Thomas George Prince

The Indigenous Warrior Who Became a Legend in Two Wars Some soldiers are remembered for a single moment of courage. Thomas George "Tommy" Prince built a military reputation across two wars through reconnaissance, fieldcraft, endurance and an extraordinary willingness to operate close to the enemy. By the end of his military career, he had become one of Canada's most highly decorated Indigenous veterans, and one of only three Canadians of the Second World War to hold both the Military Medal and the United States Silver Star. Veterans Affairs Canada Prince was born on October 25, 1915, in Petersfield, Manitoba. His family later moved to the Brokenhead Reserve at Scanterbury, now Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. An Anishinaabe soldier and descendant of Chief Peguis, Prince grew up in a world very different from the battlefields on which he would later serve. His military career would reveal an exceptional aptitude for reconnaissance, concealment and survival under dangerous conditions. Parks Canada Prince enlisted in the Canadian Army in June 1940 and began his service as a sapper with the Royal Canadian Engineers. After two years, he volunteered for parachute training and by late 1942 was serving with the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion. That Canadian formation became part of the First Special Service Force, the elite joint Canadian-American formation remembered as the "Devil's Brigade." The Force specialized in difficult assault, raiding and reconnaissance operations. Veterans Affairs Canada It was with the First Special Service Force that Prince performed the actions that established his wartime reputation. On February 8, 1944, near Littoria, Italy, Reconnaissance Sergeant Prince occupied an abandoned farmhouse only about 200 metres from German positions. From there he observed enemy artillery and reported its location through approximately 1,400 metres of telephone wire connecting his observation post with his own force. Veterans Affairs Canada During the 24-hour mission, shellfire severed the communication line. Prince responded with remarkable composure. Putting on civilian clothing and carrying a hoe, he walked into the open in full view of German soldiers and pretended to be a farmer working the fields. Moving gradually along the telephone line, he found the break, crouched as though tying his shoe, repaired the wires and returned to his observation post without exposing his true purpose. His reports continued, and four German positions were subsequently destroyed. Veterans Affairs Canada For his gallantry and disregard for personal safety, Prince was awarded the Military Medal. His official recognition was therefore tied to a specific combat reconnaissance action in Italy, rather than simply to his general service with the First Special Service Force. Veterans Affairs Canada His second great gallantry distinction came several months later, during operations in southern France. On September 1, 1944, Prince and another soldier were operating deep behind German lines near L'Escarène when they located the gun positions and encampment of an enemy reserve battalion. Prince crossed roughly 70 kilometres of mountainous terrain to report the intelligence, then helped guide his force toward the enemy position and joined the subsequent fighting. The accuracy and importance of the patrol's information contributed directly to the successful attack on the enemy encampment. Veterans Affairs Canada For that operation, Prince was awarded the Silver Star of the United States, an American decoration for gallantry in action. King George VI later presented Prince with both his Military Medal and, on behalf of the President of the United States, his Silver Star at Buckingham Palace. Prince was one of only three Canadians who received the Silver Star during the Second World War and also held the Military Medal. Veterans Affairs Canada Prince's contribution did not end when the First Special Service Force was disbanded in December 1944. After returning to Canada, he became involved in the struggle for First Nations rights. He served as a spokesperson and vice-president of the Manitoba Indian Association and in 1947 appeared before a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons studying the Indian Act. Prince advocated respect for existing treaties and the abolition of the Indian Act, while presenting calls for improved education, better living conditions and stronger hunting, trapping and fishing rights for First Nations people in Manitoba. Parks Canada Then war called him back into uniform. In August 1950, after Canada committed forces to the Korean War, Prince volunteered again. He joined the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and soon returned to combat. As a sergeant and second-in-command of a rifle platoon, he participated in dangerous patrols and raids against enemy positions. Veterans Affairs Canada Prince was with 2 PPCLI during the Battle of Kapyong on April 24 and 25, 1951. The battalion held Hill 677 against intense attacks by Chinese forces, helping prevent a breakthrough while other United Nations troops withdrew. For its conduct at Kapyong, 2 PPCLI received the United States Presidential Unit Citation, an exceptionally rare distinction for a Canadian unit. Veterans Affairs Canada Health problems forced Prince away from front-line duty later in 1951, but even that did not end his Korean service. After recovering in Canada, he volunteered for a second tour and returned to Korea with the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 1952. During fighting at the Hook in November of that year, Prince was among the Patricias wounded. He recovered, although painful arthritis and recurring problems with his knees increasingly affected him. He remained in the Canadian Army until September 1954. Veterans Affairs Canada Across the Second World War and Korean War, Prince's complete recognized honours eventually amounted to 11 medals. His principal individual gallantry decorations were the Military Medal and the United States Silver Star. His Korean service was recognized by the Korea Medal, the United Nations Service Medal for Korea and, retrospectively, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea. Veterans Affairs Canada Yet Prince's achievements in uniform contrasted sharply with the difficulties he encountered in civilian life. Official Canadian historical accounts record that after his military service he endured discrimination, deteriorating health and poverty. His experience has therefore become part of the wider history of First Nations veterans whose wartime contributions stood in stark contrast to the inequalities Indigenous people continued to face in Canada. Prince's story is also more than one of victimhood. Between his wars, he actively used his public standing to advocate for First Nations rights and treaty recognition. Parks Canada Thomas George "Tommy" Prince died in Winnipeg on November 25, 1977, at the age of 62. He was buried in the Field of Honour at Brookside Cemetery, where his funeral brought together fellow soldiers, Indigenous community members, government representatives and others who had come to honour his life and service. Veterans Affairs Canada His legacy has continued to grow. In 2019, the Government of Canada designated Thomas George Prince a National Historic Person, recognizing both his service in the Second World War and Korean War and his work representing First Nations interests at the national level. Parks Canada Tommy Prince is remembered not simply because he was decorated, but because the record behind those decorations was extraordinary. He operated behind enemy lines, repaired communications under the eyes of German troops, gathered intelligence that helped destroy enemy positions, returned voluntarily to fight in a second war, and later spoke publicly for the rights of his people. His was the story of a soldier, a reconnaissance specialist, a First Nations advocate and a veteran whose courage was demonstrated repeatedly in action. That is why Thomas George "Tommy" Prince remains one of the most significant Indigenous military figures in Canadian history.