My Father was a Wireless Operator/Rear Gunner in a Lancaster Bomber in the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) in World War II. My Grandfather was an Infantryman with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in WWI. I wear the Poppy with pride. And I hate war.
I hate the need for war. And I question if there actually is a need. But I’m not the one living in a war-torn country. I’m not the one living in fear of my own countrymen. I simply don’t understand. But others do.
Both my father and my grandfather understood. They willingly put themselves in harms way for the belief that everyone deserves the right to live freely. That is something I believe it.
I didn’t know my grandfather. He came home after the war but he was filled with a need to see more. He traveled across Canada and took some of the most beautiful photographs. As an electrician by trade he was one of the people that installed the main chandelier in the lobby of the Banff Springs Hotel, one of Canada’s most iconic landmarks. I was there many years later. And I was touched when I looked up and saw it. My grandfather did that!
He eventually settled down and married and had two children. He was there in Winnipeg, Manitoba during The General Strike of 1919. “Our Cause is Just” was their battle cry. That strike helped to change the way workers were treated. He stood proudly again.
My father too survived his war. He came home and settled down. He met my mother just after he came back. Actually, she tells a story about how she was working in a high-rise office building and several Lancasters flew by quite low. They were in formation and evidently it was quite a sight to see. Years later my mother found out that she was actually looking at my father’s plane! The world moves in mysterious ways.
So today I am thinking of my father and of my grandfather. I weep a tear that they are gone. I am also thinking of all the other men and women fighting wars that I don’t understand. But I do understand loyalty and I understand compassion and duty.
The freedoms that we enjoy today are because of soldiers. They are on the front line to protect our democracy and our right to choose. I wish we didn’t have the need. I wish people from disparate backgrounds could learn to appreciate each other. We have so much we could learn from each other. We could learn not to hate. We could learn not to fight.
Today I stand proud as my father once did, as my grandfather did. We will pick up the torch from failing hands. It is our turn to hold it high and not break faith with those who sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields.
Besutiful post, Pam. We owe them so much. We can’t possibly repay, but we can remember.
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We must never forget them.
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Such a well-written post – like a memorial. 🙂
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Thank you my friend.
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What a beautiful tribute! Thank you for sharing these special memories.
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This is a special day to remember.
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This post was beautifully written with such love and pride. We can never thank our veterans adequately, but we can make sure we never forget them and their sacrifices. We wouldn’t be here enjoying our freedom without them.
🔹 Ginger 🔹
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You are so right! We need to do better.
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A lovely tribute to those we owe for our freedom, Pamela.
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Thank you John.
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🙂
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Beautiful post – What a lovely remembrance!
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Thank you Sheryl.
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My father went through basic training & was then discharged for medical reasons. He & my mother, both first generation Canadians, worked building the planes in Ontario. That generation went the Dirty Thirties & WW II , they & their efforts to build a better world, must not be forgotten.
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You are absolutely right! This entire country worked to support those fighting. Everything made a difference. I thank you for their efforts.
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Great tribute! 👍💕
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Thank you
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Yes, it is hard to walk that fine line between seeing the activities of war as so profoundly needless and ridiculous and yet respect and marvel at the courage and sacrifice of those who gave and/or risked their lives for our freedoms. Maybe it is time to stop teaching ourselves that the Caesars, and the Khans and the Emperors and Battle Chieftains of yore were heroes. There is nothing honourable about trying to take away somebody else’s freedom and property for the sake of self-image.
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I cannot see any war as ‘honourable’ but I do see those who fight for freedom who are.
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Beautifully written Pam. I agree with every word.
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Thank you my friend.
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Beautifully written God bless them all.
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Thank you George. They will always remain in our memories.
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Well said, my friend. Thank you for saying and sharing it.
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Thanks Russ.
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