No, I don't think that's true. My Dad never won a VC and as I've said before the medals he does have are in his drawer , under his socks , still in their original boxes .
A month ago I took him to the new war museum in Ottawa and he found it amusing he could get in for free . He found a model #54 radio, like the one that was mounted in his carrier and he found the one he carried on his back , model #19 . Like the one that saved his life by becoming armor in a mortar attack. It was shredded , he wasn't . And he found a bren gun carrier complete with flame thrower . No MG. He stood there beside it for a long time and I left him alone for a bit . He was thinking of things that happened long ago in far away places .
In Italy and Europe, the Seaforths, Perths and Irish regiments were part of Hofmister 's 5th Canadian Armored Division . The D-day dodgers. He seemed quite satisfied when we left
What he didn't see I saw in the faces of the young people behind the information desks and in the looks he got as he accosted the volunteers stationed through out the building for information. They smiled and laughed with this chunky 80 year old who limped along like he owned the place . It was more than being just being polite . I'm not sure how to describe it . There was a respect there for this old man who has a habit of talking too loud cause he can't hear like he thinks he can . Everyone else is deaf , not he . Perhaps it was a mix of awe and bewilderment . Perhaps it might have been a look of gratitude .
.My Uncle once said they were amateurs in way over their heads . Fighting professionals and winning . No , they still belong here , the shame is we have too many who don't .
Boys....you are confusing me.
I think what loyalist said is true.
Todays Canada has no place for the likes of smoky.
But you have to go further with the analysis/rebuttal?
I think what loyalist is saying (but I admit trying to speak for another person is intrinsically wrong..but I'll
do it anyway till you guys clear the air) is that the antics and accomplishments of this guy would definitely not be trumpeted or extolled by our present gov't......trudeau and everyone post trudeau.
I wonder if the CBC will even mention it?
Do you think any of Canada's major newspapers will have
some big spread on it. Do you think people like Carolyn
Parish or Paul Martin (who showed up a day late during
D-Day ceremonies overseas) would make some kind of
positive comment on the behalf of this very ordinary dude
who obviously lived with heightened reactive instinct to
kill or be killed?
Not that this has anything to do with this but was
smoky gifted intellectually and academically or was he
just an average snow?
The buzzwords in Todays Canada are multiculturalism, official bilingualism, distinct society, gay marriage, refugee status, illegal immigration, special interest groups, racial intolerance (unless you are unfortunate enough to be white and english like smoky), special privileges and services for immigrants...and last but not least......other peoples traditions and cultures can over ride and secede the current Canadian cultures and traditions..and if you say
anything you are branded as an intolerant racist.
I think this is what Loyalist was saying.
Snowyman threw in a comment that can be interpreted in two
ways. On the one hand he says he disagrees with loyalist, but on the other hand he says "guys like snowy belong here but it is a shame we have too many who don't"? Now he is either crticizing
the likes of Loyalist and is happy with todays Canada
and its status quo.....or he is agreeing with his
statement after disagreeing?
Please clarify?
BTW....you should remember that your Dad was touring a WAR
museum. I would expect the staff you spoke of knew your
dad was a veteran. I would not expect him to have any troubles there and there reaction was quite logical.
Heck.....they would probably be like that with any old
man whether he was a vet or not. The young people they have
working at places like this are well versed in etiquette.
If he was walking around in his old uniform or out of uniform in most other places in canada (anywhere else in ottawa, downtown toronto or other parts of socialist, peace loving canada) you might
be surprised by the lack of attention or negative reaction
he might get. The point I am making is that you can't
give a real reflection on how todays young society views
the world wars or veterans for that matter based on the
reaction you get a war museum.
That's it ..that's all.
In closing.....I will say that War sucks and it is a terrible thing to be in. It is too bad the world is not
run by people who believe in john lennon's fairy tale imagine...but man was born of sin and the closest we'll get
to lennons imagine is in dreams only.