Remembrance Day 2008/2010/2011

[styky]

Untold Canadian stories of WWII preserved in new book, website

By: Michael Oliveira, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Maurice White still questions whether he really had to shoot that German soldier on Christmas Day 1943. Betty Dimock recalls the horrifying conditions in hospitals, where nurses had to scoop maggots out of patients' wounds with a soup ladle. And Bernard Finestone struggles through tears as he talks about holding his friend's hand in the battlefield as he passed away.

Every week, an average of 400 to 500 Second World War veterans die in Canada, and with them go stories — often untold — of how their lives were shaped by the "Good War" and the terrible fight that consumed so many.

But more of those stories are now being preserved through a two-year project launched by the Historica-Dominion Institute called "The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War," a comprehensive oral history of Canada's role in the war.

So far, about 2,000 veterans have had their stories recorded and artifacts scanned digitally for the website and more will be archived through March 2011. And last week, the book "We Were Freedom: Canadian Stories of the Second World War," was released, featuring 65 Canadian vignettes.

The project was launched last summer after concerns were raised that too many Canadian stories of the Second World War were being lost, said Andrew Cohen, president of the Historica-Dominion Institute.

"It's interesting to approach veterans today because (when) they returned from the war ... they didn't spend a lot of time thinking or talking about the war and the horrors they had seen," Cohen said.

"They weren't of the generation that shared, they weren't tweeting their memories, they weren't posting them on walls on Facebook, they weren't texting them. Even if all that technology had been available, they wouldn't avail themselves of it because it wasn't them, they didn't talk about it.

"They have told us that if they don't speak now their stories will never be told, because in many cases they never talked about this."

While there is a big focus on Juno Beach and D-Day when discussing Canada's contributions to the Allied forces' war effort, there are many different stories to be told, Cohen said. There are tales about romances that blossomed in times of unbearable tragedy, and reflections on the role of women in the war, including the work of tens of thousands of nurses.

"Our attempt was to show that not everyone had the same war," Cohen said.

Dimock, born in Saint John, N.B., achieved her "great ambition" by working as a nurse in the war. But she was shocked by the harrowing conditions she faced at a hospital in South Africa. There were no antibiotics and bandages to dress wounds were scarce.

"We had to wash out the dirty, old, soiled, infected dressings and hang them on the line in the sun and use them again that night," she recalls in the book and on the website.

Years later, she was stationed in England and was finally able to treat soldiers with penicillin. But the needles weren't nearly sharp enough for the injections.

"They just screamed, it was terrible," she recalled. "We didn't like doing it, we had to do it. And they'd hide. That was a hard, hard treatment really for them, getting these shots of penicillin. And it was hard for us to do."

White, of Edmonton, talked candidly about how he still feels guilty for killing an enemy on Christmas. He was on lookout duty and was enjoying a hot meal — pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a beer — when he spotted a German soldier. He shot him.

"At the time it didn't bother me but ever since I've thought, 'Why did I do that? It was Christmas Day,'" White recalled in the book and on the website.

"I shouldn't have but maybe then it would have been him shooting at me. You don't have a choice, you either shoot somebody or they shoot you."

Finestone, a captain who fought the elite of the Germany army through tough Italian battles, said he's glad stories of the war are being recounted, even though they're difficult to share.

The Montreal native makes no apologizes for breaking the rules during war and giving as good as he got from the Nazis. After watching the Germans shoot at medics and kill prisoners, Canadians decided to respond in kind, Finestone said.

"I shot down more than 30 Germans who were trying to surrender, that was the war we fought and we fought the war that way," he said.

"Canadians were tough. If the Germans did something to us, we did it to them — I bet you'll never find that comment in any history book."

On the Memory Project website you can hear Finestone choke up as he talks about some of his more painful memories of the war. He describes how he consoled one of his dying friends and held his hand — with his "guts spilling out" — in the final moments before he died.

"You don't recover from that. You never recover from that," Finestone said.

"But it goes. It burns off, it disappears. Is it a pleasant thing? No. Winning is great, losing is terrible, but the stress is murder.

"We've got a great number of things to be extremely proud of but the dirty part of war is a part of war. And not to tell the truth, not to carry the stories out, is a terrible mistake. Do I enjoy telling these stories? No. It brings tears to my eyes every time. But it has to be done."

———

"The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War" —www.thememoryproject.com
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada ... 15763.html

[styky]

Are you wearing a poppy?

By JOE WARMINGTON, Toronto Sun

Last Updated: November 8, 2010 8:24pm

http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnis ... 38601.html

Count the next 100 people you run into and see how many are wearing poppies.

We did this Monday — three days before Remembrance Day — and were surprised with the results.

The first was at the Osgoode subway at the corner of Queen St. W. and University Ave.

The plan was simple. Photographer Dave Thomas and I go to the Osgoode subway station at the corner of Queen St. W. and University Ave. and see how many of the next 100 people coming in and out of the station had donned the poppy.

How many do you think? I put it to Royal Canadian Legion spokesman Bob Butt.

“I figure 20 to 25,” he told me.

I thought his number was low. The reality was even lower.

The number was 11.

We then went to perhaps the busiest intersection in the country at Dundas Square where we came up with basically same numbers. About 10% were wearing poppies.

So where are all the poppy wearers?

“I just don’t think a lot of people have got their poppies yet,” Butt said. “By Thursday, you will see lots and lots of people wearing poppies.”

He tells me last year the Legion distributed 16-million poppies — a million less than 2008 — which brought in $18-million in donations. It will take four months to tabulate this year’s numbers.

Don Cherry was on Coach’s Corner Saturday night on CBC urging people to get their poppy in remembrance of the valour that led to our freedoms.

He then showed a moving montage of this year’s war dead in Afghanistan which included the pictures of Brian Pinksen, Brian Collier, Kristal Giesebrecht, Andrew Miller, James MacNeil, Martin Goudreault, Larry Rudd, Geoff Parker, Kevin McKay, Craig Blake, Tyler Todd, Darren Fitzpatrick, Joshua Baker and John Faught.

“I guess multiculturalism doesn’t apply to dying for your country,” quipped one patron in the bar I was in, pointing out that there is not one visible minority amongst that group of fallen heroes.

But, in fairness, Dave and I saw just as many visible minorities wearing poppies as anybody else.

Twenty-year-olds Mark Garcia and Rachel Yuzon were born in Canada but their parents were born in the Philippines.

They both said they are “proud” to wear the poppy.

University of Toronto Professor Nelson Wiseman told me it’s common for the children of recent immigrants to embrace Canadian history.

He also suggested that he thought counting poppies is interesting but “you might have to do it at the same place next year to see if there is any meaning to it.”

He was in Winnipeg over the weekend “and it struck me how many poppies” people were wearing, Wiseman said.

Certainly my study was far from scientific. Still I wonder, why so few?

“It’s on my other jacket,” was one common answer I heard.

“I am going to get one,” was another.

There were some who equated wearing a poppy to being akin to the white, red, yellow or pink ribbon campaigns for other important causes.

A taxi driver said, “The poppy is a white thing — something that represents war.”

But the most common answer from those without a poppy was they had one but lost it. I counted 17 poppies on the sidewalk so they may be telling the truth.

But I also saw some people, such as courier Bill Barber, who was wearing two.

To me wearing a poppy is a respect thing. It’s the least we can do for those who died to allow us this life we all enjoy. It shouldn’t be all take.

Now it’s true one doesn’t have to wear a poppy in this free country but I think by not making the effort, people are taking for granted those who have sacrificed for us.

I also don’t think the poppy is in the same family as campaigns for AIDS or cancer. Without those who died for us, there would be no economy, freedoms, cures or research at all.

Korean War veteran Al Brown, whose son Walter is in Afghanistan, says “education” is the key to keeping the symbol from fading away and says many still get it. However at the Eaton Centre this week he noticed it was slow because there are “a lot of people who don’t understand” what the poppy is about.

Fas Alsaedi and Memo Altmem — international students from Saudi Arabia — are two examples.

“I had no idea,” said Fas about the poppy and its meaning.

He’s been here one month and is off the hook.

But what’s your excuse?

[styky]

Today’s letters: The stress of serving can be deadly


Paul Russell November 9, 2010 – 8:00 am

Finbarr O'Reilly / reuters

As a serving Canadian Forces (CF) member, and with Remembrance Day fast approaching, my thoughts are not only with our veterans and the 152 Canadian Forces members who have been killed in Afghanistan, but also with the countless other soldiers who are the victims of suicide. In 2009, 16 regular force CF members committed suicide, the highest recorded number in any year since official tracking began in 1995. My late common-law husband, Master Corporal Randy Murphy, is included in that dismal count. His 19-year career as a medic included a mission to Rwanda during the genocide of 1994, in addition to other overseas missions including Bosnia and Afghanistan.
You won’t find his name engraved on a war memorial, his death is not included in any official death count of war causalities, and his children will not receive scholarships from the Canadian Hero Fund. In fact, the military does not even recognize him as a sufferer of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I, however, can attest that he did indeed suffer psychological injuries as a cumulative result of serving on these missions.
Recently, the military has taken steps to improve mental health services within the CF. However, there is much ground to cover in what will soon be a post-Afghanistan era. Rather than being recognized as the fallen war heroes that they are, the victims of suicide receive little, if any, recognition. In reality, these men and women are no less heroic than those killed in action.
The culture within our military is one of stoicism and strength. This culture of strength can be a double-edged sword, however, as soldiers often find it difficult to openly admit to anything that they feel could be perceived as a weakness. While the military tries to sort out their shortage of mental health providers, our soldiers are becoming tired of fighting their heads. They do not believe that the military has the resources or capability to help them deal with the intense emotional responses associated with war.
Suicide is still, and will continue to be, the elephant in the room that the CF doesn’t want to talk about.
Jennifer Clinton, Ottawa.


Read more: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... z2eyyjrtOw

[Fabulous Fred]

I always wear a poppy with pride and thanksgiving. A lot of truly wonderful,capable and good men and women gave their youth and or their lives for Canada, it's people and it's culture. They believed we were worth it. For that I am truly grateful. They stood up to be counted when they were needed and they got the job done. I will gladly owe them a debt of gratitude for that, and I always pay my debts.

[HSMom]

Estimates of 55,000 to 60,000 aircrew never saw the end of WWII. This staggering figure represents one of the reasons we live in freedom today.
At this time of remembrance please watch and share this video in memory of the aircrews who flew the Lancaster bombers during WWII.
http://vimeo.com/13430247

That was wonderful to watch. Thank you for posting.

My Dad did over 30 trips in Lancasters and Halifaxes. Each morning when he went into the mess for breakfast he never knew for sure who would be there and who wouldn't. There was no rhyme or reason. Could be a crew out on their first trip or one that had many under their belt.

Looking forward to attending Rememberance Day with my Dad this year especially....we are told it will be his last. I guess only the good Lord will know that for sure.

[Ratz.ca]

I always wear a poppy with pride and thanksgiving. A lot of truly wonderful,capable and good men and women gave their youth and or their lives for Canada, it's people and it's culture. They believed we were worth it. For that I am truly grateful. They stood up to be counted when they were needed and they got the job done. I will gladly owe them a debt of gratitude for that, and I always pay my debts.

FF and others, I thank you for your comments. I have been out of the forces for almost eight years now, but the military will always be a part of me. I recently joined a group called Canadian Army Veterans - CAV for short.
It is an organization of motorcycle units across Canada that indeed seeks to help vets, past and present. This Remembrance Day I and my wife will be with our group at CFB Kingston. Also I will be bringing my good friend, who is a coworker and a vet who has dealing with a lot of issues in the last couple of months.,
I am honoured that he trusts my wife and I as a part of a very tiny group that he has opened to. I will stand by my friend.

[Ratz.ca]

Definition of a veteran - Whether active duty, retired, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his/her life, signed a blank check made payable to "The People of Canada", for an amount "up to and including my life."

Quote from this link:
http://www.veteranvoice.info/bulletinboard.htm

[RedDog]

A motorcyclist in the USA on a forum I participate on posted photos yesterday of the Patrick Tillman Memorial Bridge now open to the public.

Pat was of course a professional NFL football player who walked from a multi million dollar contract to go with his brother to Afghanistan and serve his country on behalf of all free people. He also once turned down $9M from St. Louis out of loyalty to Arizona.

Pat Tillman was killed April 22, 2004 in Sperah, Afghanistan at age 27. Pat was a graduate of the University of Arizona Sun Devils and played his entire, if short, NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals.

[RedDog]

Here's the new Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge bypassing the Hoover Dam, Nevada on one side and Arizona on the other. It's the second highest bridge in the United States and features the longest concrete arch in the Western Hemisphere. Mike O'Callaghan was a decorated Korean War Veteran and former Governor of Nevada.

[styky]

Remembrance Day: Puffed up over poppies
National Post - Richard Marjan - ‎
Wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day is not always easy. In Canada, Britain and beyond, the custom has spurred critics and riled tempers. <a href=http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11/10/remembrance-day-puffed-up-over-poppies/>continued</a>

[Ratz.ca]

Here's the new Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge bypassing the Hoover Dam, Nevada on one side and Arizona on the other. It's the second highest bridge in the United States and features the longest concrete arch in the Western Hemisphere. Mike O'Callaghan was a decorated Korean War Veteran and former Governor of Nevada.

Nice dedication to both men. Thanks for sharing that.

"Lest we forget"

[styky]

New red poppy coin introduced in Canada


By Postmedia News, Postmedia News November 10, 2010


Read more: http://www.canada.com/poppy+coin+introd ... z2etQfHtl7

[styky]

A Remembrance Day reading list
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepoliti ... -list.html

[centrestage]

A motorcyclist in the USA on a forum I participate on posted photos yesterday of the Patrick Tillman Memorial Bridge now open to the public.

Pat was of course a professional NFL football player who walked from a multi million dollar contract to go with his brother to Afghanistan and serve his country on behalf of all free people. He also once turned down $9M from St. Louis out of loyalty to Arizona.

Pat Tillman was killed April 22, 2004 in Sperah, Afghanistan at age 27. Pat was a graduate of the University of Arizona Sun Devils and played his entire, if short, NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals.

I understand that theres still some controversy as to his death by 'friendly fire' and that there maybe a book or a movie about this in the works.

[styky]

Modern-day veterans should be remembered
Published Thursday November 11th, 2010
People overlook post-Korean War vets, says legion official
A8
BY CHARLES PERRY
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

When he hears people say that Canada's war veterans are dying off, Al Johnston finds it "very frustrating."
"Our war veterans are not dying off because they are continually being replaced by new ones," said Johnston, vice-president of Moncton Branch No. 6, Royal Canadian Legion. <a href=http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1303293>keep reading</a>