I've been thinking a lot about the soldiers currently serving overseas and all the others that sacrificed their lives for us so I took some time to go down to the site set up on Memorial Drive with the crosses. I almost wish that they would stay up all year.
I took some photos and thought I'd share
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My step-father is a WWII vet. He was a POW as well. On Rememberance day he doesn't talk very much. His eyes are red all day.
Tomorrow my daughter and I are going to go over and spend part of the day with him. I can't imagine the things he went through during those years and he doesn't ask very much in return. Just a bit of our time on November 11th to remember.
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My grandfather is a WWII vet. A three of my dad's brothers are also WWII vets. Actually all three had prostrate cancer, so November is an extra meaningful month.
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I sometimes pray that a higher order of sanity will prevail in this world, so we'll never have to send anymore....
In peace my they rest...
A Remembrance Day Story....
Snack Lunch
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.
'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that snack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time...
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a snack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.'
His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'
Picking up ten snacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'
'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.
'This is your thanks.'
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars..
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country.. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
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I'll be down at the museum of the regiments tomorrow morning at 10:45 for the ceremony. For anyone that's interesting its a very reverent and nicely done remembrance day ceremony and it would be nice to see a lot of people there showing their gratitude.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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There isn't much that gets to me but the sacrifice all those have made in the name of you, me and this great country makes me tear up every time I think about, especially every November 11. It isn't really sadness, but an overwhelming gratitude to those have given so much and ask nothing in return.
My grandfather was a WWII vet, he never talked about it that I remember, I was 12 when he died. Recently I asked my 87 year old grandmother about it and it was amazing how she could recall those days like it was yesterday. She showed me all the letter, pictures and even a history of his unit during the war. Listening to her remember him was a real reminder that we must never forget the sacrifices the brave men and women in our armed forces have made.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy
Thanks for the awesome pictures.
My step-father is a WWII vet. He was a POW as well. On Rememberance day he doesn't talk very much. His eyes are red all day.
Tomorrow my daughter and I are going to go over and spend part of the day with him. I can't imagine the things he went through during those years and he doesn't ask very much in return. Just a bit of our time on November 11th to remember.
My grandfather was a WW1 vet. He was also a POW in a German camp. At the wars end he exchanged helmets with a German officer. Sadly the medals he earned and the helment have gone missing. RIP
A video about one of the greatest Canadian Soldiers and Canada's version of Audie Murphy
Awesome, my uncle Ed (still alive and well) did parachute training with him, although they never served together he said he was "quite a case"..called him a crazy mother-f'ckin indian.(has his way of putting things) Said Tommy would chug a half a bottle of whiskey before a jump and claim "I wasn't born with wings so I shouldn't be trying to fly"
Anyway, Ed went to his funeral years ago and was even interviewed by an author for a book about him as well.
I'm sure there's hundreds or even thousands of war hero's but this guy certainly left a mark.
I'm having a Band of Brothers marathon, then going to watch Saving Private Ryan.
Have to remind myself of the brutality of war.
My grandpa's dad served for the Allies and my Opa (my dad's father) was part of the Hitler Youth. Luckily my Opa was able to flee Germany and came to Canada. Sadly I never was able to talk to him about any of this as he died 10 years ago now but from what I have been told he didn't talk about it much anyway as he hated that time/Hitler/Nazi's, so RIP.
Last edited by 3 Justin 3; 11-11-2010 at 12:20 AM.
Russell Storring is a sergeant with the Canadian Army, and has been a signals operator for the 17 years he has been in the military. He completed his third tour of duty in Afghanistan in November 2008, having served there previously in 2005 and 2003. He also served with the UN in Rwanda in 1994. His columns give a first-person account from the field of the life of a soldier.
As others have stated, this time of year gets me more choked up more than any other. I tend to watch and read quite a bit about WWII, it is quite interesting, sad, and brutal.
My grandfather on my mother's side fought for the Canadian navy. He didn't talk a lot about his experiences, and when he did it was mainly about the other men he served with and stories that had a bit of humor to them. He passed away just a couple of months ago. When I was at his place/my grandmother's place for his funeral she set out a photo album that was all pictures and documents about that era. Lots of pictures that really put him in a different light............a very young, good-looking guy with lost of smiles, pictures of him and his fellow soldiers before they shipped off. And something that really stuck out to me was the original telegraph he received overseas telling him that his first child was born (a son), the date, the time, and that mother and son were both doing well. Also, the document that gave him the time and day to report for service was a bit chilling as well.
My grandfather on my dad's side is still alive. He was born and raised in Holland, and as a mechanic, he was forced into a German labor camp to fix airplanes during the war. Much like my other grandfather, he doesn't talk much about that time. And when he does, it is just funny/interesting stories. One example is the time he and my uncle (still alive as well) stole a very expensive German car and buried it underground, expecting to retrieve it soon later, only later to find it quite useless due to the length of time it took to get back to it after it was safe to do so, along with the amount of moisture in the Dutch soil they buried it in. Even when he was telling me the story a few years ago he still seemed a bit unnerved when thinking about the possible consequences if they were caught stealing that car.
It is quite something to think that something like WWII that seems quite a while ago (for someone in their mid-late 30's) isn't really all that long ago at all, especially when you listen to your own relatives, or see in pictures what someone you love went through.
Especially over the past 5-10 years or so, I find myself appreciating it a bit more. I find myself stepping aside for older people in lineups at the grocery store, or holding the door for seniors, or letting anyone with a 'veteran' license plate have the right of way on the road. Doesn't make me any better of a person, but it's the absolute least I can do for people who put their lives on the line like they did so many years ago.
It's all about respect. And to me, living or dead, WWI or any soldiers in battle going on today that involve our troops, they still deserve that respect.
I wear my poppy with pride.
Last edited by KootenayFlamesFan; 11-11-2010 at 01:32 AM.
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lest we forget...
A minute of silence for our brave fallen brothers, fathers, sons, friends...heroes.
A minute of silence for those that gave everything to defend what they held dear.
A minute of silence for those that sacrificed everything to allow us to inherit a better world today
Picture taken in 2004 @ Canadian National Vimy Memorial
Remembrance Day 2010
Said Tommy would chug a half a bottle of whiskey before a jump and claim "I wasn't born with wings so I shouldn't be trying to fly"
