Today is a day for us to remember those who fought in the second world war and other wars and remember the many who died.
I was born in 1939, a few days after the war started. I have a few memories. We were close to an air training facility. As little kids we saw many airplanes fly over every day. It's surprising how many airmen lost their lives while training at that base.
My brother and I would listen to the news which was all about the Germans. We would turn to each other and say, "German, German, German". That was the height of our understanding of the war.
We helped Mom wrap parcels to send to our uncles.
At the end of the war we listened as ships were loaded with soldiers who were coming home and wondered if our uncles where on the ship.
So on this day of remembrance I share a few thoughts from a small child.
I had four uncles in the war. One was killed in a freak accident.
They were all brave in volunteering to fight for freedom.
An old vet friend I had would start talking about his experience in the war in September. He flew bombers . He didn't cover anything up. He told about picking up bodies. He was one of the few who told of his experiences. When he came back he was not in very good condition. His father suggested that he take up wood carving. His health improved and he made many wonderful carvings. He also helped to make memories for me.
I'm so glad your friend was able to find some healing. In times of peace, some people forget the sacrifices that others had to make for them. My uncles were part of WWII and the Korean War. My cousin wrote to me when he went to Vietnam. My mother still has PTSD from her war experiences. And now every time I hear about the horrors of Ukraine, I wonder about the evil of some world leaders.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about your relatives. It was so dangerous training in the planes. I'm glad the one veteran found help with his wood carvings. As a nurse at the VA, we learned about working with patients of each of the wars and the response. We never asked them to tell us their war stories, but one wanted to. After his detailed story, I learned why so many veterans don't want to talk about what they did and saw during their time in the military. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteMy parents knew a man who was a number of years older. In Holland he had been a medical student when the German occupation came. Late in his life he opened up about what he did in the war.
ReplyDeleteHe was in the Resistance, where part of the job was reconnaissance and sabotage. But another part of the job involved killing people. He wasn't able to go back to become a doctor- because he felt he'd violated the idea of doing no harm. In the end in Canada he ended up a coroner.
Great post for Remembrance Day. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteOf course it is possible to die in a war but what of the men (and a few women) who returned from war with terrible memories? Not physically injured but severely wounded on the inside. There are things that people really should not see and memories of these things may last a lifetime - filtering down in insidious ways to the next generation. I am very grateful that I never had to go to war.
ReplyDeleteNot too many people have personal recollections any more.
ReplyDeleteThere was an air base here in Summerside, established during WW2. There were lives lost here as well.
ReplyDeleteMy husband’s uncle served in Korea. He never spoke of it until his last visit, he talked about being dug into the side of a hill where the Koreans buried their dead. It was the stuff of nightmares!
This is a lovely post, and thank you for telling me about your uncles and your old vet friend. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post to remember those who served -- and thanks to your uncles for their service and sacrifice. I had one uncle who was in WWII, before I was born. I do not know what ghosts haunted him; but you could tell, he was a haunted man.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this. It reminded me of my dad who was a combat medic in World War II and was attending to injured soldiers on the ground at the Battle of the Bulge. It's good to remember those days, that war, and the ones who were there.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for all who served in both Canada and USA. Nice post, Red.
ReplyDeleteNice post for Remembrance Day. Thanks for sharing your memories, Red.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very telling and moving yet so simple a story. Few people ever talked about their experiences.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing those memories. I was too young to know much about WWII. I was born in 1944, a war baby.
ReplyDeleteA lovely memory of those who worked so hard.
ReplyDeleteWhat a grace that many of your uncles served the homeland during war!
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice thing that your friend could heal and was able to do some good in life for himself and helped you to strengthen memories belong to the era