The remains of the late Leon Bosque are buried at the United Nations Memorial Park, Nam-gu, Busan, at the Veterans Cemetery.
A Belgian veteran who experienced the Korean War went to rest next to his comrades at the United Nations Memorial Park in Busan.
The remains of the late Leon Bosque, who fought as a UN soldier during the Korean War, were buried at the Veterans Cemetery at the UN Memorial Park in Nam-gu, Busan on the 15th.
Attending the burial ceremony on this day were the bereaved family’s daughter, Daniel Bosque, the Belgian Ambassador to Korea, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and officials from the United Nations Command.
Daniel Bosque said, “When I was alive, I heard my father say, ‘United Nations veterans can be laid to rest at the United Nations Memorial Park,’ so I hoped to be buried.”
Leon Bosque was born on July 30, 1928, and died on February 4 of this year at the age of 94. He worked at a cardboard factory in Brussels until 1950. When the Korean War broke out, he heard that soldiers were being recruited to support the U.S. military unit against communism and submitted an application to the government.
After receiving six months of training as part of a special mission unit, he was deployed to Korea twice and served there. His first tour of duty was from 10 May 1951 to 13 May 1952, and his second was from 11 June 1953 to 17 July 1954.
He once received a camera as a prize from his unit, and his comrades even called him a ‘tourist’ because he always carried the camera around. He also consistently recorded his time in Korea.
On this day, with the burial of Leon Bosque, a total of 26 veterans were buried posthumously at the United Nations Memorial Park, and with this, a total of 2,327 UN veterans from 13 countries were laid to rest.
Meanwhile, November 15th, when the burial ceremony was held, is ‘King’s Day’ in Belgium, an important anniversary that has been celebrated since 1886. In particular, this day is a day to cherish the unity of the Belgian people. The King is also the commander-in-chief of the military, and it is known that it is quite meaningful to hold the burial ceremony for Belgian war veterans on this day.
[부산=뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.