By Honorary Reporter Yolanda Ortiz from Colombia

Photos= Yolanda Ortiz

Victor Núñez shows a book on Colombian veterans of the Korean War.

This certificate from the Korean government expresses thanks to Nunez's contribution to the Korean War.

His home office is packed with memorabilia from the war.

Víctor Nunez poses in his home office.

Victor Nunez, a Colombian veteran of the Korean War, left the coasts of his country in 1950 to head for an unknown land. "When we were heading toward Korea, we found ourselves at sea amid a typhoon, and nobody could be on deck. I once had to go out to watch, and when I came out on deck through a hatch, I had to hold on tight. The ship had tilted in such a way that I saw it in front of me and heard the screams of my companions from inside the ship. Thank God the ship stabilized," he said.

He added that little is known about his naval group because no journalists accompanied it. Yet Nunez has a room full of memorabilia from the war like certificates, medals, decorations, souvenirs, photographs and books given how the conflict impacted his life.

The Colombian military, which arrived on the peninsula in May 1951, was stationed in South Korea until March 1955. He said his first impressions of the country were of a humble population that wore traditional clothing and lived in small houses, lots of greenery and big mountains.

Serving 14 months in Korea, he said, "When we returned to Colombia, the government thanked us for our work, but we received no help from any institution, only those with very low resources. But we did receive benefits from the Korean government."

Nunez was invited to visit Korea by the Korean government in 2015. "When I returned to Korea in 2015, I was impressed because I no longer saw so many mountains, places full of trees or small houses but rather large avenues, buildings and many people grateful to me for defending their homeland in war. It filled me with satisfaction to have offered my life for that country's democracy and freedom."

''One gains experience from fear but also through joy. Though most of the time (during the war) it was fear, there were also moments of happiness when we rested, had beer and danced."

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.