Hryhoryshen, Gord: my armed forces recollections (October 22, 2008)

Public

Downloadable Content


Download audio

Interviewer: Reumkens, Brock

An interview/narrative of Gord Hryhoryshen's experiences during the Korean War. Interview took place on October 22, 2008.

Rank: Sergeant.

Interviewee: Hryhoryshen, Gord

ABSTRACT: Sergeant Gord Hryhoryshen Hryhoryshen_G_0586_01.mp3 - Platoon Sergeant Gord Hryhoryshen. Born 1931. Arran, Saskatchewan. 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Rifles of Canada - (1:20) Felt Canadian Army was trimmed too thin prior to the Korean War - (2:45) Had training as part of 27th Brigade in Germany prior to being sent to Korea. - (4:40) Did some of his training at Valcartier before being sent to Germany. - (7:45) Colonel Bill Matthews. Had prior experience in Second World War. Possibly with Canadian Scottish Regiment. - (8:20) Trained with Lee-Enfield and Sten guns. Found it an easy weapon. No jamming like the semi-automatic Garand rifle. Easy to clean. Did not have access to American weapons. - (13:25) Was happy with the training he had received. - (14:15) Sent to Korea in October 1954. - (15:40) Stationed North of the Imjin River. Across the Teal Bridge. Manned the OPs. - (18:40) Located in a place called Maple Leaf Park. Only one small town nearby. Mentions acts of robbery against the soldiers while they slept. - (21:20) The area around the Imjin River was not untouched by the war. - (22:20) 2nd Battalion was stationed at Maple Leaf Park. Could watch movies or entertainment shows there. Quarters big enough to hold platoon of thirty people. Comfortable living in huts. - (25:00) Get up at six or seven in the morning. Had breakfast. Eight o'clock had inspections. Training happened many times during the day. One of his jobs was looking after fire equipment. Mentions that one of the huts burned down and an officer died. - (26:40) Saw some Australian shows at Maple Leaf Park. Had shows every ten days or once every month. Watched old movies. Never had to battle boredom. - (29:10) Was happy with the cooking. Meat, potatoes, chicken etc. - (30:40) Wore the combat cap more than the Mark II helmet. Did not encounter any problems with the wool battle dress. Kept heat very well. - (32:15) 14 months spent in Korea. 1954-1955. Landed in Seattle on his way back. Was on an American troopship. Encountered many Americans returning home with wives they met in Asia. Journey took ten days. - (34:55) Went on holidays back to Saskatchewan to visit his family after returning from Korea. - (45:20) Talked about some of the training activities at Maple Leaf Park. Road runs, working in the gym, playing sports.

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 40, 127
  • 36.5, 127.75
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • HG_586
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • September 28, 2009
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. Digitized by JF, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
Rights
  • This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
DOI

This page supports the Zotero and Mendeley browser extensions simply click on the extension widget in your browser to save the objects citation.