Recently Pam let me know of a site she’d just heard about called
Storylane, “People Sharing Things That Matter”.
So I had a look, liked what I saw and have decided to give it a try. I copied a handful of this blog’s posts
there, but have also added three short articles of my own. The most recent was on Wednesday and deals
with my feelings on Remembrance Day.
Having received a great deal of encouraging feedback, I decided to
re-post it here with some additional comments at the end.
November 11 – Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, Veteran’s Day
– whatever you call it, for me it holds deep and very emotional feelings. My father served as an artillery gunner in
WWII, posted overseas from his birthplace of St. Catharines, Ontario to England
and then into Italy and Northern Africa.
Each year as I see the rolls of proud service people grow ever smaller I
find I cannot control the tears. Tears
for a time in history that was unique, tears for sacrifices made and lives lost
and perhaps in a way, tears for a time of innocence, ironically, lost
forever. I was born a decade after the
war ended, but its stories as retold by my parents have made it a vivid and
entrenched part of who I am.
Fiercely Canadian and proud of it, my father enlisted within
days of war being declared that September of 1939. Did he have any idea of what
he was facing – that the struggle would last almost 6 years? In hindsight the stories he told, within
children’s inquisitive hearing, were mainly of humourous events and the
camaraderie enjoyed. No doubt, that only
scratched the surface of what his memories held. The demons were there and
mostly held at bay over the years. But
I remember my paternal grandmother saying that her “boys” (three in all) were
never the same after they came home from war. Two served in World War II and
the youngest in Korea.
Probably the most relevant and endearing story of that time
is how he and my mother met. Katie was a
very independent and single, bank teller living in London with her widowed
mother. When the call came to offer
billets and friendships for newly arrived Canadian soldiers the two women
readily agreed to do their part for the war effort. The fact they would have trained and brave
Canadian soldiers in the home surely had nothing to do with their offer of
accommodation.
The afternoon arrived for their first meeting and my mother
and grandmother prepared to welcome my father, Ralph, and his soldier friend
into their home where all was set for afternoon tea. No sooner had introductions been made than
the all too familiar whistle of a falling bomb was heard. Taking it in stride the women were relatively
nonchalant and prepared for the ensuing explosion. When the dust settled the brave Canadian
soldiers had disappeared, only to sheepishly emerge a few moments later from
underneath the dining room table. Brave
soldiers indeed! Fortunately Katie and Ralph
got past that awkward moment to begin a relationship that led to marriage
after the war and life for my mother here in Canada. But that’s a story for
another day.
Both have passed on now and some days, especially at this
time of year, it would be wonderful to hear their voices again and listen even
more attentively to their stories and the unspoken words between the lines of
those days.
I wear the red poppy with pride, and even if I lose a dozen
of them over the next few days, I’ll never begrudge dropping coins into the box
held by a veteran or other representative of the Royal Canadian Legion – its
but a very small homage to my parents and others of their generation for
putting their lives on hold so that my generation could have a life of relative
peace. Likewise I offer my full support
and thanks to our service people of today and agree with the bumper sticker –
“If you don’t want to stand behind our forces, feel free to stand in front of
them.”
To all of you I say Thank You and God Bless.
Then I provided the link to a small circle of family and
friends, and of course posted it on Facebook.
Last night when I logged on to my
email, there was the most amazing message in reply from my oldest son with his
own comments and feelings and to be truthful it made me cry. Tears of a very proud mother that her son “gets
it”….. and his regret at not hearing the stories from his grandparents. My parents would be so incredibly proud of
him.
Others on Facebook today are posting their thoughts on this
solemn day of remembering. One status
update reads: I
caught part of comments on a radio station yesterday which disturbed/infuriated
me. They were relaying sentiments of a pocket of individuals who wish to
sanitize Remembrance Day and not focus on war or the sacrifice that was made by
men and women during both World Wars in either serving or the ultimate giving
of their lives.
Wake up people!!
The sense of freedom we enjoy today is a direct result of the countless people
who laid down their lives in those wars and that price continues to be paid
even today!!
I will be
remembering those who served/died in the wars and want to thank the men and
women in our armed forces who are serving today. As the saying goes, if you
don't support our troops ... feel free to stand in front of them!!!
So while my post here today has nothing
directly to do with Jamie Tremain, or writing and reading – indirectly it
does. Because perhaps without the
sacrifices made in the past and ongoing today, we might not have the freedom to blog,
post, or surf the world with such liberty.
And history teaches that if we don’t remember the past we are doomed to
repeat the same mistakes – what we have is precious and fragile. Thank a vet, wear a poppy, remember - and beware the
dangers of apathy.
Thank you, Dad, Uncle John and Uncle Bruce and all your comrades - past and present.
Liz
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