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See below for Mr. Hearn's entire testimony.
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
![Samuel Hearns at the Alderville Reserve First Nation Eagle Staff at monument in London, November 2002. Samuel served in Vietnam and Cyprus.]({"id":"02ad4fbb-9ad4-4090-ba10-f72daf9dabe3","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns","filename":"15020_538","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":39442,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:21.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:21.000000Z","title":"Samuel Hearns at the Alderville Reserve First Nation Eagle Staff at monument in London, November 2002. Samuel served in Vietnam and Cyprus.","alt":"Samuel Hearns at the Alderville Reserve First Nation Eagle Staff at monument in London, November 2002. Samuel served in Vietnam and Cyprus.","caption":"","creator":"","source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15020_538.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15020_538.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","pivot":{"mediable_id":"0b54bfb8-d2d0-493e-b715-dc2d7d61ef70","media_id":"02ad4fbb-9ad4-4090-ba10-f72daf9dabe3","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":1},"translations":[{"id":"1754ee28-332e-41b1-ad64-c784b56d00d4","media_id":"02ad4fbb-9ad4-4090-ba10-f72daf9dabe3","title":"Samuel Hearns at the Alderville Reserve First Nation Eagle Staff at monument in London, November 2002. Samuel served in Vietnam and Cyprus.","alt":"Samuel Hearns at the Alderville Reserve First Nation Eagle Staff at monument in London, November 2002. Samuel served in Vietnam and Cyprus.","caption":"","creator":"","source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns"},{"id":"b1adc443-c176-4059-8c49-3c38b3c2e064","media_id":"02ad4fbb-9ad4-4090-ba10-f72daf9dabe3","title":"Samuel Hearns au monument \u00e0 London, novembre 2002. Samuel a servi au Vietnam et \u00e0 Chypre.","alt":"Samuel Hearns au monument \u00e0 London, novembre 2002. Samuel a servi au Vietnam et \u00e0 Chypre.","caption":"","creator":"","source":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns"}]} "Samuel Hearns at the Alderville Reserve First Nation Eagle Staff at monument in London, November 2002. Samuel served in Vietnam and Cyprus.")
![Samuel Hearns and the quartermaster check oil in the UN vehicles used in Cyprus by command officers of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1970. The car is a Mercedes.]({"id":"034b9341-aba2-4202-b91c-e74a552a7140","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns","filename":"15024_538","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":41984,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","title":"Samuel Hearns and the quartermaster check oil in the UN vehicles used in Cyprus by command officers of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1970. The car is a Mercedes.","alt":"Samuel Hearns and the quartermaster check oil in the UN vehicles used in Cyprus by command officers of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1970. The car is a Mercedes.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15024_538.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15024_538.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","pivot":{"mediable_id":"0b54bfb8-d2d0-493e-b715-dc2d7d61ef70","media_id":"034b9341-aba2-4202-b91c-e74a552a7140","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":2},"translations":[{"id":"f7770165-0080-46dd-9941-9ea03df930f5","media_id":"034b9341-aba2-4202-b91c-e74a552a7140","title":"Samuel Hearns and the quartermaster check oil in the UN vehicles used in Cyprus by command officers of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1970. The car is a Mercedes.","alt":"Samuel Hearns and the quartermaster check oil in the UN vehicles used in Cyprus by command officers of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1970. The car is a Mercedes.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns"},{"id":"f0262b1b-ec0d-4a00-bce4-1e91f426b005","media_id":"034b9341-aba2-4202-b91c-e74a552a7140","title":"Samuel Hearns et l\u2019intendant v\u00e9rifient l\u2019huile dans les v\u00e9hicules utilis\u00e9s par l\u2019ONU \u00e0 Chypre, selon les commandes des officiers du R\u00e9giment royal canadien en 1970. Cette voiture est une Mercedes.","alt":"Samuel Hearns et l\u2019intendant v\u00e9rifient l\u2019huile dans les v\u00e9hicules utilis\u00e9s par l\u2019ONU \u00e0 Chypre, selon les commandes des officiers du R\u00e9giment royal canadien en 1970. Cette voiture est une Mercedes.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns"}]} "Samuel Hearns and the quartermaster check oil in the UN vehicles used in Cyprus by command officers of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1970. The car is a Mercedes.")
![Prior to boarding the bus to the airport to fly to Germany with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Sam poses with his wife Patricia, in October 1961 at Wolsley Barracks.]({"id":"10dac8ee-470c-499a-acdf-3d72525a56d9","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns","filename":"15021_538","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":39893,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","title":"Prior to boarding the bus to the airport to fly to Germany with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Sam poses with his wife Patricia, in October 1961 at Wolsley Barracks.","alt":"Prior to boarding the bus to the airport to fly to Germany with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Sam poses with his wife Patricia, in October 1961 at Wolsley Barracks.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15021_538.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15021_538.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","pivot":{"mediable_id":"0b54bfb8-d2d0-493e-b715-dc2d7d61ef70","media_id":"10dac8ee-470c-499a-acdf-3d72525a56d9","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":3},"translations":[{"id":"2cf79f7a-ec66-43dc-ab6e-4672464f8bff","media_id":"10dac8ee-470c-499a-acdf-3d72525a56d9","title":"Prior to boarding the bus to the airport to fly to Germany with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Sam poses with his wife Patricia, in October 1961 at Wolsley Barracks.","alt":"Prior to boarding the bus to the airport to fly to Germany with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Sam poses with his wife Patricia, in October 1961 at Wolsley Barracks.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns"},{"id":"85d0ccf0-b2e9-4e99-b457-813aaad82ca4","media_id":"10dac8ee-470c-499a-acdf-3d72525a56d9","title":"Avant d\u2019embarquer dans l\u2019autobus le menant \u00e0 l\u2019a\u00e9roport pour son vol vers l\u2019Allemagne avec le R\u00e9giment royal canadien, Sam prend une photo avec sa femme Patricia en octobre 1961, aux baraques Wolsley.","alt":"Avant d\u2019embarquer dans l\u2019autobus le menant \u00e0 l\u2019a\u00e9roport pour son vol vers l\u2019Allemagne avec le R\u00e9giment royal canadien, Sam prend une photo avec sa femme Patricia en octobre 1961, aux baraques Wolsley.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns"}]} "Prior to boarding the bus to the airport to fly to Germany with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Sam poses with his wife Patricia, in October 1961 at Wolsley Barracks.")
![After serving in Indo-China for six months with the Royal Canadian Regiment on the International Commission for Supervision and Control Service, Samuel Hearns was awarded during this presentation at Wolsley Barrack in 1968.]({"id":"604b2acc-f45e-4e1a-9698-64d8b53a230f","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns","filename":"15022_538","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":36818,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","title":"After serving in Indo-China for six months with the Royal Canadian Regiment on the International Commission for Supervision and Control Service, Samuel Hearns was awarded during this presentation at Wolsley Barrack in 1968.","alt":"After serving in Indo-China for six months with the Royal Canadian Regiment on the International Commission for Supervision and Control Service, Samuel Hearns was awarded during this presentation at Wolsley Barrack in 1968.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15022_538.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15022_538.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","pivot":{"mediable_id":"0b54bfb8-d2d0-493e-b715-dc2d7d61ef70","media_id":"604b2acc-f45e-4e1a-9698-64d8b53a230f","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":4},"translations":[{"id":"17feb9ce-de15-416b-9846-de174b3b2616","media_id":"604b2acc-f45e-4e1a-9698-64d8b53a230f","title":"After serving in Indo-China for six months with the Royal Canadian Regiment on the International Commission for Supervision and Control Service, Samuel Hearns was awarded during this presentation at Wolsley Barrack in 1968.","alt":"After serving in Indo-China for six months with the Royal Canadian Regiment on the International Commission for Supervision and Control Service, Samuel Hearns was awarded during this presentation at Wolsley Barrack in 1968.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns"},{"id":"9cf1201e-9ca6-4a41-82b7-28eabb26b64c","media_id":"604b2acc-f45e-4e1a-9698-64d8b53a230f","title":"Apr\u00e8s avoir servi en Indochine pendant six mois au sein du R\u00e9giment royal canadien avec la Commission pour la supervision et le service de contr\u00f4le, Samuel Hearns a re\u00e7u a \u00e9t\u00e9 honor\u00e9 durant sa pr\u00e9sentation aux baraques Wolsley en 1968.","alt":"Apr\u00e8s avoir servi en Indochine pendant six mois au sein du R\u00e9giment royal canadien avec la Commission pour la supervision et le service de contr\u00f4le, Samuel Hearns a re\u00e7u a \u00e9t\u00e9 honor\u00e9 durant sa pr\u00e9sentation aux baraques Wolsley en 1968.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns"}]} "After serving in Indo-China for six months with the Royal Canadian Regiment on the International Commission for Supervision and Control Service, Samuel Hearns was awarded during this presentation at Wolsley Barrack in 1968.")
![Alpha Company, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment group shot with the old Gestapo barracks in the background in 1953, Germany. A 21 year old Samuel Hearns is 3rd from left in the backgound.]({"id":"62d0e95c-6744-450a-adc7-976a35f07491","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns","filename":"15023_538","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":41962,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","title":"Alpha Company, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment group shot with the old Gestapo barracks in the background in 1953, Germany. A 21 year old Samuel Hearns is 3rd from left in the backgound.","alt":"Alpha Company, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment group shot with the old Gestapo barracks in the background in 1953, Germany. A 21 year old Samuel Hearns is 3rd from left in the backgound.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15023_538.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15023_538.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","pivot":{"mediable_id":"0b54bfb8-d2d0-493e-b715-dc2d7d61ef70","media_id":"62d0e95c-6744-450a-adc7-976a35f07491","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":5},"translations":[{"id":"98367dc3-1fb2-489f-9683-5c548a3cec81","media_id":"62d0e95c-6744-450a-adc7-976a35f07491","title":"Alpha Company, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment group shot with the old Gestapo barracks in the background in 1953, Germany. A 21 year old Samuel Hearns is 3rd from left in the backgound.","alt":"Alpha Company, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment group shot with the old Gestapo barracks in the background in 1953, Germany. A 21 year old Samuel Hearns is 3rd from left in the backgound.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns"},{"id":"4f5817e3-cdd8-4c95-95b9-35c761b5065c","media_id":"62d0e95c-6744-450a-adc7-976a35f07491","title":"Photo de groupe de la compagnie Alpha, Hastings et du R\u00e9giment du prince \u00c9douard devant les baraques de la vieille Gestapo en 1953, en Allemagne. Samuel Hearns, 21 ans, est le troisi\u00e8me \u00e0 partir de la gauche, dans le fond.","alt":"Photo de groupe de la compagnie Alpha, Hastings et du R\u00e9giment du prince \u00c9douard devant les baraques de la vieille Gestapo en 1953, en Allemagne. Samuel Hearns, 21 ans, est le troisi\u00e8me \u00e0 partir de la gauche, dans le fond.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns"}]} "Alpha Company, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment group shot with the old Gestapo barracks in the background in 1953, Germany. A 21 year old Samuel Hearns is 3rd from left in the backgound.")
![Samuel Hearns' medals (left-right): NATO, Peacekeeping, UN, Vietnam, Golden Jubilee CD and clasp, National Aboriginal Medal (the first medal awarded to Aboriginal veterans).]({"id":"f2a8aca9-e2d1-4c8f-bccc-d43a9de1de7e","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns","filename":"15025_538","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":48286,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-03-28T02:28:22.000000Z","title":"Samuel Hearns' medals (left-right): NATO, Peacekeeping, UN, Vietnam, Golden Jubilee CD and clasp, National Aboriginal Medal (the first medal awarded to Aboriginal veterans).","alt":"Samuel Hearns' medals (left-right): NATO, Peacekeeping, UN, Vietnam, Golden Jubilee CD and clasp, National Aboriginal Medal (the first medal awarded to Aboriginal veterans).","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15025_538.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/SamuelHearns\/15025_538.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","pivot":{"mediable_id":"0b54bfb8-d2d0-493e-b715-dc2d7d61ef70","media_id":"f2a8aca9-e2d1-4c8f-bccc-d43a9de1de7e","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":6},"translations":[{"id":"215d3168-8acf-4111-b68a-be08a69648bb","media_id":"f2a8aca9-e2d1-4c8f-bccc-d43a9de1de7e","title":"Samuel Hearns' medals (left-right): NATO, Peacekeeping, UN, Vietnam, Golden Jubilee CD and clasp, National Aboriginal Medal (the first medal awarded to Aboriginal veterans).","alt":"Samuel Hearns' medals (left-right): NATO, Peacekeeping, UN, Vietnam, Golden Jubilee CD and clasp, National Aboriginal Medal (the first medal awarded to Aboriginal veterans).","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Samuel Hearns"},{"id":"529c0ec1-6fcc-42fc-a31a-7a466bd74265","media_id":"f2a8aca9-e2d1-4c8f-bccc-d43a9de1de7e","title":"Les m\u00e9dailles de Samuel Hearns (gauche \u00e0 droite): OTAN, Maintien de la paix, ONU, Vietnam, Jubil\u00e9e d\u2019or CD et fermoir, M\u00e9daille nationale autochtone (premi\u00e8re m\u00e9daille d\u00e9cern\u00e9e aux v\u00e9t\u00e9rans autochtones).","alt":"Les m\u00e9dailles de Samuel Hearns (gauche \u00e0 droite): OTAN, Maintien de la paix, ONU, Vietnam, Jubil\u00e9e d\u2019or CD et fermoir, M\u00e9daille nationale autochtone (premi\u00e8re m\u00e9daille d\u00e9cern\u00e9e aux v\u00e9t\u00e9rans autochtones).","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Samuel Hearns"}]} "Samuel Hearns' medals (left-right): NATO, Peacekeeping, UN, Vietnam, Golden Jubilee CD and clasp, National Aboriginal Medal (the first medal awarded to Aboriginal veterans).")
Transcript
My name is Samuel Hearns. I was born on the Alderville reservation, southeast of Toronto.
When the Korean War broke out, I decided that was the time for me to leave. I joined the army in Kingston, Ontario, on May the 28th, 1951, and everything was all filled up so they asked me if I would like to join the 1st Infantry Brigade that was going to Germany in 1951.
In those three years that I was in Germany, I used to go on holidays, or leave, and go to England, and I met my wife in England. In the fall of '52 we got married in England. I came back to Canada and she came behind me. Within a few months, she joined me in Canada.
I tried civie life and that only lasted six months so I re-enlisted in the army and I went up to London, Ontario, with the Airborne Regiment, RCR. I'd found a home in the army, because my life at home was not very good, so I spent twenty-five years in the army and I got out in - I retired in '74 - and all through those years, mostly my service was in peacekeeping.
They needed people to go to Vietnam to do different jobs so I volunteered for that, and I was away for six months. I was in there in the '60s when the advisors were there, before everything started. I spent a lot of time in Hanoi doing different jobs.
I went to Cyprus for six months, and on the way home from Cyprus we went to Quebec. At that time, we got a message over the aircraft that we were all going to some place in Quebec for the FLQ crisis. We had a duty to do there. I think we spent a month and a half there or something. It was really a dragged out thing because nobody really knew what was happening. They kept a lot of information to themselves.
It's a good life, but like I say, you have to be cut out for it because you're away a lot now. And I was away a lot actually during that time, for the twenty-five years that I put in.
I went back to my roots about thirty years ago, and I've done quite well with that. I run powwows. I'm what you call a Head Veteran at times at different pow-wows, and I became an eagle staff carrier, which is a great privilege. You have to earn those things, and I have a few eagle feathers. And two years ago I was given a complete eagle bustle and dancing stick. I think I have around a hundred eagle feathers with my staff, bustle and dancing stick. So I've really done quite well with going back to my roots, which I'm very proud of.
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