Confronted by Zoot Suits

Heroes Remember

Confronted by Zoot Suits

Transcript

We had what they call troop train from Vancouver all the way down to Halifax. So I was on this troop train and we got off in Montreal for a while. Oh yeah, they had to change, something they had to change in Montreal so we had to wait for a couple of hours, I guess you know. I had my rifle still in my full pack. We got off and we were not allowed to mingle with people. They must know what's coming up. A whole bunch of young people came out, you know, they called in them days, Zoot Suits. They used to have tight, tight pants and chains and knives and what not walking around, great big chains. They're a messy looking type and girls too. So they knew troops were coming from overseas and they just pack up the station. And he said, no, I grabbed my bayonet and I put my bayonet on my rifle, at least you know, defend myself. We had no ammunition anyway for it. That's when they called us legalized killers, you know. We were good for nothing else and here we just left the enemy line, fighting with enemy and here's another enemy in our back yard, you know, to cope with. No appreciation whatsoever, you know, for fighting for freedom.

Description

Mr. Simon describes returning to Montreal by train after the Korean war, and being confronted by the Zoot Suits, who were anti-war protesters.

Stephen Simon

Stephen Simon, the sixth of ten children, was born in Big Cove, New Brunswick on February 19, 1932. After finishing grade eight on the reserve, he attended school off the reserve where he faced a lot of discrimination. He often fished with his father, who was a police officer at Big Cove. Mr. Simon enlisted at the age of eighteen, took his basic training in Camp Borden, and became a qualified paratrooper on December 22, 1950. After arriving in Korea, he trained as a radio operator, and served in that capacity until the end of his military service. In 1958, Mr. Simon’s skills were highlighted when he served in a top security communications centre.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:08
Person Interviewed:: Stephen Simon
War, Conflict or Mission:: Korean War
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Royal Canadian Regiment
Rank:: Sergeant

Language selection

Confronted by Zoot Suits

Heroes Remember