On this Remembrance Day, 11/11/2010, Douglas Jung comes to mind. Back in 2001, I had lunch with him in Vancouver on the same block that now has a federal government building named in his honour. He talked of his youth as a Canadian-born Chinese kid who had no legal status since the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923 had taken away rights from people of Chinese origin, even if their origin included being born in Canada. He was 15 years young in 1939 when Canada found herself at war with Japan and Germany. He rallied his neighbourhood friends, also of Chinese heritage, to enlist to "fight the Japanese Imperial Army". And even though none of his Asian-looking pals had ever been to Asia, they enlisted in large numbers for the opportunity to fight for Canada, and fight for freedom, and to possibly earn the right to be more than a disenfranchised non-status-Canadian. Yes he had another agenda, but putting your life on the line to fight for freedom, and then possibly earn freedom in the country of his birth was a far out agenda. He and his pals had everything to lose and something small yet personally important to gain. Yet they did not know that the BC and Canadian governments were intent on NOT allowing these boys any chance of getting the right to vote and become normal Canadians. A secret order by the government in Canada prevented these Chinese from active War duty. They could train, but they would not be activated. It was because of the British army responding to Winston Churchill's demand for resistance behind enemy lines, that Douglas Jung and hundreds of non-status Chinese were put to use as soldiers. They needed military-trained English-speaking Asians to hide amongst the enemy and execute destruction while training locals. How perfect for the British Army ... these trained willing young men that did not belong to any country. They could fight and they could die, and no one would know. And as Douglas Jung described to me, his mission was considered so secret, there would be no official record, which resulted in more irony upon the war's end for the young man who so dearly wanted recognition for serving the country that had not recognized him.
Douglas Jung and all the other veterans of Chinese heritage eventually did get their recognition. They were recognized as war heroes, and they were invited to become real citizens. As veterans, they were treated to university educations. And all Chinese Canadians were allowed the right to practise as professionals, a right that we now take for granted.
Douglas Jung became a lawyer, a member of parliament, and a judge.
Later in his career, he would take his seat at the United Nations when someone told him that the seat was reserved for the representative from Canada. With much earned pride, he stated, "I am the representative from Canada".
Douglas Jung wove an important thread in the fabric of Canada. He left us too early when he died two months after that lunch meeting on January 2002. His picture is very much lacking in the building that is named in his honour. He would have wanted people to know what this born-to-be-Canadian looked like.
To start, I will admit I am by no means a historical expert in this area of discussion. Although I only have a surface knowledge in regards to this significant time period of our Canadian history, it is undoubtedly an area that deserves increasing recognition (and appreciation) by not only the federal government, but also the citizens of our country. Admittedly, on Remembrance Day, my mind did not intuitively focus on the Chinese-Canadians who have fought for our rights and freedom. However, upon reading your blog, I these thoughts come to mind.
ReplyDeleteUnknowing of the outcome of war, yet hopeful and determined, these Chinese-Canadians have taken upon themselves to embark on a quest, an uphill battle to say the least, to fight for the establishment of legal status in Canada. The phrase, “quiet heroes”, is undoubtedly prevalent in my mind. To willingly don uniforms with the purpose to demonstrate their loyalty to a country (at the time, has a private agenda to prevent the Chinese from requesting enfranchisement after war), and unsuspectingly engage in a “secret order”.. seem to encompass the idea that these Chinese-Canadian soldiers upheld the title of “quiet heroes” for years up until they were finally recognized and given the rights of a normal Canadian citizen. Further, we must consider the facets of the social unrest suffered by the Canadian- Chinese; they suffered public segregation, subjection to head taxes and deprivation of rights. Faced with these factors, these Chinese-Canadians still wanted to demonstrate their loyalty to a country that has denied them of their rights. This, in itself, is already remarkable to me.
Your blog excerpt has definitely gotten the wheels in my mind turning at 11 am in the morning. We go through days focusing on furthering our goals in life, and sometimes we forget how we have arrived at this position in society where we are able to chase after our goals.