'At that time, no one cared. They were short on men to fight in Korea, so they didn't care if you were a bit too old or too young as long as you were fit,' Johny Bineham told SBS Korean. koreanwar
Seventy years ago, Johny Bineham joined K-Force, the last volunteer force raised by Australia to serve in a particular conflict.In search of adventure, he enlisted in the army by giving his age as 22 and avoiding the need for parental consent.
"It shook me up a little bit. I also remember that I had to shut down my emotions because I was not in a situation where I could be emotional about these things, so I virtually flicked the switch and put it to the back of my mind," he said.Mr Bineham was one of 17,000 Australians who served in Korea between 1950 and 1953.According to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, an estimated 1,650 Korean War veterans are still alive in Australia as of June 2022.
The Korean War is often called ‘the forgotten war’, but the NSW KWVA worked hard to ensure its members did not go unrecognised by donating books on the war to over 900 school libraries, and installing some 2,500 plaques commemorating the conflict and 300 missing-in-action plaques. "The remaining funds will go to a good cause. We didn't want them to go to just anything. So we will donate the funds to the upkeep of war graves in Korea," Mrs Mann said.Veterans donate final funds to UN Memorial Cemetery in KoreaIt contains 2,300 graves, including 281 graves of Australian soldiers who never returned home.
After the passing of two presidents in two years, Emeritus President Mick Kohlhoff again took the lead of the association.NSW Korean War Veterans Association Emeritus President Mick Kohlhoff making a speech.Now Mrs Mann, the association’s treasurer, said the donation is expected to be completed within the next couple of months.
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