Korean War Legacy Project

Teurangaotera Tuhaka

Bio

Teurangaotera Tuhaka, “Toti”, came from humble beginnings in Rangitukia, New Zealand, where wealth was considered owning a bicycle. His dad was Maori, and his mom was Spanish. He took the New Zealand Navy test with a group of friends, but he was the only one who passed the military test.  While in the Navy, he was stationed aboard various ships and encountered the North Koreans by sea. Fear and focus were a daily occurrence on his job, but his training allowed him to control these feelings. He is proud of his service and re-enlisted after his initial deployment.

Video Clips

Humble Beginnings to Big City

Teurangaotera Tuhaka grew up on a farm in New Zealand. His life was simple, and people were considered wealthy if they owned a bicycle. Once he passed the Navy test and traveled to the big city of Aukland, he had to get used to city life with cars and ships. He was also trained on an island outside Auckland.

Tags: Hangang (River),Basic training,Civilians,Home front,Living conditions,Poverty,Pride

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Engaging the North Koreans

Teurangaotera Tuhaka fought the North Koreans. One incident entailed firing on a North Korean supply train. His frigate held a record for firing forty-two times in a minute. He was fired upon by the North Koreans, and to get away, his ship had to zigzag out of the way. He shares how lucky they were to escape.

Tags: Hangang (River),Yellow Sea,Communists,Fear,Front lines,North Koreans,Physical destruction,Pride,Weapons

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Patrolling the Han River and Frigate Life

Teurangaotera Tuhaka spent a lot of his service patrolling the Han River (also known as the Hangang River) while receiving support from additional United Nations ships. He had to focus on his job so that he did not have fear while fighting the North Koreans. Conditions were rough at sea because he had to break through ice to get the frigate through the water.

Tags: Hangang (River),Yellow Sea,Cold winters,Fear,Front lines,Living conditions,North Koreans,Physical destruction,Pride,Weapons

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Video Transcript

[Beginning of recorded material]

T:        My name is Teurangaotera Tuhaka.  I will spell my Christian name.
I:          Yes?
T:        T E U R A N G A O T E R A

I:          And your last name?

T:        Tuhaka, That is my surname.

I:          Yes.  Spell it.

T:        I’m commonly called Toti

I:          Toti.
T:        That’s’ a nickname.
I:          Yeah.

0:00:30

Could you spell the last name?
T:        T O T I.

I:          No, no, no.  Last name.  T U

T:        T U H A K A.

I:          Tuhaka.

T:        Tuhaka.
I:          Maori right?

T:        Right.

I:          So you have a long name.
T:        It’s a chief’s name.

I:          What is the first name here in this long name?

T:        Teurangaotera.  That is a

I:          That’s the whole first name?
T:        It’s one name.

I:          One name.   T E U R A

0:01:00

N G A O T E R A,  Long name.

T:        That’s, all chiefs before me, long before me.  I was a little boy.

I:          Yes.  That’s good.  And what is your birthday?
T:        Ninth, ninth of April

I:          Um hm.

T:        1935.

I:          So you are now 84?

T:        Something like that

I:          Yeah.
T:        Next month.
I:          Next month.
T:        April the 9th.

I:          Um.

0:01:30

You look very young.

T:        I’m still young.
I:          What do you eating?

T:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          And where were you born?

T:        In a place called Rangitukia up the East Coast up to the  North Island on New Zealand.

I:          Could you spell it?

T:        Ah, R A N G I

I:          I.

T:        T U K I A, Rangitukia.

I:          Rangitukia.

T:        Um hm.

0:02:00

I:          It’s a beautiful.  The  Maori language is beautiful.

T:        Thank you.

I:          Like the Hawaiian, no?

T:        May have some connection.
I:          Yeah.  Rangitukia.

T:        We were Polynesians.

I:          Yeah.  Tell me about your family when you were growing up, your parents and your siblings.

T:        Well, I’m of mixed race.

I:          Um.

T:        I’m half Spanish and half Maori.

I:          Yeah.

0:02:30

And what did you, your parents do?
T:        Well, my, my dad is Maori

I:          Yes,

T:        that’s the Tuhaka, and my mother is Jose’.  Her dad was Manual Jose’, oh,her mum.  Her mother was Manuel [INAUDIBLE]

I:          I see.  And what about your siblings, brothers and sisters.

T:        No.  Sorry, I said

I:          You were only child?

T:        Her dad was Manuel Jose’.  Sorry.

I:          Yeah.  What about your sibling?
T:        I have three.

0:03:00

I:          Three.  Um hm.  And tell me about the school you went through.
T:        I went to a Maori school.  In my area, they’re all Maori schools.

I:          I see.

T:        Yeah.

I:          Do they teach in English or in Maori?

T:        Um, they, they taught in Maori and English.

I:          And English.

T:        Maori teachers taught the Maori [INAUDIBLE]

I:          I see.

T:        And then we had English teachers

I:          Um hm.

T:        Or European teachers to teach the English.

0:03:30

I:          Can you say in Maori hi Korean people.

T:        [INAUDIBLE] Korean people.

I:          Ah, that’s beautiful.  Anything you want to say in Maori to Korean people?
T:        Uh, I would like to say it in English.

I:          No, in Maori and then translate it into English.

T:        Oh, [INAUDIBLE]
I:          What is it?

0:04:00

T:        We did very well for you in Korea.

I:          That’s great.  Yes.  So are you proud

T:        I’m very proud of what we did.

I:          Great.  So when did you finish your school?

T:        Well, in 1950

I:          Um.

T:        uh, I’m now ready for high school.

I:          Yeah.
T:        So I went from, I left my primary school which was called [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Yes

T:        And I went to the

0:04:30

[Ruatoria] area, and the high school was called [INAUDIBLE] High School.

I:          Yes.  So you finish high school in 1950?
T:        I just started it.
I:          You just started in 1950?

T:        High school in 1950.

I:          And when did you finish it?

T:        A few months later.
I:          Ah.

T:        Ah, we just started to high school and, uh

0:05:00

I:          You joined the Navy.

T:        No, I didn’t know what the Navy was.  The only, the only transport in my area where people would say they had a bicycle,

I:          Yeah

T:        And that was transport, and you were rich.  All we had was horses or walk.

I:          Ah ha.

T:        And other people had buses to take the children to school.  But no one in our area had transport like a truck or a car.  We all had horses

I:          Um

0:05:30

T:        And sledges and carts to cart everything, whether it’s wood or anything on your farm.  It was either sledge or with a cart, like a horse pulling the cart.

I:          Um hm.  So when did you join the Navy then?

T:        Um.  Alright.  I stated high school first

I:          Um hm.

T:        beginning of the year, and there I met, I made friends

0:06:00

with one of the boys that joined with me at the same time.
I:          Yes

T:        And, uh, him and I became friends, and then we had, um, Naval recruiting officers come to the school, seeing if there were any children wanting to join the Navy.

I :         Ah.

T:        And, uh, there was five that put their hands up, and I

0:06:30

 

wasn’t one of them cause I didn’t know what the Navy was.  I never heard of it.  Then  my friend says oh, come on.  Come with  me.  We’re gonna join the Navy.  And I said what’s that?  He said, well, we gonna go on a ship.  Well, what’s that?  So anyway, to please him, we went to, for the exam which was in Rotoru, um.  Couple of weeks after this

0:07:00

people came to the school

I:          Yeah

T:        then we had the, um, a little exam on our own with the, with these military people, and they said we had to come to Gisborne for the final examination which is gonna be done in, in Gisborne which is now the Gisborne RSA

I:          Um’

T:        And that’s where the, I ha, we had uh, our examination.

I:          So when was it.  That was 19

T:        In 1950, the beginning of 1950, yes,

0:07:30

and we came on the back of a crane truck, and there was nine of us sitting on the back of a crane truck.  I’m between the cans.  And we came from Rotorua to Gisborne, and we went, we got taken to the  RSA, and there we had our exam.

I:          Did you pass?

T:        Well, out of all of us, out of the nine of us,

I:          Um hm.

T:        believe it or not, I was the only one that passed.

0:08:00

I:          You were the only one who passed?
T:        Who was shifted into the Navy.
I:          Ha.  That’s an honor.  You didn’t know what Navy was.

T:        Never, never heard of it.  And then I didn’t want to go because my mates failed.  I didn’t want to go.  But they  pestered me

I:          Um hm.

T:        into the time that I was already to go to, for me to go to the Navy in Auckland

I:          Yeah.

T:        And then my parents

0:08:30

said for me to go.

I:          Yeah.
T:        And my family had arrangements , had been arranged by the government, I would say the Navy, and I came on the, on the bus from, uh, Gis, uh, Auc, um, Rotorua to Gisborne, and I slept at my uncle’s place in Gisborne, and next morning he put me on another bus which they called it a service car.

0:09:00

The service car took  me from here to Auckland, and when I got to Auckland, well, I was lost because I’d never seen a city like this.

I:          Yeah.
T:        It was even to a house or a building because in my area it’s all like this.  It’s all land, no houses.  And I never seen so many cars and trucks and, and then I did go across the harbor  to, uh, a place they called on HMNZ Tamaki, uh, Philomel.

0:09:30

I:          What is it?
T:        Philomel.

I:          Could you spell it?
T:        P h, is that right, Charlie?  P H I L O M E L, ph?

MALE VOICE:  I L

T:        P H I L O M E L

I:          So P H I L O M E L.

T:        Right.  Sorry about that.

MALE VOICE:          [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Philomel.
T:        Yeah, Philomel.

0:10:00

That was a main Navy base.  Now, people took me to the wharf and I had to catch the ferry, a ferry from [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Um.

T:        to the Navy side where the Naval base was.  But when I got on the, the, the, the harbor launch, it’s the first time I’ve been on a boat, and that was a huge ship, and I thought I was going overseas.  It was the first time I’ve been on the sea.  But when I got on the  other side,

0:10:30

we were directed into the Naval base. And there I met all the people who were joining the  Navy the same time as me.  And, uh,

I:          You got the basic military training there?

T:        Total, uh, sorry.  Um, beg your pardon.  That was the meeting, uh, place.

I:          Yeah.

T:        Now, overnight we all slept there. And the next morning we were put on a launch, a Naval launch,

0:11:00

and we were taken out in the harbor to an island.  What was the name of the island, Charlie?

MALE VOICE:  [INAUDIBLE]

T:        Motiti.

MALE VOICE:  [INAUDIBLE]

T:        Yeah.  So we got al our kit and all that.

I:          Uh huh.

T:        And then we went to a Naval base out in the harbor of Auckland

I:          Um

T:        and that island was gonna be our training island.  And I think most of Navy boys, [INAUDIBLE] all did our training on this island.
I:          Um hm.

T:        And at the end of the training, uh,

0:11:30

we were separated into different areas, depending on what you were qualifying for. And we went to sea on the Black Prince I think it was.  Oh, Bellona.  It was the first ship, Bellona.  It was a cruiser.

I:          Um.  Cruiser?
T:        Yeah, cruiser ship.
I:          Yeah.

T:        Right?

I:          Yeah.

T:        And we’d bring

0:12:00

cruisers around New Zealand for whatever, and we’re changing on the different ships like frigates, you know.  We [INAUDIBLE]. And then the Korean War started.
I:          Yes.

T:        Oh, beg your pardon.  The Korean War had already started in 1950.
I:          Exactly.  Yeah.

T:        Yeah.  And then, uh, did I get  the dates right, 1950?

I:          Yeah.

T:        No, I’m sorry.  Oh no, 1952 we joined.

I:          Yeah.

0:12:30

Sorry about that.

I:          Yeah.

T:        That right, Charlie?  We went to Korea

I:          1952.

T:        Yeah.

I:          In Seoul.

T:        Yeah.  Because him and I went together.

I:          Yes.  So did you know anything about Korea at the time?

T:        No.

I:          Nothing.

T:        No.  What we were being, uh, we were being, um, told what was happening there, and we were being trained to use our, what we qualified for

I:          Um.

0:13:00

T:        Uh, he was a, a, Communications in that line, and I was in the Gunnery line, alright?

I:          You were a Gunnery.

T:        Gunnery.

I:          Ok.  So tell me about, you know, Charles told me that you shot at North Koreans

T:        Yeah.

I:          And you were one of them, right?

T:        Yeah.

I:          So tell me about those.  What happened?

T:        Alright.  Well, on our ship, the Hawea, Charlie and I went on the Hawea

I:          Yes

T:        in 1952

I:          [INAUDIBLE]

T:        Yeah

I:          Yeah.

T:        That was t he name of our ship, Hawea.

I:          Yeah.

0:13:30

And what happened?  How, how did you get into this, uh, bombing?
T:        Into the, uh,

I:          North Korea.
T:        Into North Korea.  We went on this Hawea

I:          Yeah

T:        on the ship

I:          Yeah

T:        And we were all trained to do whatever.

I:          Yeah.

T:        As I said, Charlie had his, and I had mine, and mine was Gunnery.
I:          Yeah.
T:        Um,

I:          How was it like bombing at North Korean shore?

0:14:00

T:        Firing at them?
I:          Yeah.

T:        Oh, well it didn’t matter, you know.  We were doing a job then.  Once they tell you to do the job, you did it. You didn’t why, where, what’s what.

I:          Yeah.
T:        But you were targeting from the targets.
I:          Um.

T:        And you were firing onto the target if you can get it.
I:          Was it good?  I mean, did you  hit the target or

T:        Well, a lot of it we didn’t see the result because if some, some of them were going all, onto the land, and you couldn’t see where it was going.

I:          Um hm.

T:        Um,

0:14:30

I think there was one time that we were told to fire to a, at a tunnel, a, a train tunnel.

I:          Yeah

T:        A train was coming through, and there was Communist train, and it was carrying whatever for the, for their Army, for North Korean Army, and our job was to fire at the tunnel cause it was that 4” gun

I:          Um

T:        the biggest gun on our ship.  And there’s four loaders

0:15:00

and, um, the other guy pulls the trigger, and the other guy that aims it, and they switch the gun around like that up and down, and they do all that, and my job is, well, mine and three others is, is to load the gun

I:          Yes

T:        with a 4” shells.  They’re about this long

I:          Yeah.

T:        about this size, 4”

I:          Um hm

T:        right,

I:          Um hm.

T:        and you, you got a magazine, storage magazine and you pull it out of the magazine and into the barrel, and everyone of you lining up to do that one opposite the other.

0:15:30

I:          Um.

T:        One after the other.  Well, I believe when you’re finished, this is what we’re told.  Whether it’s right or not I’m, I don’t know.

I:          Um.

T:        But at the end of the Korean War, we held the, the record for the most rounds fired from the [INAUDIBLE] 4” gun at the enemy, and there was 42 rounds a minute, and these rounds are 4” rounds, about this long, and we’re pumping 40, what I said, 42 of those [INAUDIBLE] you know, onto the shore wherever the enemy was.

0:16:00

Whether they hit them or not, I don’t know because we, we, we, we don’t get a feedback.

I:          Yeah.

T:        Yeah.

I:          Any other episode that you remember when you were there that you  had to either being attacked or you are attacking the enemies?
T:        Well, one time we got attacked.  I think Charlie’s already mentioned that.

I:          Yeah.

T:        And we managed to escape.
I:          Um hm.

T:        [INAUDIUBLE] we, we’d turn that ship away from the wharf, uh, from the, the land,

0:16:30

and we sort of zigzagged our way up to sea, and the, and the rounds and the shells were landing here or around us.  But you could see the big flashes are going up in the air, but not one of them hit us.  We were lucky.

I:          You were scared?

T:        Oh, who wouldn’t?

I:          Right.
T:        When your guns are facing out to sea,

I:          Um hm.

T:        and you’re running and you’re sailing out and the enemy behind you firing at you.  And we were

0:17:00

very lucky.

I:          Yeah.  Very lucky.

T:        Yes.

I:          And Char, Char, Charlie  mentioned about the patrolling around the Hahn River.  Do you remember that?
T:        Yes.  Well, and we, every time we fired, we had other help from other, uh, military people like Americans were also there, either on a plane or their ships were there or the British ships.  There was always support.  We were

0:17:30

hardly ever  on our own.
I:          Hm.
T:        There were always two or three ships, not one ship on that island other than be coming in, to out bustle planes and, from the British Empire or American, four would come in to help bombard whatever we were targeting, and yes, I would say we were very lucky.

I:          Yeah.

T:        that we were never hit, not once.

I:          What were you thinking when you attacking or being attacked.   What were you thinking?  Did you say to yourself what the hell am I doing here?

0:18:00

T:        No.

I:          No?

T:        No.  When you are checking, your mind is fully on your  job.
I:          Yes.
T:        Not about if I get hit.
I:          Um hm.

T:        No, you don’t think like that.  You’re only thinking about what you’re doing.

I:          Yeah.  Anything that really bothered you during your service in Korea, most difficult thing, if I ask you to pinpoint one thing.  What was it?

T:        Uh,

I:          Was it too cold or too many,

0:18:30

too much work?
T:        Well, many times the cold, the cold was really cold.  It was the first time our ship had ever been over the sea where we’re breaking through the  ice

I:          Um.

T:        We’re smashing the ice.
I:          Oh.

T:        The top in the, the top of the sea is ice,  and the ship is plowing through it, and you could hear the ship grinding through it, you know, crashing through it, breaking the ice  as you’re going along.

I:          Wow.
T:        But that’s not all we did during that period.  Yeah, we did that, um.

0:19:00

We had to because we would have wanted to move to a certain area, and it was in that direction.

I:          Exactly.

T:        Yeah.

I:          Were there any moment that you regret to be Navy seaman?

T:        Never.
I:          Never?
T:        Never.
I:          You didn’t know nothing about Navy.  You didn’t know what happened.

T:        Never, no.  I was, I was proud to have been a ex-Navy man.

I:          Um hm.  How was life inside of the

0:19:30

frigate?

T:        Uh, well, you, in the frigate, you met a crew, and you got to know each other.
I:          Um hm.

T:        You got to know everybody.
I:          Yes.
T:        And our crew, uh, how many in our crew, Charlie?  Frigate?  Approximately?

MALE VOICE:  About  150.

T:        About 150 I think.

MALE VOICE:  About 125, something like that.
T:        About, about 150 at the maximum I think.

I:          Yeah.  So  why don’t I invite your friends now

0:20:00

and talking together, okay?

T:        Not a problem.

I:          So you went back to Korea again?
T:        I come home on leave.  I was still on my leave, and they recalled me

I:          Um hm

T:        to go back on the ship that replaced us.

I:          Right.  You, you replaced yourself

T:        Well, the ship that came to replace us was called the Kaniere

I:          Yes.  So you guys, you went back again.

0:20:30

T:        And I was recalled to go back on the Kaniere. [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Yeah.  So what happened at, at the time, when you went back to Korea, where were you?

T:        Seoul.

I:          Same city?

T:        Uh, same area.

I:          Uh huh.
T:        The, but the job was, uh, different because the Korean War had finished.
I:          Finished.  So what was your job?
T:        Oh, just  patrolling around, making sure that things were according to what they agreed to do.

I:          Uh huh.

T:        You know, and finish.

I:          Um.

T:        They weren’t firing at each other again.  So our job

0:21:00

was to patrol the Korean Coast.

I:          When did you get back there?

T:        Oh,

I:          ’54?  Was it right after you come back or

T:        Oh, about ’54 I think it was.

I:          I’m sorry?  ’54.

T:        Yeah, I think so.

I:          And then you stayed there for one more year?
T:        Yeah.

I:          And so, two of you together on the ship.  Did you know each other before

T:        Yeah, oh no, no, no, no.  We didn’t know.  We never met before.

0:21:30

I:          You never met before.

T:        No.

I:          And you met in the ship.
T:        For the first time on the Kaniere, on the Hawea.
I:          Um.  So Charlie, what kind of person was he?  Tell me.

C:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Huh?

T:        Red bank.

I:          What is that?  What is that?

MALE VOICE:  Terrible.

I:          Terrible.

T:        And he said red [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Why?

0:22:00

C:        Oh, I was just kidding.  We, we just joshing.

I:          So who is older?  Let me see.  Thirty-five and thirty-four.  You are one year older.

C:        Yeah.
I:          And tell me about anything that you guys did together.

T:        Ah.

I:          Very rare case to have two of you together served in the same ship in, at the same time.

T:        Well, he finished up with me.  Hey, you were never on the Kaniere.

C:        No.

T:        Oh.

0:22:30

C:        I went there in [INAUDIBLE]

T:        [INAUDIBLE] Australia.  Were we still on the Hawae?

C:        Yeah.

T:        [INAUDIBLE]  I’m getting mixed up now.

I:          Anything you remember being together in the ship?
T:        Oh, well, yeah.  Him and I were in, uh, Kingsford, our first port of call when you come back aye?
C:        Uh, [INAUDIBLE]

0:23:00

T:        Yeah.  It’s up in Australia.
I:          Hong Kong.

T:        Yeah.

C:        Navy in Korea.

T:        The first time him and I went ashore together, in,  in [teams].

C:        In Korea.

I:          Um.

T:        First time him and I went together in [teams]

I:          Yeah.

T:        And then we’re on our way home.

I:          So have you ever fighting against each other?  No, never fight each other.  And any

C:        Oh, we might have played Rugby together, uh, played Rugby.

I:          Rugby.

0:23:30

T:        Yeah, well probably Rugby somewhere.

I:          Um hm.

T:        during out rime in the Navy.
I:          So do you live close way now out her?
T:        Ah, well we, we both live in Gisborne

I:          Ah.  So how often do you meet together?

T:        Oh, it might  be once, uh, every week. [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Ah.

C:        [INAUDIBLE]

T:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          I see.

T:        We be careful the make everybody, but there’s only three of us left.

0:24:00

I:          So what do you think about this whole thing?  You were there all together in Korea and in the same ship.  What do you think about this.

T:        Oh, well, we’re lucky.  We’re lucky that we’re still alive.

I:          Um.

T:        Him and I are still alive.  Oh, Don, Don was before us, older than us.  He’s still  alive.
I:          Yeah.

T          And it’s only three of us left [INAUDIBLE] Oh sorry.  Sorry, there’s four cause there’s another one.  [INAUDIBLE]

I:          What’s his name?

0:24:30

D:        Ian White.

I:          Um,  Richard V, Gorden.  Do you know him?

D:        Dick Gorden.

C:        Gorden.

I:          Gorden.

T:        Oh yeah, yeah, Ian.

C:        Yeah, yeah.

I:          Yes.

T:        But I think [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Yeah.

C:        Eighty-nine, is he alive?  He’s in a rich home.

I:          Yeah.
T:        He, he wouldn’t want mind if he were training an instructor to go there.

I:          Oh, really?

T:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          So Mr. Gorden trained you?

0:25:00

T:        Yeah.

I:          Yeah.  He was in the frigate Tutira.

T:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Yes, yes.  So these are all Navy friends here.

T:        Yeah.
I:          Yeah.

T:        He was my first physical training instructor.

I:          Um.  Don, so you meeting regularly once a week in the club?

D:        Yes.
T:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          What do you guys talking?  I mean, looking back all those years and you never knew Korea, where Korea was, and not

C:        We don’t talk about it.

0:25:30

T:        Now, I’m just trying to tell you, oh look it.  Cross my  heart, I can honestly tell you when we sit in here and [INAUDIBLE], we don’t even talk about that.
I:          Oh.
T:        We never talk about it.

I:          Why?

T:        Why talk about it?

I:          Why not?

T:        It’s beyond us.

I:          Okay.  So your first name, Teurangaotera, okay.  Am I doing good?
T:        Yeah, very good.

I:          Very good.

T:        But they call me Toti.

I:          Toti.

T:        That’s a nickname.
I:          Okay.  So Toti.

0:26:00

Are you proud to be a Korean War veteran?

T:        Very much so.

I:          Why?

T:        Well, I served my country to save, to save the people of South Korea.

I:          Um.

T:        And I, I think we, we did that.

I:          Great job.  And did you go back to Korea since then?
T:        Yes.
I:          When?
T:        I went straight on the Kaniere.

I:          No, no, no.

T:        Oh, I

I:          After that  .

T:        Uh, no.  But I  might  go to this, uh, anniversary.
I:          Oh.  Year, next year.

T:        We still allowed?

0:26:30

I:          Yeah.  Yeah, yeah,yeah.  Sure.
T:        Even if, if the government paid my fare?

I:          Yeah.  That is a revisit program.  So talk to the VA office here in New Zealand in Wellington, and they’ll, they will arrange this, and you going to be there at the  70th anniversary

T:        If they pay for it, I’ll [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Yes.

T:        Or how to pay for it anyway.

I:          Yeah.  And

T:        I’d be proud to go.

I:          Great.  And you need t o go and see the changes

0:27:00

being made in Korea.

T:        Yeah.
I:          Do you know Korean economy now?

T:        Oh, no.  I only see it on t, television, and that’s all I see.

I:          I see.  So I really  hope that you can go back and see how Korea has developed so far, okay?  Toti, is there any other things that you wanna say to this interview?

T:        My blessings to all the  South Korean people.
I:          Yeah.

T:        Thank you for helping us while we were there.

0:27:30

I:          Um.  Charles, what would you say to your friend that you still alive together, you served in the same ship, what would you say to him?

C:        Just fortunate I guess.

T:        I think I’m very  lucky, very lucky.

C:        Um, yeah.

T:        Absolutely lucky.  That fella up there, he doesn’t  want us yet.

I:          Yeah.  What about  Don?  You three of you together.  I, this is

0:28:00

very rare opportunity for three Korean War veterans together as a same Navy, you were together in the ship, you were first there.

D:        Yes.

I:          What, what about this?
T:        And I went twice.

I:          Yeah.  Don,

D:        I, I did not, I’d never heard of Korea.  I didn’t even know how to spell the name.

I:          Um.

D:        I didn’t  even know where it was.  But I am very, very proud that

0:28:30

I went.
I:          Um.

D:        Uh, I can say we all did our best.  We did what we were told, and we faced whatever the situations were.  That

C:        Yeah, I think a big part of the United Nations, um, yeah, had a lot to do with it.  We were part of an organization that  we’re trying to help.

I:          Um hm.

D:        It was the very first in the United Nations.

C:        Yeah.

D:        Very first.

0:29:00

T:        And my [INAUDIBLE] did you see my arm was on that

I:          Yes.

T:        And able to helping all of us for whatever we needed

I:          What does KSM stand for?
T:        Korean Service Medal.

I:          So you got the  [INAUDIBLE]

T:        Yeah, it’s on there.

I:          Uh huh.

T:        Beyond my name.

I:          Oh.

T:        That’s from the Queen.

I:          That’s an honor, yes.

T:        For helping us all the time.  And I’m still doing that.

I:          Great job.

0:29:30

T:        No matter who needs help, that’s what we are, we’re here for, to help each other in whatever we need.

I:          Toti, do you something happen in the Korean Peninsula, would you go back and fight for us again?

T:        If, if, they shipped me, yeah.

I:          Well, I love that spirit.  Thank you so much.

T:        Yeah.  If they sent me, as a, as [DAUTRY] as I am, yes, I’ll come.

I:          Yes.  See, this is what New Zealand Navy did for Korean people 1950,

0:30:00

’51, ’52, ‘53

T:        Yeah.

I:          And now we are good friends to each other.  And it’s my great, great pleasure to see all of you together and having interview like this is a great thing.  Thank you, sir, again.

D:        Thank you.

C:        Thank you.
T:        Thank you.

I:          Thank you.

 

 

[End of Recorded Material]