Home > CMH > Vol. 13 (2004) > Iss. 4
Abstract
Despite a growing historiography, the Canadian experience in Korea is still a very much forgotten part of our history. Kap’yong, the marathon battle of 22–25 April 1951 where the Second Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (22PLCI) along with their fellow members of the 27th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, the Third Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) defended the access points of the Kap’yong River valley is the one incident receives significant attention. Without fail, the description of the battle always ends with that passing reference, “for their efforts 2PPCLI were awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation.” This brief sentence at the end of a chapter does little to define the citation let alone explore its journey from recommendation to its place as a device on the uniforms of members of 2PPCLI. While the battle itself was epic in the context of Korea, the story of the Presidential Unit Citation was not without its own lengthy ordeal. The award was first recommended in the spring of 1951. However, the Canadian government did not officially announce that members of the Battalion would be able to wear the individual insignia of the citation until April 1956, a period of some five years.
Recommended Citation
Fowler, Michelle "“For extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance”: Kay’yong, 2 PPCLI and the Controversy surrounding the US Presidential Unit Citation." Canadian Military History 13, 4 (2004)
