One of the rarest and most useful assets for a "leader" is the ability to think "outside the box," as they say. My father revered "outside the box" thinking, and as someone who stayed in the army after the First World War, one of his preferred rants was that "high rank in the military tends to turn brain into bone."

As far as anyone knows, such a thing has never happened before. As part of its 62nd anniversary ceremonies marking the start of the Korean war, the Republic of Korea has issued a special stamp commemorating Maj. Robert Campbell Lane of Ottawa, whose 100th birthday is this week. Maj. Lane is now believed to the the oldest veteran of that war -- American, British or Canadian.

This week, sixty-two years ago, was the start of the Korean War. It was a chance for Canadians who were too young for World War II to experience what others had endured in wartime; it was an adventure. The mixture of veterans and rookies proved to be a more effective force than many expected, and Canadians who were there now recognize how worthwhile their contribution was.

It's unlikely that Don Cherry has ever heard of it, even though it's the sort of thing that would appeal to his sense of history: rough, tough, no frills, no tears, and lots of guts.

To mark the occasion of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, someone in high command in the Commonwealth Division ordered all divisional artillery to fire celebratory red, white and blue smoke shells on Chinese positions across the front in Korea. The Chinese thought it was deadly gas, and responded with actual artillery.

In the Korean War, I felt lucky to be going at someone else's expense. Adventure and curiosity. How would it feel to be shot at? What was an artillery barrage like? Would there be hand-to-hand fighting? We all expected to survive.

BRAMPTON, Ont. - Scores of veterans, dignitaries and members of the public turned out Wednesday for a parade and ceremony to remember the once "forgot...