James Thistle was born February 22, 1933 in Mulmer Township, in Dufferin County, Ontario. He grew up against the backdrop of the Second World War and decided to join the Canadian Forces out of high school. He reported to Petawawa for his basic training, followed by additional training in Fort Wainwright, Alberta. By this time the Korean War had begun, and – now a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment – James was put on a draft and sent to Seattle for deployment to Korea via Japan. He arrived in Pusan and was quickly on the front lines, sent to Hill 355. There he began to experience the realities of the Korean War: the cold, the shelling, the patrols, and loss. Lucky to come through that battle, James was offered a choice of duties when they set about reforming the company, and he chose a support role in a mortar platoon. James finished his tour in that role, through to the 1953 ceasefire. They were sent home in short order, and James had not intended to re-engage, but a considerable amount of KP duty changed his mind! He reenlisted and asked to go on a jump course, for which he was sent to Rivers, Manitoba; the next stops included Churchill and Gagetown. James also did several stints on NATO bases in Germany, alternating between there and Camp Ipperwash in the early 1960s; during this time he married and began his family too. He additionally did several UN peacekeeping tours in Cyprus, and was stationed at a variety of camps across Canada as he rounded out his career in the military in the era that became known as the “Golden Age of Canadian Foreign Policy”. James Thistle was interviewed by Zach Dunn in March 2024, and Zach kindly shared his interviews with the Crestwood Oral History Project.
