Thanks for this, Charlie. We pause these last few days not only to remember, but to listen, and to think about what resistance means and requires of us, then and now.
My Grandmothers were in their late teens, one a first time mother. The two "World Wars", especially WW2 made them despise wars and the 'Old Men' who send our boys to die.
People, especially politicians want to celebrate bravery and heroism, mentioning sacrifice, but don't dwell upon what we were willing to endure for the sake of preserving freedom, democracy, liberty and our ideals.
Again you took me back. I have a similar picture of my grandmother in her apron, sitting at the table with my younger brother on her lap, at our house on the farm.She, too, was traumatized by both World Wars, still saving bags and wrappers, and never waisting food but she never spoke of it to us. I loved the story of the soldiers sharing food with the Germans who reciprocated with rings as it showed the best qualities of the human spirit: kindness, and humanity and generosity, even as enemies of war. And I loved the story of the young soldiers using their own urine to neutralize the chlorine gas. It showed their ingenuity and intelligence which, in turn, shows the importance of a strong Public Education Systemin a productive and progressive Civil Society. Thank you, Charlie for these posts. They are informative, thought-provoking and deeply meaningful. They provide us with information we need to know and or be reminded of in this, as you say "Age of Monsters." And we need this information so we can resist this tyranny that is a plague upon us. And thank you for your family's service. We will remember them. Stay Safe. Stay Protected. Elbows Up. 🇨🇦
Again you took me back. I have a similar picture of my grandmother in her apron, sitting at the kitchen table with my younger brother on her lap, at our house on the farm. She, too, was traumatized by the wars, still saving bags and wrappers, and never waisting food but she never spoke of it to us. I loved the story of the soldiers sharing food with the Germans who reciprocated with rings as it showed the best qualities of the human spirit: kindness and humanity and generosity, even as enemies of war. And I loved the story of the young soldiers using their own urine to neutralize the chlorine gas. It showed their ingenuity and intelligence which, in turn, shows the importance of a strong Public Education System in a healthy, productive, and progressive Civil Society. Thank you, Charlie, for these posts.They are informative, thought-provoking and deeply meaningful. They provide us with information that we need to know and or be reminded of in this, as you say "Age of Monsters." And we need this information so we can resist this tyranny that is a plague upon us. And thank you for your family's service. We will remember them. Stay Safe. Stay Protected. Elbows Up. 🇨🇦
Canadians threw cans of beans to the hungry Germans who eagerly caught them. Then they threw live grenades. Canadians would sneak through the lines past the first one or two trenches, then knife the unsuspecting Germans in the third trench. Geneva Conventions were inspired by Canadians.
Charlie, I am a retired Marine MSgt. No matter where I have been stationed, if there's a Canadian force in the area I always felt safer. I was in Somalia in January 1993, right after the beach landing by the Marines. There were Canadians in Mogadishu along with an Aussie unit that was in the sand with us. I was a good deal less nervous about the events that went on nightly at the main gate knowing that the Canadians were there to help. I grew up 9 miles from Canada across the Niagara River in western NY. We were frequently in Canada to visit and shop. Our summer vacations were taken in northern Ontario. I will always have Canadians backs regardless of the situation and I am sure there are many Americans who feel the same. Regrettably, the Orange Traitor Felon has no idea how he has hurt the relationship between us but he will not be around forever. Thank you for your support and memories. Elbows up!
here is something my friend Andrew Pearson wrote....while we are taking our moment to remember today... we should spare a thought for those whose names don't appear on the cenotaph. The terribly wounded, the displaced, the mentally scarred, the raped, the beaten, the families torn apart, the innocents caught up in the gears of War... all never to be the same again and all rarely recognized as the soldiers march to and fro and the trumpets are sounded. There is no Last Call for those people, but War affected them too.
When we dream of, and strive for, Peace we do so for the sake of humanity (not to mention the animals), because when War comes, it really doesn't care who wears a uniform and who doesn't... it comes for us all.
Thank you Charlie for always remembering our heroes who paved the way, many with their very young lives, to save others from the fascists. Your story about your grandmother is so touching. All the other stories I read in the comments are so incredible and important as we learn more and more about Canada’s role in WW1 and WW2. We must never forget.
Here in the USA we never hear about Canada's role in the allies victory. Hell, must never learn that we did not get into WWI until 3 years after it began. Thank you Mr. Angus for reminding us that with Canada's troops the war would have been lost before we even got into it
Ever since we moved to Ottawa in the late '80s, my wife and I (now both in our early 80s) have attended the ceremony at the National War Memorial, even when it's in the bitter cold as it was today. The atmosphere -- the speeches, the music, the silence, the parades -- never fails to move me. What especially gives me hope is to see that younger generations are always well represented in the crowd: Not just little kids who come with their parents, but also teenagers and young adults. It tells me that the Canadian spirit lives.
My father was one of the young men who lied about his age (he was 17) and enlisted in the army in WW2. He ended up as a tank gunner in Europe. He, like most veterans, never wanted to talk to his family about his war experiences. I loved my father dearly but he had PTSD (we didn’t know what that was then) and became an alcoholic. He found some solace with other veterans at the local Legion, although we his family, just saw it as a bar where he could drink. I am so sad that we didn’t understand what he and other veterans were going through.
Thank you Charlie for these. We can never forget the sacrifices our young men made in both World Wars to give us the life and society we have today. We have to honour them by continuing to lead by their example. Canada punches far below its weight. It’s time for us to stop selling ourselves short.
"Canadians need to remember the cost that other generations were forced to pay so we could live in peace and freedom.
Whether it was on the North Atlantic, bombing runs over Berlin, at Ortona, Falaise, the Scheldt, the Netherlands, Korea, Medak Pocket, or Kandahar, young Canadians always showed up and did their part."
How did volunteering to go to Kandahar allow me to live in peace and freedom?
My parents moved to Windsor from Cochrane. My mom seen many young men off at the train station and would tear up every time she heard Taps. My Dad was not able to join the forces due to freezing his toes while out building roads in Northern Ontario. My mom worked as a welder on aircraft during the war and he held the line at Chrysler.
Thank you, Charlie, this is lovely. I didn't know much about the Canadian experience in WWI. As an American of primarily British descent I have WWI veterans from the US, British, Australian and one Canadian sapper who died in France. Nothing rips my heart like WWI. An Angus great-uncle survived the war and died in France 2 weeks after Armistace of the flu. My Anguses were from Aberdeenshire. I don't know if we're related but at the risk of cringe fangirling I'm claiming you as a cousin.
Thanks for this, Charlie. We pause these last few days not only to remember, but to listen, and to think about what resistance means and requires of us, then and now.
My Grandmothers were in their late teens, one a first time mother. The two "World Wars", especially WW2 made them despise wars and the 'Old Men' who send our boys to die.
People, especially politicians want to celebrate bravery and heroism, mentioning sacrifice, but don't dwell upon what we were willing to endure for the sake of preserving freedom, democracy, liberty and our ideals.
Dear Charlie,
Again you took me back. I have a similar picture of my grandmother in her apron, sitting at the table with my younger brother on her lap, at our house on the farm.She, too, was traumatized by both World Wars, still saving bags and wrappers, and never waisting food but she never spoke of it to us. I loved the story of the soldiers sharing food with the Germans who reciprocated with rings as it showed the best qualities of the human spirit: kindness, and humanity and generosity, even as enemies of war. And I loved the story of the young soldiers using their own urine to neutralize the chlorine gas. It showed their ingenuity and intelligence which, in turn, shows the importance of a strong Public Education Systemin a productive and progressive Civil Society. Thank you, Charlie for these posts. They are informative, thought-provoking and deeply meaningful. They provide us with information we need to know and or be reminded of in this, as you say "Age of Monsters." And we need this information so we can resist this tyranny that is a plague upon us. And thank you for your family's service. We will remember them. Stay Safe. Stay Protected. Elbows Up. 🇨🇦
Dear Charlie,
Again you took me back. I have a similar picture of my grandmother in her apron, sitting at the kitchen table with my younger brother on her lap, at our house on the farm. She, too, was traumatized by the wars, still saving bags and wrappers, and never waisting food but she never spoke of it to us. I loved the story of the soldiers sharing food with the Germans who reciprocated with rings as it showed the best qualities of the human spirit: kindness and humanity and generosity, even as enemies of war. And I loved the story of the young soldiers using their own urine to neutralize the chlorine gas. It showed their ingenuity and intelligence which, in turn, shows the importance of a strong Public Education System in a healthy, productive, and progressive Civil Society. Thank you, Charlie, for these posts.They are informative, thought-provoking and deeply meaningful. They provide us with information that we need to know and or be reminded of in this, as you say "Age of Monsters." And we need this information so we can resist this tyranny that is a plague upon us. And thank you for your family's service. We will remember them. Stay Safe. Stay Protected. Elbows Up. 🇨🇦
Canadians threw cans of beans to the hungry Germans who eagerly caught them. Then they threw live grenades. Canadians would sneak through the lines past the first one or two trenches, then knife the unsuspecting Germans in the third trench. Geneva Conventions were inspired by Canadians.
Thank you for sharing. I had no idea.
Here is my relative:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Mynarski
Charlie, I am a retired Marine MSgt. No matter where I have been stationed, if there's a Canadian force in the area I always felt safer. I was in Somalia in January 1993, right after the beach landing by the Marines. There were Canadians in Mogadishu along with an Aussie unit that was in the sand with us. I was a good deal less nervous about the events that went on nightly at the main gate knowing that the Canadians were there to help. I grew up 9 miles from Canada across the Niagara River in western NY. We were frequently in Canada to visit and shop. Our summer vacations were taken in northern Ontario. I will always have Canadians backs regardless of the situation and I am sure there are many Americans who feel the same. Regrettably, the Orange Traitor Felon has no idea how he has hurt the relationship between us but he will not be around forever. Thank you for your support and memories. Elbows up!
here is something my friend Andrew Pearson wrote....while we are taking our moment to remember today... we should spare a thought for those whose names don't appear on the cenotaph. The terribly wounded, the displaced, the mentally scarred, the raped, the beaten, the families torn apart, the innocents caught up in the gears of War... all never to be the same again and all rarely recognized as the soldiers march to and fro and the trumpets are sounded. There is no Last Call for those people, but War affected them too.
When we dream of, and strive for, Peace we do so for the sake of humanity (not to mention the animals), because when War comes, it really doesn't care who wears a uniform and who doesn't... it comes for us all.
Thank you Charlie for always remembering our heroes who paved the way, many with their very young lives, to save others from the fascists. Your story about your grandmother is so touching. All the other stories I read in the comments are so incredible and important as we learn more and more about Canada’s role in WW1 and WW2. We must never forget.
Here in the USA we never hear about Canada's role in the allies victory. Hell, must never learn that we did not get into WWI until 3 years after it began. Thank you Mr. Angus for reminding us that with Canada's troops the war would have been lost before we even got into it
Ever since we moved to Ottawa in the late '80s, my wife and I (now both in our early 80s) have attended the ceremony at the National War Memorial, even when it's in the bitter cold as it was today. The atmosphere -- the speeches, the music, the silence, the parades -- never fails to move me. What especially gives me hope is to see that younger generations are always well represented in the crowd: Not just little kids who come with their parents, but also teenagers and young adults. It tells me that the Canadian spirit lives.
My father was one of the young men who lied about his age (he was 17) and enlisted in the army in WW2. He ended up as a tank gunner in Europe. He, like most veterans, never wanted to talk to his family about his war experiences. I loved my father dearly but he had PTSD (we didn’t know what that was then) and became an alcoholic. He found some solace with other veterans at the local Legion, although we his family, just saw it as a bar where he could drink. I am so sad that we didn’t understand what he and other veterans were going through.
I love and honour your service Dad. ❤️
❤️
Thank you Charlie for these. We can never forget the sacrifices our young men made in both World Wars to give us the life and society we have today. We have to honour them by continuing to lead by their example. Canada punches far below its weight. It’s time for us to stop selling ourselves short.
"Canadians need to remember the cost that other generations were forced to pay so we could live in peace and freedom.
Whether it was on the North Atlantic, bombing runs over Berlin, at Ortona, Falaise, the Scheldt, the Netherlands, Korea, Medak Pocket, or Kandahar, young Canadians always showed up and did their part."
How did volunteering to go to Kandahar allow me to live in peace and freedom?
My parents moved to Windsor from Cochrane. My mom seen many young men off at the train station and would tear up every time she heard Taps. My Dad was not able to join the forces due to freezing his toes while out building roads in Northern Ontario. My mom worked as a welder on aircraft during the war and he held the line at Chrysler.
Thank you, Charlie, this is lovely. I didn't know much about the Canadian experience in WWI. As an American of primarily British descent I have WWI veterans from the US, British, Australian and one Canadian sapper who died in France. Nothing rips my heart like WWI. An Angus great-uncle survived the war and died in France 2 weeks after Armistace of the flu. My Anguses were from Aberdeenshire. I don't know if we're related but at the risk of cringe fangirling I'm claiming you as a cousin.
Love it! 💕