Edward Graham
The following is from Intergenerational Integrities 2021 Anthology. Intergenerational Integrities involves 18 like-minded, passionate secondary students of British Columbia and Alberta who share a common love for writing, history and learning. Their purpose is to connect youth and seniors, especially during the Covid-19 global pandemic, where many have been physically and socially isolated. For this initiative, each student has been paired with a veteran of the Korean War.
Edward served in the Korean as a member of the medical corps. When he arrived in Korea, his first posting he ended up at the 37 Field Ambulance, The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. In December 1951 he found himself on a truck on the way to 25 Field Dressing Station for No.25 Canadian Field Ambulance with The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. Edward was a member of the army band for 4 years. He later directed two of the Army bands (North York and Militia). He was also a music teacher for grades five to twelve for over 30 years.
Amanda Palmatary is 16 years old and a senior at Gleneagle Secondary school. In her grade ten year she was part of an outdoor program called C.O.A.S.T, which is all about kids learning to work together to complete challenging tasks and learning through the outdoors. She has been part of RAC for 6 years now and is now part of the Steering Committee with many others who help plan and execute RAC week, along with smaller events around our communities. Some of her hobbies include extreme mountain biking, any water sport, camping, and woodturning.
The Story of Veteran Edward Graham
By Amanda Palmatary
An 89-year-old Korean War Veteran, Edward Graham, has a wonderful number of stories to tell. He shared some of them with me, and now on his behalf, I will be sharing them with you.
The most important thing Mr. Graham learned was that wars are not good and to avoid it if we can. If we cannot, it is important to pitch in where we can. When Mr. Graham graduated from high school, he and a few friends wanted to play in an army band, consisting of forty-five instruments; but because they didn’t have as much experience playing them as the other army bands, unfortunately, they were turned down. When this happened Graham and his friends went into the Medical Corps.
After just eight weeks of training, they were asked to be assistants to the Medical Officers (MO’s); all nursing was done by them. During this time Canada had no troop ships for the soldiers and veterans to use, so they were brought in by the American Navy. While on the American naval ship, Graham became very ill. When they reached the land, he was rushed off to a hospital for three weeks.
When Mr. Graham returned home with little adjustment from the war, and he tried the army band again. This time, when they went for an audition Graham and the band passed! Later, Graham met his future wife when he was at a Hallowe’en night dance on Base Borden, after returning to Canada from playing for troops. They were together sixty-five years until she died in April of 2020. Together they had three children, two grandchildren and even some great grandchildren.
On the second tour Graham did, they were in South Korea for much of the trip; they also played in Japan for ten days. After one of their shows, on November 5th, Graham and the other band members were sitting together and dropped to the floor when they heard, as well as felt, an explosion. With this explosion, they all shared a terrified feeling that it was about to end! The dread going through their minds at that moment was indescribable; they just could not imagine what was going to happen to them next. Fortunately, what they did not know was that this explosion was meant to be a celebration of Guy Fawkes’s day, Pope day in America. The celebration was about a gunpowder plot against the Royals that did not go according to their plans.
When Mr. Graham retired after four years of being in an army band, he went to school to become a music teacher for grades five to twelve. For thirty years, he taught kids to play various instruments and how to work together in a band. Graham took them on some trips, and his favourite was the one they took to Manitoba. It was Graham’s favourite because of its memorability: they had no air conditioning in the bus (because it had broken just before they left for Manitoba), so they rode with all the windows down. Playing eight shows total, they started North and began to work their way back south doing two shows a night. At one of the shows, they were the first group to play on the newly constructed band stand – which was such a rare opportunity for a new band to be able to do. One of the places they played at, in South Manitoba, was Morden. The band of high schoolers called themselves “the Perth Band”. They were on the road for two weeks, meaning that it even cut into their summer holiday.
While teaching school, Mr. Graham directed two of the Army bands (the North York and Militia), allowing him to keep his foot in that door - though at points this was difficult to manage. Graham directed a band of his own and used to get union Jobs for the new band members, but the problem was that Graham spent hours on the phone calling around to musicians looking for certain skills. When Graham found what he was looking for they came to his basement to try on the uniforms, so they all looked the same on stage; they had to be wearing the same type of uniform while performing. Graham had to do this because many of the performances they did required a specific number of people. A large challenge doing it this way was that when Graham got all the members needed, more times than not, the first time they were all together was when they were on stage. During one show, on the Toronto Islands, Mr. Graham had to stop and correct the band a few times. Graham really loved being the band conductor just as much as playing in the army bands because he enjoyed forming relationships with his students and fellow band members – to Mr. Graham it was all about being able to work together.
After serving for twelve years in the war, and forty years past the war, Mr. Graham was awarded five decorations. Four were for his service in Korea and one was for his service in Canada. Some of them were awarded by the United Nations (UN) and the British Commonwealth; Graham also received some Campaign Ribbons for doing his job and serving his country. These Decorations and Campaign Ribbons are great recognition for all that Mr. Graham has done. An interesting fact Mr. Graham shared, is that they must wear them on their left side, much like the poppies for Remembrance Day.
For thirty years Mr. Graham has been part of the Royal Canadian Legion. The Legion was formed by first World War Veterans but consists of civilians as well. The Legion now has fewer ex-soldiers and more civilians.
One last thing that Mr. Graham shared, was that he established a memorial garden to honour the fallen Canadian Veterans. There are more than 117,000 that gave their lives in service of Canada. Mr. Graham tends to this wonderful garden every day. The garden is quite close to his heart and home - allowing Mr. Graham to spend ample time tending to it when he can. This garden Mr. Graham has created comes back full circle on him: Graham began in the military by being in the medical corps and now he tends to a beautiful garden that represents all the fallen Canadians of the wars.
The most valuable lesson that Mr. Graham’s life stories, and from the stories about the Korean War, has taught me is that love is like a garden - for it to grow, it needs to be nurtured.