Villiger, Ken

Ken Villiger was born October 19, 1930 in Montreal, Quebec.  He joined the Canadian Forces right out of high school, just as the Cold War was heating up.  Ken would see service in Korea, and during his long military career he played on just about every sports team the army had.  Ken was a paratrooper in the Canadian Forces, who completed his training at Rivers, Manitoba.  Even so, he was asked to put that specialized training on hold in Korea, where he was destined to serve as an infantryman on the front lines.  He arrived in Korea as the Inchon campaign and the liberation of Seoul were underway, and he soon found himself advancing north, and braving a cold winter in the mountains.  Ken’s recollections are vivid, and they illustrate the life of a Canadian soldier in wartime Korea from multiple angles.  He returned to Canada before the 1953 ceasefire, mainly staying in western Canada.  Other international deployments would follow, as Ken made the army his career.  He spent time in Europe, connected to NATO forces, and he served as a UN peacekeeper in Cyprus too.  Ken spent more than 20 years in the Canadian Forces, protecting and serving Canadians at home and abroad.  Crestwood students met Ken Villiger via zoom during the 2021-22 December break.