Unwanted Soldiers

Jari Osborne,
1999,
48 min 48 s

Synopsis
Education

This documentary tells the personal story of filmmaker Jari Osborne's father, a Chinese-Canadian veteran. She describes her father's involvement in World War II and uncovers a legacy of discrimination and racism against British Columbia's Chinese-Canadian community. Sworn to secrecy for decades, Osborne's father and his war buddies now vividly recall their top-secret missions behind enemy lines in Southeast Asia. Theirs is a tale of young men proudly fighting for a country that had mistreated them. This film does more than reveal an important period in Canadian history. It pays moving tribute to a father's quiet heroism.

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Comments

“What a humiliating moment in Canadian history. :( I knew there was discrimination against Asian Canadians in terms of the vote until after the war, but I had no idea Canada wouldn't even accept them in the armed forces. I'm astonished and humbled that people so poorly treated by their own country would choose to stand by it and ask for the chance to prove themselves... though they should never have had to prove themselves in the first place. To every one of them: thank you. You make me proud to call myself Canadian along with you. And thanks to the NFB for telling this story.” — Firetail, 30 Apr 2013
“I just watched the Unwanted Soldiers - I cannot believe how much I do not know about the history of Vancouver. Noting was mentioned at school about the Chinese and other groups that were denied citizenship in this country. This was an excellent documentary ” — alankwatson, 12 Mar 2012
“Amazing stories! It is those men that allow this generation to prosper! Thank you for your service!!” — boblee, 18 Dec 2011