Medics Prepare Wounded Soldier for Surgery, Korea, 3 July 1951.
At Kap'yong, the UN Command assigned the Canadians the task of establishing and maintaining an escape corridor through which the friendly South Korean forces could retreat. The Canadians performed valiantly during the battle, withstanding continuous assaults by the far more numerous Chinese divisions. In the end, they held off the enemy until the South Koreans could withdraw safely and, as a consequence, prevented the Chinese from breaking through into central Korea. The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry eventually won a United States Presidential Unit Citation for its valorous contribution. But, as so often happens in war, glory did not come without a price: the Princess Patricia's suffered 10 fatal casualties and 23 wounded in the battle.
