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ELEVEN 'HUSH-HUSH' TROOPS DOCK HERE was the Sun headline February 14, 1946 on a story about the arrival from Australia of eleven Canadian soldiers who had served in the Pacific war. The war was over, but these men were still “under orders not to talk about their military activities.”

We know today what four of them had been doing. They were Chinese- Canadian soldiers from BC, and had served with a “secret Chinese Guerrilla unit” in the East Indies. The story of the fight Chinese Canadians had to wage to be accepted into our armed forces is too long to tell here. Suffice it to say not one was drafted; they were all volunteers, and served with distinction.

The four men were Sgt. Norman Lowe and Sgt. Louis King of Vancouver, Tpr. Douglas Mar of Port Alberni and Sgt. D. Jung of Victoria. That would be Douglas Jung, pictured at left. He was 22 at the time, went on to become the first Chinese-Canadian veteran to receive a university education under the auspices of Veteran's Affairs, and the first Chinese-Canadian lawyer to appear before the BC Court of Appeal. In 1957 he became Canada's first Chinese-Canadian MP. He was awarded both the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada.

He won the Burma Star in the war. There’s an excellent brief account at www.burmastar.org.uk/jung.htm and you can learn more at the Chinese-Canadian War Museum at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver.

Labels: CHINATOWN, PEOPLE, WAR

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