The Patrol

Commemorative Project 2026

“The Patrol”

A new documentary film that will introduce you to the incredible story of two valiant Korean War veterans, members of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

In 2022, we recorded the stories of two Korean War veterans who served with the Royal 22nd Regiment: Retired Colonel Claude Charland and Retired Sergeant Delphis Cormier. Mr. Cormier was a member of the 2nd Battalion and served from 1951-52. He was reportedly present in the field during the Battle of Hill 355 in November 1951. He was not in D Company, which was heavily engaged between hill 227 and Hill 355. However, this is an important battle for the Royal 22e Regiment that will be mention in our film.

Mr. Charland arrived in South Korea in March 1952 with the 1st Battalion as a young lieutenant, commanding Platoon 5 in company B. He was also one of the original players in the famous hockey game on the Injin River in 1952.

The event that will be the main subject of this movie, is a combat patrol that took place on March 24th 1952, shortly after Lieutenant Charland took command of his platoon on the front line. The mission was to infiltrate enemy lines and capture Chinese soldiers for interrogation (a snatching patrol). It was a night patrol involving the entire platoon of 26 men. In four days, Corporal Cormier was finishing his year-long tour of duty in Korea, but he was ordered to lead his section on this dangerous patrol. Lieutenant Charland gave him responsibility for the rear security of the patrol, which was traveling along the bank of a small, winding river. At one point, before reaching the enemy sector, the patrol was ambushed by Chinese soldiers who jumped from a high rise onto the members of Corporal Cormier's rear section. After a quick exchange of fire, a violent hand-to-hand combat and bayonet fight broke out. Three Vandoos were wounded, but Corporal Cormier, being a robust man, managed to kill several enemy soldiers and threw two grenades in the direction from which the enemy soldiers were emerging. After the detonations, calm was restored. Since the patrol was compromised, and the wounded needed to be evacuated as soon as possible, Lieutenant Charland organised his Platoon to move back to the company’s position.

For this heroic act, Corporal Cormier was awarded the Military Medal by Queen Elizabeth II for his bravery. In July 2020 he received the order of military merit from the Government of South Korea in recognition to his outstanding service.

The two men had lost contact after Corporal Cormier returned home four a few days after the patrol. But they were reunited in 2018, when they met again at the first hockey game held in Ottawa to commemorate the 1952 game between the PPCLI and the Vandoos on the Imjin River.

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CUSTOS MEMORIAE