CLEMENT, Jean-Michel

Jean-Michel was conscripted into the Army in July 1949. Following the outbreak of the Korean War, he joined the first contingent. As a Bren machinegunner, he participated in the Battle of the Imjin River in late April 1951. On patrol, under the lead of Sergent Aloyse Franck, Mich was tasked with checking on the communication lines between the battalion command post and C company. When he arrived at C company, he became involved in a counterattack against Chinese troops.

Back in Luxembourg, Mich stayed in the Army at least until 1956. After his military discharge, he did not return to his former trade as a carpenter but worked in the iron ore mines in the south of Luxembourg, where he loaded wagons with iron ore. This physically demanding, but well paid job allowed him to feed his family. One day, while casually talking to a Gendarmerie Adjudant about his term in Korea, he had a stroke of luck. The officer couldn’t imagine a war veteran having to work as a simple labourer in the mines, so he spontaneously offered him a job as a police officer at ARBED. Mich accepted and finally got the job, working for the steel giant until his retirement.