'The First Special Service Force got its nickname, "The Devil's Brigade", during the Italian Campaign from a words in the captured diary of a dead German Officer who had written: "The black devils are all around us every time we come into line and we never hear them.' 'The history of the 1st Special Service Force serves as a model for determined accomplishment today--start with nothing and act co-operatively to establish a military force of international stature and accomplishment only to disband and go home, after a job well done.
The story of the "Devil's Brigade" is a story of achievement from the infancy of its formation to the life accomplishments of its members--including one, who went on to become Canada's first elected Senator, the highest elected office in the country.
Many may know of the 1st Special Service Force only from a 1968 Hollywood film, "The Devil's Brigade", starring William Holden and Cliff Robertson. The "Devil's Brigade" is a Canadian-American success story that needs to be told--and celebrated--in our schools, rather than being limited to Hollywood reruns on late-night television.'
-- Peter Goldring,
Member of Parliament for Edmonton East