviewer: Being here in Canada, what were you hearing about the war? Being here before going overseas? Well, there was quite a bit on television. On nightly there would be different newscasts coming about. And to me, I was a young man and it sounded quite exciting and I said I would like to be there. So, I sort of wanted to finish my training faster and quicker (laughs). But I did manage to get over there within that year. Interviewer: Ok. You say you were young. What age were you when you went? Well I was seventeen when I... I was eighteen rather and that's pretty young; just sort of a kid, you're not fully matured yet and things like that you know. And coming from an Indian reservation was a little bit different because you know we spoke the aboriginal language on the reserve and then we had to kinda be bilingual and understand it to survive in the military world. Interviewer: When you were there, did you feel or did you think that the war could be won? I always felt that the war would be won. But history tells us that in war there is no winners. There's only losers. Meaning that, you know, both sides people are killed. And but, you don't learn that prior to going there, you learn that after you come back, as you start thinking about it.

Description

Mr. Knockwood talks about enlisting at the age of 18 and what he knew about the Korean War at the time.

Noel Knockwood

Mr. Knockwood was born in the Indian Brook First Nations in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, July 17, 1932. He received his early education at the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School. He joined the Canadian Army in 1951 and at the suggestion of his older brother, a Second World War Veteran, signed up for the artillery. He spent six years in the service serving in Canada, the United States, Japan and Korea. He received his basic training in Shilo, Manitoba. During this training he received courses on atomic, biological and chemical warfare. He was just 18 years old when he went overseas to fight in Korea and was there for 413 days. After returning from Korea, Mr. Knockwood taught small arms artillery and became a drill Sergeant. After leaving the military, Mr. Knockwood furthered his education graduating with a major in Sociology from St. Mary’s University. He went on to teach at Dalhousie University and St. Mary’s University and was a guest lecturer at several other universities in the Maritimes. He received the National Aboriginal Achievement Reward for Heritage and Spirituality in 2002. At the time of this interview Mr. Knockwood was the Sergeant at Arms for the province of Nova Scotia.

Meta Data