In honor of Remembrance day, let me share a story about my grandfather.
My grandfather served in WW II with the "Calgary tanks", and as such was on the front lines of almost every battle involving Canadians.
He helped fight Rommel in Africa, helped invade Italy, and much more.
He was wounded several times. pieces of shrapnel were permanently lodged in his lungs, and in his shoulder.
He had been told, as most were, that the war would be over in months, but served six years. In the process, he missed his small children growing up.
When he came home, he had nightmares, and would shove my grandmother down and shout that she should keep her head down or get shot.
Apparently, he had witnessed one of his fellow soldiers stick their head out of a tank only to get shot and killed.
These days, he would have been diagnosed with PTSD, but then they didn't think about what war would do to the men who served, so he just lived with the horror and the scars till he died.
These are the kind of people we honor today.
And I do so gladly, in his name, and all the other soldiers of all the wars.
May they (and we) someday know true peace ...
Comments
May that day come soon.
Until it does, though, members in all of the various armed forces in many nations will stand tall in the defence of freedom.
I posted a story a few minutes ago, it features a recently returned US army veteran being a Good Samaritan.
Jess' story posted earlier today was a good read. Without the drill instructors, the recruits would not be ready for actual service.
Heres to peace
and all the men and women who fought and died, or will, to bring it to us.
Peace is the thing of course
We never honor the peacemakers enough though.
Their efforts are to prevent further deaths and is of incalculable value.
Why can't we have a peacemaker day?
Time to think of others and not ourselves
My father didn't talk about what he did in WW2 until a few months before he died.
He was not alone in that. People back then just didn't complain.
What he said about where he was and what he did in March/April 1945 turned my stomach.
I totally understood why he didn't want to say anything.
I shall be at my local ceremony tomorrow. He and all those who served and didn't come back will be in my mind.
Samantha
We often forget
the sacrifice that many gave for us to have the freedoms we have today.
I for one am grateful.
SamanthaAnn