Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
· The last doughboy granted special burial rights.
· Book Review: Where White Horses Gallop
· Terrorism: We wildly overestimate the risk of being a victim, says Dan
Gardner ...
· Branch 50's "Legion IDOL" Starts Well
· RCMP kept tabs on Canadian vets of Spanish Civil War
· Legion Stabbing
· Archive: Veteran Fights For Honour, Religion,
· Branch 50's ROCKERS WIN B Division title at KWSL Playoff.
· WWII Veteran Golf Legend Dies
· Former British POW tells little-known side of Korean War
· Windsor Memorial Vandalized
· Legion official honoured
· Auxiliary marks 50 years; Legion Branch 564 women remain active
· Worse Than the Draft
· U.S. Estimate: 120 Veteran Suicides Per Week
· Vet wrote on Forgotten War
· Troops’ care packages located
· 'The war was imminent'; Jules Paivio's socialist ideals led him to fight in
Spain
· A Serb in Chalk River
· Relatives of slain Canadian soldiers pay emotional visit to Afghanistan
· The Post editorial board on Rick Hillier: A soldier's soldier
· Bancroft Legion branch looks to council for help
· Mitchell Legion urgenty needs executive help to keep doors open
· Sky’s the limit for Esquimalt Legion
· One soldier's story
· Warehousing seniors is no solution
· Few remain from the War to End All Wars
· Nov. 11 poem wins provincial recognition for PAMS student
· Nurse to deploy to Afghanistan; KGH employee to treat wounded soldiers,
civilians
· Nearly a fifth of Veterans report mental disorders
· Luftwaffe pilot-turned-Canadian who performed an act of amazing grace,
dies.
· Former Royal Canadian Legion Branch 52 President Dies.
· Canada's last First World War vet receives commendation
· Government of Canada Encourages Canadians to Remember
· Government of Canada Commemorates the 55th Anniversary of the Korean
War Armistice
· Korean War memorial on Vancouver Island 'last big gathering,
The last doughboy granted
special burial rights.
Arlington National Cemetery , United
States federal burial ground in
northeastern Virginia, administered by the
Department of the Army. The site, on the
Potomac River across from Washington,
D.C. , occupies 248 hectares (612 acres)
and contains the remains of more than
240,000 veterans, their dependents, and
political leaders. Most of those buried in
Arlington National Cemetery served in the
U.S. armed forces, and many were killed
during battle. Among the monuments on
the grounds are the Tomb of the
Unknowns (also called the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier), the Arlington Memorial
Amphitheater, and Arlington House, the
former mansion of Confederate general
Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary Anna
Randolph Lee.
Credit: www.usconstitution.com
AMERICA'S sole surviving veteran of
World War I can spend eternity among
his brothers in arms after all, the U.S.
Army has decided in a welcome
bending of military rules.
Frank Woodruff Buckles, 107, is one
of only two survivors of the Great War
residing in the United States (the
other, John Babcock, lives in
Spokane, Wash., but is Canadian and
served in the Canadian Army).
In all, only about a dozen WW I
veterans are still alive worldwide out of
the more than 4.7 million Americans
and more than 60 million European
men and women who served. Mr.
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
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WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Buckles had to "increase" his age
when he enlisted in April, 1917, and
he served as a driver and warehouse
clerk in France and Germany. He did
not see combat.
As a veteran of the "war to end all
wars," he was already eligible for
cremation and placement in a
columbarium at Arlington but,
according to the Associated Press, he
did not meet the criteria for burial in
the ground there.
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Book Review: Where White
Horses Gallop
novel in part for Michael but also for all
Canadian men and women who have
served in the theatre of war.
Readers are drawn into a time that
was simpler and yet more terrifying
than these chaotic days, the days
leading up to and following the
Second World War.
The first Great War had scarred the
remote community of Beinn Barra,
with fathers and brothers and uncles
lost or who had returned home forever
changed. Four young men, friends
since childhood — Benny Doucet, who
can make a fiddle sing to the angels;
Hector MacDonald, fisherman with his
veteran father; Calum MacPherson,
detouring from medical school to
serve his country; and Alex
MacGregor, whose father was lost at
sea — now face the prospect of going
to war themselves.
It was not until last year that his
daughter discovered that the veteran
wanted to be buried in the national
cemetery. Friends of the family spent
months calling and
e-mailing the Pentagon, the White
House, and anyone else in
government they could think of,
Where White Horses Gallop by Beatrice
seeking an exception to the rules that
MacNeil (Key Porter, $32.95)
would allow the former doughboy - the
last doughboy - to rest among his
It’s long been against my way of doing Hector, Benny and Calum voluntarily
fallen comrades.
things to read reviews of works that
go forth to battle, while Alex faces a
I’m asked to write about, because I
Last month, their pleas were
host of different battles at home; all
answered, and Mr. Buckles, who lives want to be utterly fair to the author and are casualties in their own distinct
in Charles Town, W. Va., received an his or her work. This is especially
ways, and their families likewise.
important if the author is one I’ve not
official certificate signed by Lt. Gen.
Only Hamish, the disabled son of Ona
David H. Huntoon, Jr., director of the reviewed before, or haven’t read
and Joachim MacPherson, and
Army Staff, and encased in a leather- before or recently. With Beatrice
brother to Calum, dances through the
MacNeil, I had enjoyed her earlier
bound book entitling him to a place
story unscarred, his joy a beacon of
work, The Moonlight Skater, a
alongside generals (including John
hope. Oblivious to the horrors of war
collection
of
nine
short
stories
and
a
"Black Jack" Pershing, commander of
or the damaged friends who do make
play
called
The
Dream.
But
I
read
U.S. forces in World War I), Medal of
these years ago, and wasn’t prepared it home from the war, he is content to
Honor winners, Supreme Court
find delight in feathers and stones,
for the way I would be pulled so
justices, astronauts, and others.
sticks and the promise of a horse that
completely into the entrancing web
Mr. Buckles, who was in the
she weaves in her novel Where White Calum had said he’d bring to him
Philippines when World War II broke
when he came back from war.
Horses Gallop.
out on Dec. 7, 1941, and spent 39
Joachim instead carves a horse from
months in a Japanese POW camp in Even without reading reviews to colour wood for Hamish, and in that carving
Manila, met last month with President my perspective, there was a hint of
he restores something of his own
what was to come in the words of
Bush and took part in a Pentagon
wounded soul and his love for his wife.
Alistair MacLeod on the book’s cover,
ceremony honoring veterans of the
MacNeil is a writer who knows well the
where he says that MacNeil "has a
Great War.
nuances and politics of tightly knit
brilliant insight into the souls of the
And it is certainly our hope that he is
communities, and as the blurb by
wounded." Being an admirer of
around to attend many more such
MacLeod acknowledges, she knows
MacLeod, I was intrigued by his
events. He is, after all America's only praise; by the time I’d finished the
the souls of the wounded, who take
remaining direct, living link to that
many forms. The elderly parish priest
novel’s prologue, I was smitten with
conflict.
doesn’t attend the village dances and
yet another fine Nova Scotian writer,
frowns down from his house towards
and
devoured
the
rest
of
the
novel
in
But it is good to know that when his
the Saturday night revellers, who
time comes, he will have an honored two evenings.
stand "in a cluster of liquid
place among America's heroes.
Beatrice MacNeil’s late husband
damnation"; yet he takes a wee drop
Sunday, April 13, 2008 Michael B. MacDonald served with the himself to ease the ache in his bones,
The Toledo Times Cape Breton Highlanders, and was
"then a larger one to ward off eternal
Section: Veterans
decorated with the Distinguished
damnation."
Conduct Medal for bravery for his part,
with his comrades, in the liberation of The elderly widows who attend every
dance bring refreshments for the
Holland. As she writes in her
crowd and sip rum poured from a
acknowledgements, she wrote this
Page 2
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
teapot in dainty teacups. Young
Terrorism: We wildly
women cast flirtatious glances at the
overestimate the risk of being
young men, but many hearts are
broken or loves left unrequited, while a victim, says Dan Gardner ...
older loves first lose themselves in
grief, then ultimately heal one another.
Politicians and media, says Gardner,
have distorted and inflated the terrorist
threat to score political favour and
pander to audiences.
Intrigued by her narrative skill, I asked
MacNeil whether or not she writes
poetry because her words dance
across the pages of her novel.
It turns out that she doesn’t write
poetry, but she says as she worked at
the novel she read parts of it to her
husband when he was ill, although
she didn’t complete writing it until after
he died. Coming from Cape Breton
with such a strong oral tradition of
both storytelling and music has also
influenced her, because MacNeil’s
writing is lilting with music and begs to
be read aloud. Her sentences aren’t
flowery, but they capture vignettes and
moods perfectly.
A kitchen is "dark with mourners"
while the smiles of brothers Hamish
and Calum are alike, "setting off a
quiet rumpus in their eyes." Alex’s
mother warns him of the Mounties,
who are "probably crawling around the
shingles like spiders", and the
mourning Joachim "had turned on
himself and invited in a shadow."
MacNeil spins a web that draws the
reader utterly in to her spell, and it’s
best to have a cup of tea — with or
without a wee drop — and a box of
tissues as you read this novel.
Jodi Delong is a freelance writer who
lives in Halifax.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
JODI DELONG, The Chronicle Herald
Section: Miscellaneous
travelling by car because of fear of
flying in that immediate post-9/11
period -- six times the number aboard
the three doomed airplanes and a little
more than half of the total 9/11 death
toll.
On the subject of children and
abduction by strangers, Gardner
quotes statistics from Canada, the
United States and the United
Kingdom.
'There's no question that substantial
spending' to prevent terrorism is justified,
writes Dan Gardner, but adds that much of
the huge outlay would be better spent in
other areas where risks to people are
demonstrably higher.
Credit: Rod Macivor, The Ottawa Citizen
Common sense isn't so common
anymore.
It has been suffocated by irrational
fear, which in turn has been
enthusiastically stoked white-hot by
the profiteering fear industry, which
has been aided and abetted by
opportunistic politicians, gullible, lazy
media and other leaders of public
opinion who should know better.
That's a rough sketch of Dan
Gardner's book Risk, an overdue
rational
The statistics from all three countries
tell pretty much the same story. Over
two years from 2000-2001, the RCMP
database reported that the stranger
abductions in Canada -- the definition
included neighbours and friends of
parents -- numbered five. There was
just one abduction by an actual
stranger.
"There are roughly 2.9-million children
aged 14 or younger in Canada," writes
Gardner, a father of two. "Thus the
annual risk to one of those children is
1 in 5.8 million."
Similar ratios apply in the United
States where the risk of stranger
abduction is 1 in 655,555.
The chance of a U.S. child drowning in
a swimming pool, he notes, is 1 in
245,614, or two-and-a-half times
antidote to those of us who fear
greater than stranger abduction. In
becoming a victim of the next terrorist 2003, 2,408 U.S. children 14 and
attack, a fiery plane crash or some
younger died in car crashes, making
exotic killer disease.
the probability of a child dying in a
traffic accident 1 in 29,070. So a child
And there are some sobering
passages, too, for the new generation is 26 times more likely to die in a car
of "helicopter parents" who hover over accident than be abducted by a
their children, watching and organizing stranger.
their every move, lest a pedophile or
The point, says Gardner, is that few
some other predator is lurking.
people consider the risk of driving with
We're afraid, very afraid, says Ottawa
Citizen columnist Gardner, but our
fear is invariably completely misplaced
or way out of proportion.
On the subject of terrorism, Gardner
cites a U.S. study that compared
travel and fatality patterns for the five
years before the terrorist attacks on
New York and Washington to those
between 2001-02.
It found that 1,595 road deaths were
attributable to people shifting to
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
a child and even fewer are fearful of it.
And it certainly isn't the material of the
hysterical fear-mongering news
coverage that invariably greets cases
of child abduction.
Why human beings allow common
sense to give way to irrational fear is
not totally understood. But Gardner
began his research with a crash
course in Cognitive Psychology 101, a
branch of psychology that focuses on
how people understand, diagnose and
solve problems and how behaviour is
Page 3
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
affected by external appeals to the
thought process. Marketers,
advertising executives, political
operatives and perhaps even terrorist
masterminds, have a grasp of it.
It is, argues Gardner, a constant
struggle between Mind and Gut.
Terrorism generates disproportionate
fear, he says.
"Terrorism is vivid, violent, unjust and
potentially catastrophic," he writes. "It
presses all Gut's buttons. ... But
people are not slaves of their
unconscious minds. They also have
conscious minds that can overrule or
at least modify their feelings. If, after
the Sept. 11 attacks, President
George Bush had loudly and
repeatedly insisted that flying is safer
than driving, even factoring in the risk
of terrorism, and underscored the
point by getting on a commercial jet
himself, it wouldn't have convinced
everyone to ignore their jitters and
return to the airports. But it would
have got the media talking about risk
and statistics, and a significant
proportion of those who had switched
from flying to driving would have
realized it was foolish to do so and
switched back. Lives would have been
saved."
Our current climate of fear is also
expensive in direct and indirect ways,
Gardner argues. Counter-terrorism
(homeland security) spending in the
U.S. last year was $58.3 billion, not
including the astronomical cost of
wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"If Iraq were included under the rubric
of 'fighting terrorism' -- as the White
House has always insisted it should
be -- total counter-terrorist spending
would soar."
Week Ending April 19, 2008
subjected to a cost-benefit analysis.
The risk of terrorism is certainly real
and while the risk of catastrophic
terrorism is much lower than it is
commonly portrayed, it too is real. So
there's no question that substantial
spending would be justified under a
cost-benefit analysis. But it's much
harder to believe that the scale of
current spending would stand up."
Rafael Behr, writing in the London
Observer:
Gardner is forensic in his dissection of
bogus claims in advertising and
politics, just as he is lucid about the
science explaining why they work. His
But such things as airport screenings
chapters on the risk of being a victim
will meet a limit, Gardner predicted in
of crime or terrorism provoke a
an interview last week.
peculiar mix of comfort and despair. It
"Here's my prediction," he said. "There is heartening that the danger is slight;
it's unsettling how skewed our political
will be a plot where terrorists will
system and consumer culture are
attempt to smuggle explosives in
assholes and vaginas. What are they towards convincing us of the opposite.
(security) going to do then?"
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
Risk, which Gardner researched and
Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear
wrote over seven months ("I would
By Dan Gardner
have liked five years," he said) has
received glowing reviews in Britain. It
McClelland & Stewart, $34.99
will be published in the United States
with the amended title The Science of
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Fear and with Gardner's full name
Chris Cobb, The Ottawa Citizen
Section: Miscellaneous
Daniel on the cover. (It's plain "Dan"
elsewhere)
"I'm not quite sure why," he laughed. "I Branch 50's "Legion IDOL"
guess Daniel sounds more
Starts Well
authoritative."
He isn't sure whether the book's
admonishments will have any effect,
but he does have hopes.
"I hope people begin examining their
own decisions," he said. "Stop and
think. That's what we all need to do."
What Was Said
Tibor Fischer, writing in the Sunday
Telegraph:
Gardner deftly points out that since 9/
11 al-Qaeda hasn't so much as
broken wind in the U.S. He identifies
the real terror of 9/11 as not so much
Security screening at airports, border
the hijacking and crashing of
crossings and ports is also costly -passenger planes into offices, but the
according to one study, cumulative
brutal message: we will do anything
half-hour delays at airports alone cost
we can, pay any price, to kill as many
the U.S. economy $15 billion a year.
of you as possible. This, according to
It's money that could be better spent, Gardner, is not as terrifying as it first
Gardner argues, where risk is
seems. His reasoning is well thought
demonstrably higher -- on eradicating out. Israel, Gardner argues, has been
economy-crippling malaria in
the No. 1 target of left-wing and
developing countries or providing
Muslim fanatics for decades, Muslim
health insurance to the millions of
fanatics who have "enjoyed the
Americans who have none.
sponsorship of Middle Eastern states -and yet Israel has never suffered an
"Unfortunately," Gardner writes,
attack by terrorists armed with
"terrorism spending has never been
Page 4
weapons of mass destruction. This is
a pretty strong indication that getting
and using such weapons isn't quite as
easy as some would have us think."
Last thursday night Branch 50 was
filled almost to capacity with song.
By all accounts the launch of Legion
Idol was a measurable success. Over
seventy people showed up to watch
the first week of the twelve week
singing contest in which competitors
will serenade us with their vocal
charms in an effort to be chosen to
compete in the finals which will be
held on weeks eleven and twelve.
On thurday, over twenty entrant's paid
their twenty dollar entry fee and five
lucky contestants were chosen by the
host Randy Kuhn of the Music Scene,
to qualify for the finals. Those chosen
were, Sarah, Chris, Tracey, Trisha,
and Peter.
During the final two weeks the
competitors will be whittled down to a
final three winners by a jury, as yet to
be named. The first, sencond and third
place singers will receive $300, $200,
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
and $100 respectively along with
custom pins, created and graciously
donated by Jar Jewlers of Kitchener.
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
and the Nazis of Germany.
Civil War: 'First Canadians to fight
Hitler'
from early on in the war -- if they
returned to Canada alive.
As RCMP commissioner James
MacBrien noted in a letter to the
The Spanish government, meanwhile,
force's Liaison and Intelligence
was assisted by Soviet forces and the
Service on Aug. 28, 1937: "We are
all-volunteer International Brigades,
getting rid of a lot of undesirables who
which included the Canadians.
may never return, but laws should be
In the end, the rebels won, a victory
enforced if possible."
Sunday, April 13, 2008 that led to the more than three-decade
While as many as four-fifths of the
Webmaster
dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.
Section: Entertainement
veterans were immigrants to Canada,
Mr. Petrou spent four years
virtually none had Spanish roots.
researching the history of the
RCMP kept tabs on Canadian Canadian veterans while completing The vast majority went to war as antifascists -- not as thrillseekers.
vets of Spanish Civil War
his doctorate at Oxford University. He
has compiled his research in
"It was a lot of effort to get to Spain
Renegades: Canadians in the Spanish from Canada," said Mr. Petrou. "It
Civil War. Through archival
wasn't the kind of thing you could do
documents and anecdotal evidence,
on a whim."
Mr. Petrou has identified 1,681
Mr. Petrou was able to track down
Canadians who went to Spain
eight surviving Canadian veterans
between 1936 and 1939.
while researching his book; three of
His research shows the RCMP viewed them have since died.
the veterans as suspected
While there is a monument and
communists and "potential
memorial wall built in their honour in
subversives," and put together
Green Island Park in New Edinburgh,
"extensive files" on their activities.
these men are not recognized as
Map tracing the Spanish Civil War, 19361939. Map shows the immediate success In some cases, they were barred from veterans and they do not qualify for
achieved by General Franciso Franco's
signing up to fight Canada's enemies war veterans allowance.
invasion from Spanish Morocco, which was in the Second World War -- a
But as they have told Mr. Petrou, they
co-ordinated with a military uprising in the considerable irony, in light of the fact
played a big part in writing the pages
North. Franco and a group of generals
they had been fighting the same
of history.
launched their attack after a coalition of
Fascist and Nazi forces in Spain.
Socialists and Catalonian and Basque
"A lot of the veterans will tell you that
Separatists had gained control of the
"These were the first Canadians to
the Spanish Civil War was the dress
Spanish Republican government
fight Hitler. That's undisputable," Mr.
rehearsal for the Second World War,"
Petrou said in an interview.
Credit: http://www2.bc.edu/~heineman/
he said. "They see it as part of the
maps/SpCW.html
For years, the RCMP kept an open file major clash of ideologies of the 20th
on the former soldiers, often keeping century."
Canadians who volunteered in the
track of their activities by reading their
Spanish Civil War were watched by
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
group newsletters.
the RCMP for decades, even after
Monday, April 14, 2008
they entered the final years of their
At least one report was added to the
Geoff Nixon, The Ottawa Citizen
lives.
Section: Veterans
file as recently as 1984 -- nearly five
The prolonged surveillance is revealed decades after the veterans first went
to war.
in a new book by Michael Petrou, a
Legion Stabbing
journalist with Maclean's magazine
"I think it would be very fair to say the
and a former Citizen reporter.
RCMP had a grudge against veterans
of the Spanish Civil War," Mr. Petrou
The war -- fought on the eve of the
Second World War, from 1936 to 1939 said.
-- killed hundreds of thousands,
Technically, each man who went
including more than 400 Canadians.
overseas was in breach of the Foreign WINNIPEG:Man stabbed trying to
Enlistment Act -- legislation passed in help.
It began in July 1936, when parts of
the military attempted a coup against 1937 that prohibited Canadians from
A 33-year-old man was taken to
signing up for foreign conflicts.
Spain's left-leaning Popular Front
hospital in critical condition after he
government, which had been elected
And according to the evidence
was stabbed while helping staff at a
only five months earlier.
presented in Mr. Petrou's book, the
Royal Canadian Legion remove a
The rebels were backed by the military RCMP wanted to bring the Canadian troublemaker.
veterans, and their recruiters, to court
might of Italy's Fascist government
Entrants who were not chosen last
week may try again this week at
7:30pm along with any new
contestants who want to "have a go".
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 5
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Veteran
Public insult, embarrassment and
Section: Veterans
humiliation of invited World War
Veterans being extremely serious, the
issue was picked up by local, national Branch 50's ROCKERS WIN B
and International media, spreading it
Division title at KWSL Playoff.
all over the World. Most importantly, it
also was discussed in the Canadian
The victim was later upgraded to
Parliament, British Columbia
stable condition.
Legislature and Surrey City Council
The suspect fled the scene but was
and unanimously passed supporting
caught by police a short time later in a the Veterans fully and condemning the
back lane in the 300-block of College Newton Legion President’s
Avenue. the suspect has been
undesirable action.
Branch 50's own ROCKERS, led by
charged with aggravated assault and
I, being fully involved in the episode,
Comrade Ron Dickson, won the B
has been detained in police custody.
spearheaded it. I wrote personal
DIVISION title at the KWSL playoff
day Saturday Apr 12th at Br 412.
Monday, April 14, 2008 letters to the Queen, Governor
Sun Media General and many other dignitaries,
The ROCKERS were the only team in
Section: RCL giving full details of the incident and
my views on it. The Queen very kindly the division to win 5 out of 8 games.
sent my letter to the National
Way to go, Ron and crew!
Archive: Veteran Fights For
Headquarters of the Royal Canadian
Full results and photos at link below.
Honour, Religion,
Legion for action, who immediately
amended the Legion Bylaws, allowing
Monday, April 14, 2008
Jim Meyer, K-W Shuffleboard League
turbaned Veterans in all 1720 Legion
Section: Sports
Branches across Canada. Later, when
I met the Queen at Victoria on August
20,1994, she asked me about the
WWII Veteran Golf Legend
progress of the Legion’s turban issue.
Dies
I thanked her for her intervention and
said that the issue was resolved by
immediate amending the
unscrupulous bylaw. She was though
pleased but remarked “ But they
should not have treated you in the
manner they did in the first place“.
With intensive pressure from the
Royal Canadian Legion, all three
levels of Govts and the public at large,
Frank Underwood, Newton Legion
President apologized unconditionally
to the five Veterans on C. T.V. on
December 1, 1993.
Winnipeg police said the incident
occurred about 11:20 p.m. Friday,
when staff at the General Sir Sam
Steele Legion at 376 Salter St., were
removing a man who had been
"causing problems."
Five World War II turbaned Veterans
including me were refused admittance
to the Lounge of Newton Legion
Branch, Surrey on Remembrance Day
in 1993 - even though they were
invited guests. The door was barred to
them unless they agreed to remove
their turbans - something that
observant Sikhs would never do.
Moreover, advance clearance for
dress to be worn was obtained from
Parade Commander Newton Legion.
Because of the ill-treatment meted out
to the Veterans, some white Ministers,
MLAs and Councillors scheduled to
make speeches inside the Lounge
refused to enter in protest and walked
away.
Page 6
On seeing the news of my handling
the case, in Indian media, the
International Reporter Reeta Sharma
of Chandigarh English Tribune came
to my house in Surrey, Canada. She
interviewed me on the incident for
over two hours and sent her Story to
her newspaper for publication. Her
story published in Chandigarh English
Tribune on July 29, 1994.
Lt Col Pritam Singh Jauhal (Retd)
World War II Veteran is the Founder
President Indian Ex-Servicemen
Society British Columbia. He can be
reached at Phone; 604-581-9383 or
E.mail: [email protected].
Monday, April 14, 2008
Lt Col Pritam Singh Jauhal (Retd) World War II
Rudy Horvath, one of Canada's big names
in golf history, pictured at the Essex Golf
and Country Club.
Credit: The Windsor Star file photo
Rudy Horvath was a Second World
War veteran, but was much better
known as a talented Windsor golfer
who once competed on the PGA tour
with Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead.
He was 85.
Horvath was recently diagnosed with
leukemia. He suffered a fall at his east
Windsor home last Friday and
succombed to his injuries later that
day.
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
"We golfed regularly every Sunday
Former British POW tells little- about being deployed to Korea.
last year," said Dennis Meyer, his son- known side of Korean War
However, he said it feels "great" to
in-law. "He still had a great swing."
be back.
Horvath was a lifetime member of
"It's fantastic what they have done
Essex Golf & Country Club and the
since the war. We've been abroad
Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach,
quite a few times and this is one of the
Fla.
best countries I've been into," he said.
In 2002, he was the honourary starter
Newhouse and his wife Dorothy are
for the $1.6-million Senior PGA's
here on a program hosted by Seoul's
AT&T Canada Open held at Essex.
Patriots and Veterans Affairs Agency
Standing on the first tee, he
and the Korea Veterans' Association
announced the names and
as a token of appreciation for those
accomplishments of old friends and
who fought in the Korean War.
rivals.
Still, his first "official" trip back to
Between 1952 and 1954, Horvath
Korea comes as tension between the
played against some of the biggest
divided Koreas is heading toward its
George Newhouse, Age 85.
names in the game, including Palmer,
highest level since the war's end, amid
Credit: Yonhap News
Snead and Ben Hogan.
North Korea's continued nuclear
SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- "When
ambitions.
He recounted how he was often paired
we were captured, they (the North
with the pricklish Snead.
"I think what they should do is talk
Koreans) had very little food to give
before they pick up any guns. There
"Other guys didn't want to play with
us," said a British veteran who was
should be no other war," he said.
him," Horvath said in an 2002
taken prisoner in the 1950-53 Korean
"Nobody could gain anything out of a
interview with The Star.
War and spent 32 months at a prison
nuclear war. There will only be world
camp near the Yalu River.
"He was tough, but I didn't mind."
destruction if there is a nuclear war, so
More than five decades after he was
all that should be forgotten."
Horvath shot a career-best 61 at the
released from the prison camp,
Newhouse is one of 153 Korean War
1954 Texas Open, a tour record by a
George Newhouse, now 85 years old, veterans from Australia, Britain,
foreign player that stood for 46 years.
vividly remembers being handed
Canada and New Zealand visiting the
"It was amazing the way he still hit the communist books and newspapers,
country this week. The group will also
with which the North Koreans tried to go to the United Nations Memorial
ball," Meyer said. "He loved to play
and he loved to teach. He helped my indoctrinate him and other Western
Cemetery in Busan, where 885 British
prisoners of war (POWs).
game a lot."
soldiers are buried and honored along
with some 1,500 others who fell during
"But after six months they got fed up
Meyer described his father-in-law as a
the three-year Korean War.
humble man who only delved into his with us refusing to do it, so they
brought what they called a lenient
professional golf career when
The Newhouses just celebrated their
policy," he said in an interview with
prompted. Often, Meyer said, he
60th wedding anniversary, but they
Yonhap News Agency.
would learn more about Horvath's
say they are far from letting Korea out
accomplisments from others, or by
of their lives -- or South Korea letting
Newhouse was taken prisoner on
reading his biography in the Windsor/
them out. Their 25-year-old
April 23, 1951, when his British Army
Essex County Sports Hall of Fame.
granddaughter, Jennifer Frost, just
medical platoon was fighting a battle
began a two-year program at Seoul's
Horvath had a long career in the
near the Imjin River in what is now
Yonsei University on a scholarship
insurance business and he was a
South Korea's northernmost city of
hosted by the Korea Veterans'
Second World War veteran. He is
Paju, just south of the inter-Korean
Association and the country's largest
survived by his wife Alma and two
border.
conglomerate, Samsung.
children. Arrangements are entrusted
Recalling his release from the camp,
to Windsor Chapel, with a funeral
"I was happy because she was
Newhouse said, "Discussions for
service today at 11 a.m.
coming to a place where I had some
exchanging POWs had been going on
relationship," said George, also
© The Windsor Star 2008
for about two years and they finally got
remembering to thank the people here
through and they sent a few first, the
who are "looking after the graves" of
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 wounded and the sick, and then the
his fallen colleagues.
Mary Caton, Windsor Star
main body of us left in November
Section: Veterans
1953."
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The British veteran said that he had
Byun Duk-kun, Yonhap News, Seoul South
Korea
already fought in World War II in
Section: Veterans
Burma and had retired from active
service by the time the Korean War
broke out, so he didn't feel very well
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 7
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Windsor Memorial Vandalized $45,000.
Perry went on April 5 to get a firsthand look at the state of the
monument in preparation for a
memorial service there on May 4.
"You can actually see on the stone
where someone used a pry bar to
break it," Perry said.
"This is the second time it's been
damaged in the past year. I have no
idea who did it, but it's not little kids.
It's very heavy."
There are several Mason memorials
similar to it across the country, all
intentionally made large enough to be
visible from the air.
"It's the largest one of its kind in
Canada," Perry said.
MONUMENT DAMAGE: Vandals recently
damaged a plaque at the Windsor Erie
District Masonic War Memorial at Malden
Park. Geoff Perry, local Masons district
deputy grand master, contemplates the
vandalism on Sunday.
Credit: Scott Webster, Windsor Star
He also points out that none of the
trees around the memorial are well
maintained.
"The city is not upholding the
agreement," Perry said.
Perry said he would like the city to
provide materials to spruce up the
monument and the Masons will
provide volunteers to do the work.
He would also like the city to provide
lighting for the memorial to deter
vandals. If it was illuminated, police
could see it at night from the roadway
or parking lot.
The site is littered with broken beer
bottles and two benches there have
sustained significant damage from
knives.
It is actually known as the Windsor
and Erie District monument, as lodges
from the north shore of Lake Erie also © The Windsor Star 2008
contributed to its creation.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Chris Thompson, Windsor Star
Section: Miscellaneous
MASON SYMBOL
The memorial includes a stone outline
of the Mason symbol laid out on the
Legion official honoured
ground and is about 70 metres wide
and 100 metres high.
WINDSOR: Local Masons are
saddened but vow to restore a
damaged memorial to members who
In the middle is a walled stone
made the ultimate sacrifice for Canada
sanctuary and another large granite
in the the First and Second World
slab engraved with the names of 15
Wars.
local Masons killed in the First World
The large memorial on the side of a
War and another 11 who were killed in
hill at Malden Park has been the target the Second World War.
of vandalism twice in the past year.
The Masons are still waiting for
The most recent damage will be the
estimates on the cost of repairs to fix
costliest.
the monument.
A large granite slab -- about 60
"It's not going to be cheap," Perry
centimetres wide by 30 centimetres
said.
high and engraved with a passage
Last year, the monument was the
from Ecclesiastes and the Masonic
target of a graffiti artist who sprayed
emblem -- has been pried from the
the word "Saints" on it.
plinth to which it was strongly
cemented. It is left broken in two,
The monument also appears to have
about three metres away.
been the venue for a paintball fight. It
"It's disheartening because Canadians is covered in red paint splotches and
plastic paintball canisters were found
liberated the Netherlands and there
the Dutch children actually tend to the nearby.
graves of Canadian soldiers," said
PUSHED BACK
Windsor District Deputy Grand Master
Because of the damage and other
Geoff Perry.
issues which Perry has with the city's
"Here in Canada we smash it and
lack of maintenance at the site, he has
destroy it."
pushed back the memorial service
The memorial, located near the main until June 22.
path of the park near the pavilion, was
Perry said the city has cut down five
erected seven years ago at a cost of
trees that were part of the original
Page 8
monument's design. They have not
been replaced.
From left, Betty Danks, daughter of
Kathleen (Kit) MacNeill, Royal Canadian
Legion Moncton Branch #6 president
David Longaphie, and Moncton-RiverviewDieppe MP Brian Murphy applaud as a
plaque is unveiled during a ceremony
honouring MacNeill at the Moncton
Veterans Health Centre Saturday.
Credit: VIKTOR PIVOVAROV/TIMES &
TRANSCR
MONCTON: Betty Ann Danks
remembers "the look" her mother had
and how she used it to get results
from her and her siblings when they
were growing up in Dalhousie.
At a moving ceremony to honour longtime Royal Canadian Legion official
and veterans advocate Kathleen (Kit)
MacNeill Saturday afternoon at the
Moncton Veterans' Heath Centre,
Danks remembered her mother with
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
reverence.
"She was a wonderful mother and not
overly strict, but when we disobeyed
we got the look and we knew he had
better do what we were told," Danks
said in a brief interview after the
ceremony.
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
him she wasn't feeling well. He said he Auxiliary marks 50 years;
would come to her home immediately Legion Branch 564 women
and take her to the hospital so she
remain active
could see a doctor.
"Not now," she replied, "Some of the
boys from the (veterans) unit are
coming over for lunch. I want to see
them and I can't let them down."
"We knew the look and we knew what
she meant by it."
MacNeill, who served with the
Canadian Women's Army Corps
Former Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe
during the Second World War, often
MP Claudette Bradshaw told the large
told her family that if her health
crowd, which filled the spacious
deteriorated she would like to be
lounge at the veterans' health centre,
moved to the veterans' health centre.
she had also been on the receiving
However, she died in January, 2007
end of MacNeill's "look."
and never got to reside in the unit.
Bradshaw was the MP when MacNeill She was 83.
led a committee that sought funding
Before the crowd, Neil looked to
for the construction of the modern
heaven, took a deep breath and
facility, which opened in 2002 and
declared: "Mom, you made it. You're
replaced the antiquated veterans unit
home now."
at the Dr. Georges-L-Dumont Hospital.
Another daughter, Cathy Belanger,
MacNeill, who became the first
also attended, but her brother Robert
president of the Legion's Branch 6 in
could not make it.
Moncton, was persistent in her quest
for government funding for the
The three siblings unveiled a plaque in
veterans' unit, which is now filled to
Kit MacNeill's honour, which will be on
capacity with 40 patients and has a
display at the veterans' centre. It
staff of 62, including 17 nurses.
features a picture of her and words
that highlight her dedication to the unit
"You knew that when Kit gave you the
and the Beausejour Health Authority,
look you had better come through and
which administers the centre.
it was largely because of her efforts
and the efforts of (former branch
The family donated a reclining chair
president) Henry LeBlanc, that the unit and stool to the centre and electric
came here," Bradshaw told the crowd. razors to all patients.
"She made it clear that she wanted the
unit here and she wanted the staff
from the Dumont to work here. Once
she gave us the look, you knew she
was going to get her way."
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
dwayne tingley, times & transcript staff
Section: RCL
Current MP Brian Murphy also praised
MacNeill, saying the construction of
the unit was the result of her "love for
the legion and for veterans."
Noreen Davidson (left) and Kay Reid, pastpresidents of the Royal Canadian Legion
Branch 564 Ladies Auxiliary, were joined at
the auxiliary's 50th anniversary dinner/
dance Saturday by Richard Brunelle, the
branch's president.
Credit: Harold Carmichael/the sudbury star
SUDBURY: Ask Kay Reid and Noreen
Davidson if Canada should continue to
station troops in Afghanistan and the
two women don't even flinch with their
answers.
"I can remember as a student when
my brother was in the Second World
War," said Davidson on Saturday. "I
saw the parents of the soldiers ask
them to come back. But it doesn't work
that way. You have to do what they tell
you to do."
"You have to take care of your
country," added Reid, who pointed out
81 Canadians have died to date in the
Middle East country.
Both 73, the two women own the
distinction of having served as
president of the Royal Canadian
Legion Branch 564 (Lockerby) Ladies'
Auxiliary.
Danks, who travelled to attend the
ceremony from Dalhousie, said her
mother's devotion to veterans was
always evident in their home.
On Saturday, the Ladies Auxiliary
marked its 50th anniversary with a
huge dinner/dance at the branch on
Long Lake Road. Both are associate
members of Branch 564, which has
about 270 total members. Of those,
about 15 are veterans.
"It gave my mother great happiness to
help others, especially veterans,"
Danks said.
Reid has been involved with the
Ladies Auxiliary for 38 years. For
Davidson, it has been 30 years.
Neil MacNeill, a son who lives in
Moncton, also spoke about his
mother's passion for the cause of
veterans.
Richard Brunelle, the president of
Branch 564, echoed the two women's
sentiments on Afghanistan.
A few months before she died, Kit
called her son one day at work to tell
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
"If the United Nations thinks we should
be there, we should be there," he said.
"I think the United Nations, if you want
Page 9
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
to be a member of that organization,
you should do as they request."
A retired Falconbridge employee,
Brunelle has been a member of the
branch for about 12 years and
president the past four. He, along with
brothers Paul and Randy, are all
associate members, their father
having been a veteran and branch
member.
"He reiterated to us the legion was a
good organization," said Richard.
Week Ending April 19, 2008
to various non-profit organizations.
The branch provides for several
student bursaries.
Worse Than the Draft
Richard said while the branch's
membership is down from years ago,
it is holding its own.
"Our numbers are down, but we are
seeing an improvement because we
are getting new members every month
coming into our branch," he said.
"We are getting transfers, people who
are interested in the legion. We ae
getting associates - relatives of
veterans."
The Ladies Auxiliary got its start back
in 1958 in a "clubhouse" in a building
on Rumball Drive where the Rumball
That same scenario is also happening
Terrace housing complex now stands.
with the Ladies Auxiliary.
Then, it was off to a new location in
"We seem to get new members every
the Plaza 69 complex. In 1970, the
year," Reid said. "Some of our
branch and Ladies Auxiliary both
members are passing away, but we
moved to the current site on Long
are also getting new members."
Lake Road.
Both Davidson and Reid have no
Today, the Ladies' Auxiliary has about
plans to drop out of the ladies
60 members.
auxiliary.
Davidson said it's simply amazing the
"I enjoy doing things," Davidson said.
Ladies Auxiliary has hit the half"We have seniors dances. It's very
century mark.
rewarding to see it. Sometimes on a
"When you think they started in a little Wednesday afternoon, we get 150
clubhouse at Rumball Terrace with
people out there for a dance."
nothing, then moved into Plaza 69,
Reid, whose husband was a soldier
they were working in very wicked
for five years, said she finds her
conditions," she said.
volunteer work at the legion branch
Jeanne Brunelle, Richard's mother,
rewarding.
served as the Ladies Auxiliary
"I enjoy being here," she said. "You
president from 1996-98.
get to be a family here. Everybody
"Many legions don't have a Ladies
knows everybody. We work together
Auxiliary," Richard said.
well."
Tom Chartier played lead guitar in
legendary Los Angeles punk band The
Rotters for 26 years until their final
appearance in January of 2004. He has
lived in Tokyo and Los Angeles. Currently
he resides somewhere in the Caribbean.
Well come on all you big strong men.
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
Got himself in a terrible jam.
Way down yonder in Vietnam!
~ Country Joe MacDonald
Wait one darn tootin minute here!
Shouldn’t that last line be: "Way down
yonder in… uh… Iraq?" No, that
doesn’t work. Got it. "Way down
yonder in Afghanistan!" At least it
rhymes.
It may not be A Long Way To
Tipperary but Country Joe’s classic
"war" song still brings a tear to the
eye. And it’s just as applicable today
as it was during the glory days of the
Vietnam War. Don’t you all love it
when history repeats itself?
In Vietnam days charming little notices
showed up in the mail informing the
youthful Free Fodder when and where
to report. Yessiree Colonel Klink, I’m
talking about the draft, mandatory
"It's just something that has happened The one-floor branch can
conscription into the armed services
(here). For us to have our branch and accommodate 150 people in the
ladies auxiliary both make to it to 50
dining area and another 100 in the bar so the Youth of America could have
the opportunity to die for… die for…
(the branch reached that milestone
area.
just give me a minute… It was
last year) is great."
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 something noble and heroic. Oh yeah!
A total of 23 women have served as
Harold Carmichael, The Sudbury Star Freedom and Democracy!
Section: RCL
ladies auxiliary president, some
I’m not sure how getting your head
serving two or more terms of office.
blown off in South East Asia was
A big reason for Branch 564 forming
supposed to defend der Fatherland…
along with some other smaller
uh… I mean "Homeland" from the
branches across the Sudbury area,
International Communist Conspiracy,
explained Richard, was because the
but it was. I was just a twerp in high
city's main branch - No. 76 - in
school wondering how this SoCal
Minnow Lake could not handle all of
desert rat would weather the cold of
the veterans at that site.
Canada if I couldn’t convince my draft
board that I was unfit for duty in my
Today, the branch has an annual
stylish Wizard of Oz Dorothy outfit
budget of about $100,000, with about
while puffing on an asthma inhaler.
10 per cent of that going to cancer
causes and another 20 per cent going
Page 10
No longer are such shenanigans
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
required.
NCLB Act: SEC. 9528. ARMED
FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO
Thanks to progressive enlightenment,
STUDENTS AND STUDENT
yanking kids off the street and shoving
RECRUITING INFORMATION.
an M-16 in their hands is no longer
considered politically correct. Phew… To save you all the trouble, basically it
what a relief! However, Uncle Scam
says the administrators of your kid’s
does not want any child to be left
school must give the military
behind. The opportunity for the current headhunters (don’t call them
breed of whippersnappers to get their cannibals!) your kid’s name, address
intestines splattered all over their
and phone number.
Humvees for Freedom still exists.
Oh, the wise parent can opt out by
signing a form. Unfortunately, most
As we all know the draft has been
replaced with the much more insidious school districts pass out a generic
con game of the all-volunteer military. form that also automatically includes
Madison Avenue packaged snake oil opting out of colleges and potential
employers… like uh… America’s
has moved in to seduce the young,
loud and snotty into being all that they biggest sub-prime employer, The
Federal Government… or Burger
can be… uh… depending on what’s
World.
left of them after their multiple
deployments to the Cradle of
The schools don’t really want to ruffle
Civilization. See the world as you help
the feathers of the Federal Father
to destroy it!
Monster. That’s where the funding
comes from. However, the informed
Big decisions face the potential high
parent can protect their young by
school grad. Like the timeless
question: "What the hell do I do now?" writing a letter to the school
administrators specifying that personal
Hm… there is trouble in River City for
info may not be given to military
America’s youth teetering on the edge
recruiters but may, and should be
of adulthood. Let’s see… can’t hang
given to colleges… or Burger World.
out in the pool hall anymore. Burger
Well, things don’t look good for the
World isn’t hiring these days.
youth stepping out of the Airstream
Nobody’s putting a Dodge in their
garage anymore. College? Good idea. Trailer for the first time do they?
That can stave off maturity for years… Maybe courses in Mandarin Chinese
until the money runs out. Oh but wait! should be required curriculum in high
Ma and Pa are having one tough time school. Prom King Biff just might want
to stow away on a freighter bound for
making the payments on their subprime loan. And that C- grade average Shanghai and get an illegal job as the
combined with those low test-scores… gardener for a Chinese banker.
well… let’s just say Harvard and Yale
But I digress.
aren’t climbing over each other to sign
Does it seem like a good idea to have
up little Scooter. Maybe there is a
military recruiters poking their noses
better way to better one’s self.
into our children’s futures? Despite the
Luck be a lady tonight! Look who has
fact that eighteen-year-olds know
your kid’s home phone number and
everything (just ask one), aren’t they
address! Why it’s G.I. Joe! What a
usually gullible and naïve boobs? Hey,
nice regular guy too. He’s cool. Teens
I’m not ashamed to admit I was. How
can talk to him. He might even pop
about you?
into the cafeteria for a chat during
Teens are sitting ducks for the
lunch period. Wow… this guy cares!
seductive powers of the military
Impressive, but… just how did the
canib… uh… headhunters. Those
local military recruiter get this
bloodsuckers will promise
information?
opportunities too good to be true. And
His school gave it to him.
usually if it’s too good to be true, it
ain’t true. They’ll promise money for
Like I said… Uncle Scam wants no
college, skills for civilian life, even US
child left behind. Education has
nothing to do with it. You see, if you’ll citizenship, and the opportunity of a
fire up the old PC and check it out you lifetime, however short that may be.
What great fun. Just ask the US
just might find this cute clause in the
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Army’s virtual Sergeant Star. It’s just
like a video game with even better
graphics!
And graphics is what they’ll get.
Do the military headhunters tell them
just how real the graphics are? Hell
no! Staff Sergeant Norris sure as hell
ain’t gonna pull out some colored
glossies of head wounds from a fiftycaliber machine gun or bloated
corpses rotting in the noonday sun.
They might spoil the festive lunchtime
mood.
Do you suppose the friendly military
recruiter is going to mention anything
about the roughly 120 suicides per
week of veterans? Naw. Could some
veterans be having… dare I say it…
troubles? Well, I wouldn’t worry about
that. It cuts down on taxpayer burden.
Anyone still in the service unlucky at
getting out the hard way can bank on
a second chance. Uncle Scam’s more
than happy to send them back to the
Iraqi Front, however many times it
takes to get the job done.
Here are some other goodies that
might not get promised. How about
physical therapy to learn to walk
again? Or therapy to learn how to
write with the remaining hand? Is
there funding for that spiffy new
titanium hook? Will there be years of
therapy for Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Gonna need it. Those IEDs pack such
a wallop the shock waves alone are
enough to scramble the brains for
keeps. Best not to talk about these
things when trying to sucker a
seventeen-year-old kid into signing up
before graduation.
What opportunities actually remain in
civilian life for these shells of our youth
after they’re discharged? Does
anyone seriously believe life will be all
hunky dory for the returning young
veteran? Now that they’ve been used
up and spit out, is Uncle Scam
actually interested in lending a helping
claw?
For every hour the Military recruiters
prey on our young, the potential
teenage enlistee should spend fifteen
minutes with an actual combat
veteran. Those fifteen minutes might
save their lives. But does Uncle Sam
really want to save lives?
Page 11
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Webmasters Note: Click on the link
below to see the original posting of
this article. It contains many links to
related corroborating web pages.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tom Chartier
Section: Miscellaneous
U.S. Estimate: 120 Veteran
Suicides Per Week
Stock Photo
Late last year, a CBS News
investigation found that in 2005 "there
were at least 6,256 suicides among
those who served in the armed forces.
That's 120 each and every week, in
just one year."
Last week, CBS News reported on
data it had just obtained from the
government on veterans who were
recently treated by the Veterans
Administration. In this limited sample,
"two age groups stood out between
2000 and 2007. First, ages 20-24 -those likely to have served during the
Iraq-Afghan wars. Suicide attempts
rose from 11 to 47. And for vets ages
55 to 59, suicide attempts jumped
from 19 to 117."
JOYCE and KEVIN LUCEY
Joyce and Kevin Lucey are the
parents of Jeffrey Lucey, who
committed suicide after being in Iraq
for five months in 2004. Joyce Lucey
said today: "My son was betrayed first
by a government who sent him to war
and then by the Veterans
Administration for not giving him the
treatment he needed. He and others
died from this war but their names will
never be on a memorial wall.
Week Ending April 19, 2008
last month of his life. 'There are things
I wouldn't want to tell you or my
parents, because I don't want you to
be worried. Even if I did tell you, you'd
probably think I was just exaggerating.
I would never want to fight in a war
again. I've seen and done enough
horrible things to last me a lifetime.'"
Kevin Lucey said today: "Jeffrey had
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but
PTSD is not so much a mental
dysfunction as a normal response to
an abnormal situation. Jeffrey refused
to go to the VA due to the stigma
associated with it. We finally got him
to the VA, but after he committed
suicide, the VA wouldn't give us all his
medical records, claiming a Freedom
of Information Act exemption. We
finally managed to get the records -Jeffrey had told them how he was
thinking of committing suicide and
they put him down as a moderate
risk."
Joyce and Kevin Lucey testified at the
recent Winter Soldier
conference.Audio of their testimony is
available online, as isvideo of various
testimony.
"Tim was the life of a party, happy-golucky young man that joined the
National Guard in 2003 to earn money
for college and get a little structure in
his life. On March 19 of 2005 when
Specialist Timothy Noble Bowman got
off the bus with the other National
Guard soldiers of Foxtrot 202 that
were returning from Iraq he was a
different man. He had a glaze in his
eyes and a 1,000-yard stare, always
looking for an insurgent. ...
"[My son] was not counted in any VA
statistics of any kind. He had not
made it into the VA system because of
the stigma of reporting mental
problems, he was National Guard, and
he was not on a drill weekend when
he took his life. The only statistical
study that he was counted in was the
CBS study. And there are many more
just like him. We call them KBA's,
killed because of action. The unknown
fallen."
More Information
YANIA PADILLA
Sister of Walter Padilla, Yania said
today: "My brother committed suicide
on April 1, 2007. He was about to
become engaged, they'd bought rings,
CLOY RICHARDS
they had gone house-hunting the day
Cpl. Cloy Richards served two tours in
before. He'd been discharged with
Iraq as a Marine, including a siege of
PTSD in February of 2005. He'd gone
Fallujah. He returned home suicidal
to the VA, but they just gave him some
and fought with the VA for almost two
pills. He was withdrawn and
years trying to obtain help for his
introspective."
traumatic brain injury and PTSD.
See "Vet's war continued at home."
Ultimately, his mother had to go to
Congress to obtain the help he
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
needed.
Richards contributed several poems to
Warrior Writers: Re-Making Sense,
a collection of creative writing and art
by members of Iraq Veterans Against
the War. One of his poems,
"Survivor's Guilt," is available online.
More Information
Institute for Public Accuracy
Section: Veterans
MIKE BOWMAN
Bowman testified before the House
Committee on Veterans' Affairs in
December. He said: "As my family
was preparing for our 2005
Thanksgiving meal, our son Timothy
was lying on the floor of my shop
office, slowly bleeding to death from a
self-inflicted gunshot wound. His war
"The letters we received from him
was now over, his demons were gone.
were brief and sanitized. But to his
girlfriend of six years, he said in April Tim was laid to rest in a combination
military, firefighter funeral that was a
of 2003 he felt he had done immoral
things and that he wanted to erase the tribute to the man he was.
Page 12
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Vet wrote on Forgotten War
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
10 of them from this city.
Hoojung Jones, who co-wrote
Canadians Our Heroes, said she was
amazed at how little Canadians knew
about the Korean War after she
moved to this country from Korea in
1987.
Troops’ care packages
located
One day, she took a tour of the
Hamilton Military Museum to find there
was no reference to Canadian
involvement in the Korean War.
She set out to spread the word
through her involvement with the
Hamilton Folk Arts Heritage Council
and other local organizations and
eventually hooked up with Somers.
BC: Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan
received many of the goods collected
during a 2007 campaign here around
mid-February.
"Not only was Tom a hero in terms of
being a veteran, but he was personal
mentor. I've never known anyone who The Canadian Forces’ Jim Peverley
confirmed toilet paper, pocket books,
had so much courage."
crosswords, Kleenex and magazines
Wesley Beetham, president of the
amassed during a grassroots Support
Korea Veterans Association's
Our Troops effort that launched in
Hamilton chapter, believes the book
White Rock more than a year ago
TOM SOMERS
has done much to spread the story of were among items distributed to
Credit: Hamilton Spectator File Photo
Canadian veterans in Korea.
soldiers earlier this year.
Book honours Canadians who
"As
far
as
I
am
concerned,
the
book
Unfortunately, the soldiers did not
served in Korea - TOM SOMERS
was his greatest effort. They both
1926-2008
receive the items in care packages
worked night and day to get that book that were painstakingly organized by
Tom Somers was a fighter.
out."
White Rock’s Clifford Grant and
supported by donations across the
He fought the Nazis in the Second
It's a story that needed to be told
country. And, they may never know
World War. He battled the communists before it was too late. Korean War
in the Korean War.
vets are aging. Most are in their 70s or the effort put into sending them these
80s. Beetham notes that membership few comforts of home.
And over the past year, he took on
at the Korea Veterans Association in “It’ll be distributed as necessary,”
cancer with every breath he could
Peverley said Friday. “It’ll be pretty
manage, pulling himself from his bed Hamilton has declined to 39 from a
high point of 135 several years ago.
hard to tell it from supplies, though.”
to take part in a bayside veterans'
ceremony at HMCS Haida last
For his part, Somers used to say that The Peace Arch News reported earlier
November.
Korea was the more horrible of the
this month Grant was frustrated
two wars in which he fought.
because he couldn’t get confirmation a
Somers died March 28 at 82.
shipment of 3,500 care packages
"It
was
like
stepping
back
in
time.
It
He will best be remembered for his
was trench warfare. We never moved which left B.C. last fall had reached
efforts to preserve the memory of
the soldiers it was intended for. He
Canadians who served in the Korean ... we lived in bunkers, holes in the
knew only that it had reached
ground
and
fought
from
the
trenches,"
War.
Montreal – because he had fundraised
he once told a Spectator reporter.
the $3,000 it cost to get it there.
Somers co-wrote a book -- published
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
in English and Korean -- called
Mark McNeil, The Hamilton Spectator Peverley, with CF’s Director General
Canadians Our Heroes, that has been
Section: Veterans
Personnel and Family Support
distributed to high schools, libraries
Services, said many things worked
and veterans.
against the shipment getting to
Afghanistan in its entirety.
He was past president of the Korea
Veterans Association of Canada, Unit
A key issue was a number of items
26, Hamilton Region.
were either past their expiry date –
including power bars – or not sealed,
Of all the military campaigns that
such as lip balm.
Canadians have taken part in, Korea
is known as the Forgotten War. Yet
Peverley said toothpaste that
nearly 27,000 served, with more than
accompanied single-use toothbrushes
300 from Hamilton. A total of 516 died,
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 13
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
couldn’t be accepted because it was
made in China. An alert last year
warned against using toothpaste
made in China because it may contain
a poisonous chemical used in
antifreeze.
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Grant said he was then told by officials
to pretend everything was OK at the
packing event in Annacis Island until
media left, and then break the news
later that it was off.
Peverley said it is not that such
gestures aren’t appreciated.
“It’s nice to get something... to be
recognized by Canadians for what
you’re doing over there,” Peverley
said. “The really important stuff to get
is from your family.”
“I was told just go ahead and pack a
few care boxes for the media, and
(then) tell everybody it was cancelled,”
Peverley said people wishing to
he said. “I said, ‘I refuse to lie.’”
• there was nothing to say where it
support the troops are encouraged to
had come from;
visit www.cfpsa.com. He noted the site
Grant said he made a “corporate
decision” to have everything packed, discourages donations shipped into a
• the packages were not addressed to
theatre of operations (details Grant
refusing to disappoint the dozens of
specific soldiers;
volunteers who showed up to help. He insists were not on the website when
• the packages were individually
said he got word the following Monday he began his campaign).
sealed; and
that if he could get the shipment to
More appropriate are donations to
Montreal by mid-September, the
Operation Santa Claus, a program
• the boxes were half-full, making
Canadian Forces would take over
that ensures deployed soldiers receive
them inefficient to ship.
from there.
a package at Christmas. There are
The lack of details raised concerns
also a number of funds set up to
Grant added nothing went into the
about the packages’ contents and
packages “that was not known about support soldiers and their families to
their source.
which funds may be directed. Peverley
in Ottawa,” and that everything was
“If somebody wanted to maliciously
said an additional option is a program
packed and sealed as he was told it
target Canadian soldiers, this would
by the Royal Canadian Legion that
should be.
be the way to do it,” he said. “We
purchases Tim Horton’s gift
“I did absolutely nothing without
cannot accept any care packages
certificates for soldiers.
somebody in Ottawa knowing about
addressed to ‘any Canadian soldier’...
Peverley said Grant has been sent a
it.”
so we know that there’s some
letter explaining issues with the care
confidence in the source of it.”
Grant believes the powers that be had
packages. As of Monday, Grant hadn’t
no faith the effort would bear fruit: “So
received the letter.
Peverley said he brought a few of the
when the time came that I had all this
boxes back to his office in Ottawa to
stuff done, they did not know what to
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
use as examples of what not to do.
do with me, so they just ignored me.”
Tracy Holmes - Peace Arch News
Section: Afghanistan
While Grant said at the outset he had
Grant added that if the effort wasn’t
the support of the CF for the Support
wanted, somebody should have said
Our Troops effort, Peverley said staff
something “so I could make other
know to discourage such donations.
arrangements.”
“I don’t know who he was talking to,”
“There’s no way on God’s green earth
Peverley said. “If they had approached
I would ever do anything to jeopardize
us about making that donation, we
this.
would have declined it.”
“I knew last June I was not going to
Grant said Monday that he dealt with a
win. But I could not be the one who
lady named Candace, who he
said scrap it,” Grant said. “I made a
understood was in charge of the
commitment and people believed in
department that deals with donations.
me.”
In addition, he had the support of
Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale MP
But Hiebert said this week Minister of
Russ Hiebert, who was Parliamentary National Defence Peter MacKay had
Secretary to the Minister of National
“provided his complete support” for the
Defense at the time, and who
campaign.
recognized and commended the effort
Hiebert asked the minister’s office
in Parliament on Feb. 21, 2007.
Monday to clarify exactly what
Grant said he learned the day before happened, and said he is confident
the care packages were packed last
the troops received the goods.
June that “nothing was approved (and)
“The bottom line here is the donors
nobody knows anything” about the
can be satisfied that the stuff they sent
effort – despite assurances since
made it to the soldiers, and if there
October 2006 that everything was a
was any delay it was for a good
go.
reason,” Hiebert said.
Other issues that hampered the
shipment, Peverley said, included:
Page 14
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
seeing newsreels of Spanish people
soldiers to receive heavy fire.
'The war was imminent';
suffering
at
the
theatre,
Paivio
decided
Jules Paivio's socialist ideals
"One New York lad got the bullet
he needed to do something.
through his testicles and I went back
led him to fight in Spain
"Somehow we knew or understood ...
that the war was imminent," he said.
"I was conscious. I read a lot already
and I had a socialist writer for a
father."
to help him," he said. "I had to rush
back into the attack, so that was the
first taste of real battle."
In another incident, Paivio and his
company were attacked while
marching down a dry riverbed.
Paivio knew two men who had already
Attackers came so close to Paivio and
left for Spain, so in December 1936 at
his fellow soldiers, they were forced to
age 19, he headed to war. After some
use their bayonets.
initial difficulties, he found an aid office
in Toronto that was recruiting soldiers. "That's where you realized ... are you
Paivio joined a group of like-minded
really capable of bayoneting a human
socialists from Vancouver and left for being?"
Spain.
A difficult feat for a man not
After crossing the Atlantic Ocean,
accustomed to violence.
Paivio and company, with the help of a
"I had hated shooting a deer," he said.
local rumrunner, entered Spain
"I only shot partridge and rabbit."
through France, travelling over the
Pyrenees mountain range that
Paivio attended officers' training and
separates the two countries.
transferred from the American
battalion to the Canadian battalion. He
They then travelled by train to
was assigned to the machine gun
Barcelona.
company.
Paivio recounts not being wellBecause of high casualty rates, recruits
One day in the middle of the war,
like Paivio were rushed into battle after
prepared for battle.
while setting up machine gun crews,
only a couple of weeks training.; At 91,
disaster struck.
Jules Paivio is one of a dwindling number "We had very little training," he said.
of survivors of the Spanish Civil War in the "We had about two weeks of training
"I thought they were friendly troops, so
1930s. He was one of about 30 people
and
then
we
had
to
go
to
the
front."
I wasn't too careful when they came
from Sudbury who fought in the conflict.
toward us. They had helmets and so
Credit: gino donato/the sudbury star gino A Canadian battalion wasn't formed
forth, so I thought, jeez, they're welldonato/the sudbury star
yet, so Paivio fought with an American
equipped, they must be the crack
It was a desire to help - combined with battalion.
division. It wasn't - these were two
strong political values - that spurred
"We were rushing into the front
Italians."
Jules Paivio to decide to fight in an
because they had suffered a lot of
He ordered his troops to fire at them,
often-overlooked war more than 70
casualties and they needed
but the Canadians didn't succeed in
years ago.
reinforcements," said Paivio.
hitting the Italians.
"I wanted to do something
Not only were the forces rushed into
"They jumped in behind me and took
worthwhile," said Paivio. "Here were
battle, but they were poorly equipped
people under attack and really, it was with improper the footwear and Ross me back (to their headquarters) and
they beat me with their rifle butts and
something I felt was worthwhile."
rifles, made infamous in World War
so on," he said. "But the Italians
Paivio, who will be 91 this month, is a One because of their tendency to jam. weren't that bloodthirsty."
rare living veteran of the Spanish Civil
At first, the battles were fought in
They took Paivio to a scouting crew
War, which took place from 1936trenches.
that had been captured shortly before
1939.
and led them all to a farmhouse that
Like many veterans, Paivio said you
The Finlandia Village resident is
was being used as the Italian's
had to learn lessons quickly.
featured in a book by Maclean's
makeshift divisional headquarters.
journalist Michael Petrou, which will be "There was a big rock I can always
"Suddenly, we were called out and
released later this week.
remember in the trenches and if you
lined up and we didn't know what it
walked over it with your head up, the
Paivio moved to Sudbury with his
was about, but we soon found out," he
sniper would aim for it, and he got one
family in 1928 from the Thunder Bay
said.
area. He spent time during the Great guy," he said. "So you knew to keep
your head away from that."
There was a firing squad ready to kill
Depression trying to get by with
Paivio the 15 others, as well as a
government assistance.
Later in 1937, a new strategy was put
medic on hand prepared to pronounce
Paivio eventually gained employment in place that focused on going over
them dead.
the top of the trenches, causing the
at a local grocery store, but after
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 15
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
"Strange feeling - I'm too young to
die," said Paivio. "But with good
comrades.
"You're ready with head up high.
You're ready to put your fist up in our
anti-fascist salute."
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Spanish leader Francisco Franco lost
the rebellion, which plunged the
country into civil war. Some of the
Spanish military stayed loyal and
received help from the Soviet Union
and international volunteers like the
Canadians.
battle reports, personnel files, and lists
naming individual volunteers - were
locked up in Moscow until the end of
the Cold War and weren't declassified
until the early 1990s.
"It wasn't until these archives were
declassified that I was even able to
There was little whimpering in the
Of the 40,000 international volunteers, find out exactly who these Canadians
group, said Paivio.
about 1,700 were from Canada.
were because there were no good
"Suddenly, a limousine with
records kept," Petrou said.
"That's more per capita than any
motorcycles ahead and behind,
country but France," said Petrou.
Now that the records are available,
obviously a senior Italian officer, drove
Petrou was able to write the book.
Volunteers were mostly communists,
by on a country road," he said.
but Petrou said most of them weren't Paivio stands by everything Petrou
It went by and stopped and he called
informed.
has written in the book, but questions
the officer of the firing squad over.
the title.
"The Canadians weren't particularly
The officer said they were to be saved
dedicated or dogmatic communists,"
"We are not renegades, but that sells
to exchange for Italian prisoners.
he said. "They all volunteered during books I guess," he said.
the Great Depression and a lot of
However, Paivio's hardship was far
"I was dedicated to fighting against
these guys were working in relief
from finished. He was sent to a
fascism. That's where I come from and
camps."
Spanish concentration camp and
I'm still the same."
remained there for almost a year.
Their less-than-dogmatic attitude
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
caused Spanish commanders to
"You can imagine the conditions in
Andrew Low, The Sudbury Star
become frustrated with the Canuck
Spain with the German Gestapo
Section: Veterans
volunteers.
checking you all the time - but
anyway, we survived."
"They were frustrated by these
A Serb in Chalk River
Canadians that didn't really know or
Concentration camp survivors were
among the last to return from the war. care about communism beyond the
superficial signing up to the party,"
It was a training ground for Germany
said Petrou.
for the Second World War, said
"When you're reading the reports from
Paivio.
Spain about the Canadians, the
Despite going through hell in the
commanders were very frustrated
Spanish Civil War, Paivio was
because they'd say things like, 'jeez
determined to fight in the Second
the Canadians are all very brave
World War.
soldiers or good at the front, but they
don't know anything about politics.'"
"My health wasn't that good after
Spain, so it took a while before I could
Many volunteers were from northern
join. It was 1942 before I could sign up
areas of Canada. Sudbury had 30
and I fought in the Second World War
residents sign up to fight.
for over three years.
Canadians who were involved in the
"I'm proud to have fought in Spain. We
war were breaking the law until July
did the right thing. It was a principled
1937. The RCMP put together a
decision to go there."
Lying just past the gates of the Forest
detailed case to prosecute the
View cemetery is a curious grave
On Thursday, Paivio will be in Ottawa veterans for violating the foreign
marker. It reads: "Here lies a valiant
enlistment act.
to promote a book where his story
fighter of General Mihajlovich's
takes an important role.
"The Canadian government elected
underground movement in
not to prosecute because they thought Yugoslavia."
Recently declassified Soviet
documents allowed Canadian Author it would be a public relations disaster,"
said Petrou. "But the RCMP kept tabs How does a Serbian guerrilla come to
and Maclean's journalist Michael
be buried in a humble cemetery in
Petrou to study the Spanish Civil War on the volunteers for decades Chalk River? The story of the grave
literally they kept a file open ... until
in greater depth. He interviewed
marker, laid by the Serbian National
Paivio and seven other Canadian civil 1984."
Shield Society of Canada, first came
war survivors for his recently released
The Soviet Union organized most of
to light in 1960 when St. Andrews
book: "Renegades: Canadians in the
the volunteers through local
United Church renovated the historic
Spanish Civil War."
communist parties. Hundreds of
cemetery. It had been in a state of
thousands of documents - including
Petrou gives the history:
neglect since its founding in 1870. The
Page 16
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Yugoslav freedom fighter who lies
under the marker went by the name of
Marko Kuburovic. He was born in
1917 in Ljic, Serbia.
With the close of the war, the
Relatives of slain Canadian
Partisans prevailed and Mihailovic
soldiers pay emotional visit
went into hiding in Eastern Bosnia. In
March, 1946, he was captured and put to Afghanistan
on trial for high treason and war
To trace how Kuburovic came to be so
crimes. Found guilty, he was executed
far from his homeland, one goes back
months later. However, a U.S.
to his former commander, the late
commission of inquiry exonerated him.
General Draza Mihailovic and
In 1948, President Harry Truman
Yugoslavia's entry into the Second
awarded him the Legion of Merit. This
World War. After Germany defeated
was in part because Mihailovic's
Yugoslavia in April, 1941, Mihailovic,
forces protected 500 downed
then a colonel and a veteran of the
American and allied pilots and aided
1912-13 Balkans War, refused to
them in escaping occupied
surrender and escaped to the
Yugoslavia.
mountains to regroup with surviving
Yugoslav army units. With only seven It was out of this that 29-year-old
Sharon and Jim Davis, the stepmother and
officers and 24 NCOs, he organized
Marko Kuburovic immigrated to
father
of Cpl. Paul Davis who died in a LAV
the Military-Chetnik detachments,
Canada. Little is known about him,
accident in Afghanistan in 2006, place
which eventually became known as
except he found employment as a
flowers atop a cenotaph that
the Yugoslav Army of the Homeland. displaced person at the hydro-electric commemorates the 83 Canadians killed in
power project on the Des Joachims
the country since 2002, at Kandahar
King Peter's government in exile
dam. A freak accident would claim his
Airfield
on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.
promoted Mihailovic to the rank of
life.
Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/James
general and appointed him minister of
McCarten
war. Instead of inspiring an uprising,
On the evening of May 23, 1948,
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The
Mihailovic decided to mount a
Kuburovic had accompanied six
loved ones of five fallen soldiers
resistence based on sabotage, using others in a vehicle heading from the
placed wreaths atop a marble
the mountains as a base of
project on the Ontario side to
cenotaph honouring Canada's war
operations. Controversially, Mihailovic Allumette Island. The car, driven by
took measures to re-establish Greater Simon Cosgrove, failed to make a turn dead Wednesday to cap an emotional
24-hour visit to the region where their
Serbia which led to ethnic cleansing of onto an interprovincial bridge at
Bosnians, Croats and other civilians
Rolphton. The light roadster slammed husbands, brothers and sons gave
who may have collaborated with the
into the side railing and rolled onto its their lives in service of two countries.
Nazis, Fascists and Communists. He side. One of the passengers, Kenneth Eight relatives of Trooper Darryl
issued orders which historians believe Mack, was impaled by the railing and Caswell, Cpl. Paul Davis, Warrant
led to the deaths of 150,000 people.
died instantly. That others were
Officer Frank Mellish, Cpl. Brent
injured, but would survive. Except for Poland and Pte. Richard Green
The occupying German forces sought
Kuburovic.
arrived Tuesday via military transport
to eliminate Mihailovic and the leader
of the Communist- Partisans, Tito. At Investigating the scene, police had no for a cathartic, first-hand look at what
one point, Hitler announced a policy
idea that Kuburovic was a passenger Canadians have been fighting for
since 2002.
where 100 Serbians would be killed
in the calamity. It wasn't until days
for every one German soldier killed by later when he had not shown up for
For Jim Davis, whose son Paul died in
Chetniks.
work or the place he was living that
2006, the whole experience was so
police made the connection. Police
moving that when the anthems were
Mihailovic was receiving outside aid
found out later he had been standing finished, he got up in front of a rigid
from the British Special Operations
on the car's running board and was
formation of Canadian and Afghan
Executive, which eventually pulled
most likely thrown over the side of the troops and their senior military
back as the civil battles between
bridge and into the Ottawa River.
commanders to personally thank them
Mihailovic and Tito escalated.
Churchill was disturbed by reports
Dragging operations began in the fast for their work.
from his own son, Randolph (who was flowing waters underneath the bridge. "Your bravery makes me extremely
co-located with Tito's headquarters),
There is no news account stating how proud to be able to call myself a
who indicated the Partisans were
and when his body was recovered.
Canadian, and I thank you for that,"
scoring more victories against German However, the former freedom fighter's Davis said.
forces than the Chetniks. Churchill
final resting place is today a small plot
Then, turning to their Afghan
also put stock in reports that the
in Chalk River, an ocean from his
counterparts, he told the touching
Chetniks were collaborating with the
native Serbia.
story of the Afghan family who
Germans, as they hated the
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Communists much more than the
Chase, Sean, The Daily Observer attended his son's funeral in honour of
Section: Miscellaneous Paul's commitment and his sacrifice.
Nazis. At the Tehran Conference in
1943, the Allies threw in their lot with
"When I looked into their eyes and I
Tito.
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 17
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
saw their hurt, that's when I began to
realize the true meaning of why my
son died in your country," Davis said,
his voice steady and clear.
"I want you to know that when I hear
your national anthem, I will stand as
proudly as when I hear the Canadian
national anthem."
Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, the
commander of Canadian forces in
Afghanistan, thanked the relatives for
their long and difficult journey and
pledged that the sacrifice of the fallen
soldiers would not be in vain.
Week Ending April 19, 2008
irrigation and many schools and
hospitals have been rebuilt with
Canadian help.
The Post editorial board on
Rick Hillier: A soldier's
soldier
For Mellish, visiting Afghanistan was a
chance to see first-hand the ongoing
effort for which his son paid with his
life.
"I think it's just gaining the knowledge
that the death was not without some
kind of meaning, or was not careless,
or useless," he said.
"I know my son died in battle, trying to
gain some freedom for the Afghan
people. Some of the freedoms we take
"In spite of the sorrow, we draw
for granted back in Canada ... and he
Canada's Chief of Defence Staff General
strength from each other and carry on gave his life trying to gain these
Rick Hillier arrives at the Provincial
... we stand together with you to
freedoms over here. That gives me
Reconstruction Team base in Kandahar,
remember your loved ones' courage, the satisfaction to know that he didn't Afghanistan, during a visit on Wednesday.
sense of purpose and sacrifice,"
die in vain."
Credit: (CP)
Laroche said.
Mellish was visibly delighted, however, It's common to praise an outgoing
"They put forward the best of
with the cenotaph and the way the
military commander as a "soldier's
themselves for something they
Canadian Forces are honouring their soldier." In the case of General Rick
believed in. They were special
fallen troops.
Hillier, who yesterday informed Prime
individuals, the best that Canada
"They are definitely not forgetting our Minister Stephen Harper that he
could offer, and they continue to
boys and girls, and they've got a good intends to retire as head of Canada's
inspire us every day we work to help
thing here that will last a long time," he Armed Forces on July 1, the
the people of this country in their
compliment also happens to be true.
said of the cenotaph, which includes
struggle for a better life."
Many of Gen. Hillier's predecessors
plaques naming each of the 83
Col. Abdul Bashir, commander of 1st Canadians killed in Afghanistan since have been, in truth, politician's soldiers
or bureaucrats in uniform, but not
Brigade, 205 Corps of the Afghan
2002.
Richard J. Hillier, the 52-year-old
National Army, also paid tribute to
As he spoke, a soldier walking by
Newfoundlander who has been Chief
those Canadians who have given their
turned to face the cenotaph and
of the Defence Staff (CDS) since
lives in the name of his country.
offered a brisk salute as he passed - a February, 2005. Unwilling to
"In the fight against al-Qaida and
traditional gesture that's not an
acquiesce politely to the dismantling of
terrorism, the great country of Canada uncommon sight as Canadian troops Canada's military, Gen. Hillier has
sacrificed a lot of their children, and
come and go through the compound. restored morale among our soldiers,
today we are here to remember these
sailors and airmen; successfully
Mellish was moved to tears.
heroes," Bashir said.
pushed for a re-equipping of our
"That's just respect," he said, his voice Armed Forces; and restored national
"Their names will be written in honour
breaking, "for his fellow man."
pride in our military. His achievements
in the history of Afghanistan and
in three short years as CDS, have
Canada."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 been nothing short of remarkable.
The Canadian Press
A minute of silence was followed by a
Section: Afghanistan A native of the tiny, north-central
bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace,"
Newfoundland fishing and lumbering
a mournful dirge usually reserved for
community of Campbellton, Gen.
the solemn ramp ceremonies that
Hillier has been fortunate that much of
accompany a slain soldier's return to
his tenure has coincided with that of a
Canada.
government equally committed to
Then, one after the other, the family
rebuilding our military after more than
members were escorted to the
a decade of neglect. The General and
cenotaph to place wreaths and flowers
the Conservatives have been a good
and to look at the gold-framed plaques
fit for one another, to be sure.
commemorating their loved ones.
But Gen. Hillier's frank efforts to reBarry Mellish, whose son Frank died
establish Canada's military
in September 2006 in the bloody
effectiveness began a year before Mr.
Battle of Panjwaii, said he was
Harper and his party came to power.
pleased to hear more children are in
During his swearing-in ceremony as
school, farmers are getting help with
CDS with then-prime minister Paul
Page 18
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Martin and defence minister Bill
Graham looking on, Gen. Hillier
chastised the government for its
unwillingness to fund the military
properly. While acknowledging that it
was likely impossible to find the
money for everything our Armed
Forces were being asked to do, he
added: "Remember them in your
budgets."
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
military and our national role in the
world. Echoing words he heard from
one of his junior officers, Gen. Hillier
told the National Post's Don Martin
that his vision for our military is: "We're
not trying to be one of the big boys,
we are one of the big boys and we
have to start acting like it."
Legion,” said Crawford.
“We are in a week-to-week capability
of paying our bills. I know we will
survive, but our future today is bleak.”
To cover heating, lighting, wages for
their seven full and part-time
employees and rent, Crawford says
the cost amounts to about $400,000
Yesterday in the Commons, Mr.
annually. With a steady decline of
Harper called Gen. Hillier a “great
members over the past few decades,
In large part thanks to his constant
Canadian.” He is that at the very least.
keeping bill collectors at bay has
efforts, first the Liberals and then the Canada is a better country for his
proven increasingly challenging.
Conservatives have agreed to a
persistence, wisdom and public
military buildup unprecedented in the service. He has earned his retirement, “It costs a lot of money to run this
past half-century. We have new large even though we wish he were not
place. Now we have to charge fees
transport aircraft to lift our soldiers and going.
where we didn’t have to before. We
their equipment quickly into
can barely make a donation from our
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 bingo and Nevada accounts because
international hot-spots; new patrol
Marni Soupcoff , The National Post
vehicles that better protect our
we need to take the allowed
Section: Afghanistan
soldiers from landmines; armoured
percentage out of each account just to
logistical trucks; precision artillery
keep our doors open.”
guns; and computerized war rooms
Bancroft Legion branch looks By not being able to support
comparable to anything possessed by to council for help
community initiatives, Balson asked
our allies, which allow commanders in
council the rhetorical question of
theatre and at National Defence
where the community would be
headquarters in Ottawa real-time
without them.
intelligence on most operations. On
the way are mine-detection vehicles
From page 1
and better helicopters and tanks.
A substantial portion of the difficulty
Under the supervision of Gen. Hillier,
comes in declining membership that
the $5-billion gap in equipment once
was a large source of revenue for the
identified by the auditor-general has
Legion.
been -- or will have been -- made up in
“The money we made from the bar
just four years. Most experts predicted
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 181, kept the place going years ago.”
it would take at least a decade.
like Legion branches everywhere, is having
Balson says the Legion had about 750
That's one reason why the General is an issue with declining membership. They
members when he joined in 1989.
have
asked
Bancroft
Town
Council
for
a soldier's soldier: He saw the
Today, that number sits at just about
financial help.
physical and emotional hazards poor
Credit: Craig Sebert
500.
equipment created for our troops, and
BANCROFT:Has the end come for the When the Legion first opened,
he corrected the problem.
local Legion Branch?
membership was only given to
He also put our soldiers' safety at the
A delegation to council’s regular April veterans. As the years went by and
top of his priority list. Last week, he
session says it could be, if they don’t the veterans started to pass on, family
told the House of Commons foreign
members of those veterans were
get some help.
affairs committee that in 2006, when
allowed to join. Now that veterans are
Canada took over protection of
On April 8, Jim Crawford, president of few and far between, and their family
Afghanistan's Kandahar province from the Bancroft Royal Canadian Legion
members are beginning to pass on,
the Americans, it was obvious NATO Branch 181, Wayne Balson, executive
membership is now open to the public.
was suffering from a "troop gap." It
officer, Dennis Chura and Ed Nolan
Yet even with that, the amount of
needed two battalions to do the full job approached Bancroft Council to ask if
members has still been on the steady
it had taken on, but had only one -- the they could defray the municipal portion
decline over the past few decades.
Canadian battalion. So, he ordered a of their property tax until 2009, defray
Coupled with the no-smoking ban that
scale-back of our mission to ensure
costs for licensing fees they pay to the came into affect two years ago,
our patrols were not dangerously
town and whatever other support
Balson says they lost another 50
overstretched and even more
council could give. They also
members.
susceptible to ambush and other
mentioned that this financial strain is
roadside attacks.
nothing new to them, but has plagued He also says that people of the
younger generation never come out,
them for many years.
Finally, the General also gave our
believing that the Legion isn’t really
troops -- and Canadians, in general -- “We have come here today to ask for
the place for them.
even more reason to be proud of our your support in the survival of the
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 19
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
“Young people think they are not
welcome here, but they are.”
“Hopefully they can wrestle through
this. We have to realize that Legions
have done great services to their
And finally, the Legion lost their entire
towns.”
Ladies Auxiliary unit last June.
Churchill has been a member of the
“They were just getting too old and
Legion for the past 20 years, and says
had no younger members to help
he has always supported them and
them with all the work,” said Crawford.
attended many of their civic functions.
For the ANAF, the process is roughly
the same, but the cost of membership
is $35 for the first year, and $30 for
every year after that.
“We would be more than glad to see
more people coming out,” said Green.
For the most part, the ANAF offers
much of what the Bancroft Royal
Unfortunately, Churchill says it is
“They had two elections, but no one
Canadian Legion offers, but Green
beyond their ability to defray their
wanted the position of president, so
says all members are able to rent the
taxes, but is looking into making some hall for a discount price.
they had to hand in their charter and
other form of compensation available.
shut down.”
Once a member, Crawford says you
are given the ability to vote on Legion
He says that if at least 10 new ladies “We feel they are a very worthwhile
organization, and we will certainly
issues, can join the darts league, play
showed up willing to commit
pool and become an important part of
themselves, they might investigate the explore the possibilities.”
the community at large. Right now, a
possibility of reopening the auxiliary.
Crawford says they left council with a
pool league is in the making, and
In the near 80 years they have been
feeling of hope, believing that the
Crawford says he hopes to have a
open, the Legion has put back in
mayor and councilors were indeed on
brand new pool table coming soon.
excess of one million dollars to the
their side.
The Legion also hosts various other
community through donations, the
To become a member, Crawford says
public events throughout the week,
bulk of which went to schools, the old
it’s as easy as being 19 or older, filling
including Funday Sundays, occurring
and new manor, churches, the
out an application, getting two
every third Sunday of each month.
hospital, ambulance services, the
members to sponsor you, and paying
The event features darts, cards,
dialysis clinic, police programs, the
$45 annually.
brunch, and pool for only $5. The next
Sea Cadets, the library, fire
department and many more, Crawford The Legion isn’t the only organization Funday Sunday happens on April 20.
says the Legion has always been
having trouble. The Army Navy Air
For more information about events,
there for people.
Force Unit 378 in Maynooth also has
call the Legion at 613-332-3250.
their share of woes.
When Balson was chairman of the
As a result of promoting themselves
Bingo event back in the 80s, he recalls “We have had to reduce our hours,”
more, Crawford says they have been
said Bill Green, president of the
sitting on sometimes as much as
able to bring in new members, and are
$80,000 at any one time in funds they ANAF. “We used to stay open sevencontinuing to grow, but still need help.
couldn’t keep for themselves, but had days-a-week, but now we had to cut
that and the amount of hours for both
to give away. Now, they struggle to
Thursday, April 17, 2008
of our full-time staff members.”
make a donation of even $500.
Craig Sebert, Bancroft This Week
By eliminating licensing fees,
Crawford says that would help a lot.
“There is a certain percentage we
have to pay, depending on what it is
we are raffling. Our Bingo license
alone costs us about $4,000 each
year.”
Overall, Bancroft council was
sympathetic towards the Legion.
Section: RCL
Currently, the ANAF is asking their
town to help them with their taxes, but
are still waiting for a response.
Mitchell Legion urgenty
For now, Green says they can still
operate, but on a smaller scale. But if
things don’t get better, they may have
to close the ANAF for the winter next
year.
Their membership rests between 180
and 200 people. Green says one of
“We appreciate their problems, they
their major problems is a refusal to
are not unique to other Legions across
change.
the nation,” said Mayor Lloyd
“Once, we wanted to put in a new
Churchill.
jukebox, but many of our older
“They have a hard battle on their
members didn’t want that.”
hands to continue their existence.”
Green says they are now sending
In fact, about 150 other Legions
friendly reminders to members for due
Canada-wide have either closed their
payments. Unfortunately, Green says
doors or are in the process of closing.
he feels that whatever money they
Churchill says he doesn’t want to see make just ends up being sent to cover
costs.
this Legion become part of the
statistic.
Page 20
needs executive help to keep
doors open
The Royal Canadian Legion, br. 128,
Mitchell, will hold a very important
meeting next Wednesday, April 23
that could determine the future of the
organization here, an organization that
has existed since 1928.
Legion President Ted Mabb said for
the past few years, and this year
included, the branch has had
difficulties filling their executive
committee. He said if they cannot fill
the 18-member executive this year,
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
the branch may be forced to close.
“That spreads to the projects that
come down to us from our provincial
“At our last couple of meetings we
command like the youth education
have had six people out and we’re
program, the poppy campaign, and a
running short of volunteers. The social
public relations officer that handles our
life around the Legion, the banquets
press,” he said.
and catering, is going not too bad, but
we’re running an organization,” Mabb “The Legion works for the care of the
explained.
veterans and some can argue the
Legion is dying because most of the
“But I don’t think it’s different than a lot
veterans of the Second World War
of organizations around. We’re having
and the Korean effort are well into
trouble finding people that want to be
their 80s now,” Mabb added. “But we
president, vice-president and so on,”
have Afghanistan now and we’re
he said. “Everyone wants to enjoy the
creating newer veterans all time.
services the Legion has to offer, but
Whether we call it a peace-keeping
no one wants to get involved in
mission or not, Afghanistan is really a
helping to run it.
theatre of war and we have to ensure
“That being said, this could be the
the Legion goes on.
same for most organizations. I don’t
“We will make every effort that we can
know what it is - whether it’s society
possibly make to ensure that the
today that no one wants to get
Legion continues.”
involved but everyone wants to be
entertained and provided for but not
Mabb was to hold nominations and
put the work back into the other end to elections at a meeting last Thursday,
make sure that it continues,” he
April10, but only 11 people came to
continued.
the meeting.
Mabb said the Mitchell Legion
currently has 350 members. The
executive committee consists of 18
members from the president to poppy
and youth education chairman. He
said they’ve managed to fill all the
positions with names on paper the
past few years, but not all members
are active.
“The way it works is I have a first,
second and third vice-president and
when my term is done they’re all
supposed to move up one seat. We’ve
people that will take a position but not
want to be president,” said Mabb, who
has been president for 11 to 12 years,
non-consecutively.
“Maybe it’s different for me because
I’m a baby boomer and I came right
after the war, maybe it’s a little closer
for me. For the younger generation,
maybe the Legion isn’t the place they
want to be,” he said.
But Mabb said it is not all gloom and
doom.
“Around the Legion it is very positive,
our Friday lunches are well supported,
our events are well supported, but it is
to the point where we have to come
up with something to keep the doors
open and pay the bills,” he said.
“With society today, we can’t just
make money off running a canteen,
we have to try and do everything we
possibly can because it costs a lot to
have the bricks and mortar sitting on
St. Andrew Street. It seems to be a
constant battle and we focus so much
on finances that sometimes I think we
forget the actual purposes of the
Royal Canadian Legion.
“We are a community service group.
We try to provide the hall for free for
those that we can. Most of our focus is
on trying to help the community,” he
said.
“There will be several other meetings
to encourage people to come out, but
if worse came to worse, then it
wouldn’t take long at all (to close it).
Our Ladies Auxiliary went through the “It’s unfortunate we have to come to
same thing, and that was a threethis - to send out an ultimatum - to try
month process,” he said.
and get the people’s attention and I’m
sure everything will work out fine,”
“This has been a battle that has been
Mabb said. “It’s just a matter of getting
ongoing and I guess I’m getting a little
everyone together and refocus on
frustrated and tired of it.”
where we are, what we’re doing and
For Mabb, there’s a lot of personal
where we’re going from here.”
history to the Mitchell Legion. His
The meeting will be held next
grandfather was a president and his
Wednesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. at
father was a great Legion member.
the Royal Canadian Legion, branch
“I think it would break my heart if we
128.
closed. I get a little emotional about
this,” he said.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
He said according to the bylaws of the
“I have dedicated my whole life. I have
Royal Canadian Legion, if a branch
never been a member of another
cannot fill their executive committee,
service club, I’ve always worked with
the Legion can no longer operate.
the Legion. There are some great,
“There are commitments we have
great Legion members that have
made to the Royal Canadian Legion in passed on that I’m really glad are not
Ontario and Canada where we have to here to see this,” he said.
attend conventions and meetings that
“There was one member at the
no one wants to give up a Sunday
meeting last night (April 10) that I
afternoon to go to,” he added.
know it’s breaking his heart too
The executive is the administration of because we’re dropping the torch.
the branch to make sure it’s financially Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
viable, that it has a good social life
wrote, ‘To you from failing hands we
around it and that being a member is throw (the torch)/ Be yours to hold it
worthwhile.
high.’ Well, we’ve dropped it.
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Hilary Long, The Mitchell Advocate
Section: RCL
Page 21
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
around 1,400, something of a concern part of the community.”
for Grant.
The $60-million project, backed by the
“We are able to give because of
Legion, would have upwards of 200
membership and participation through units in it, along with the commercial
meat draws, social events and the
space.
like. But with fewer people, that makes
Grant said the Legion would
it harder.”
temporarily move into the Archie
Grant recalls a banner year, where
Browning Sports Centre during
more than $80,000 was doled out to
construction.
various groups or associations. The
He believes this project will not only
amount given now is slightly less,
serve the community, but also help
through no lack of generosity of the
give people a better idea of what the
Doug Grant, manager of Royal Canadian membership or the supporting
Legion is all about.
Legion. branch 172, says few people know community.
Sky’s the limit for Esquimalt
Legion
about the Legion, even though the
organization hands out tens of thousands
of dollars every year to charity and needy
individuals.
Credit: Heather Wirachowsky News Intern
ESQUIMALT: It could be the best-kept
secret in the Capital Region: what
Royal Canadian Legion branch 172
does for Esquimalt.
Each year, under the watchful eye of
secretary-manager Doug Grant and
the board of directors, the Legion
doles out tens of thousands of dollars
to sports groups, needy families and
its members. Schools, students and
even the Esquimalt Fire Department
have all benefited from its
benevolence.
Yet surprisingly few people realize
what goes on behind those Admirals
Road doors.
“We’re the world’s worst promoters,”
said Grant, who celebrates his 65th
birthday with branch 172 this year.
But Grant is concerned branch 172
will suffer a “number crunch” like many
other groups in Canada, due to
declining membership.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Vicnews.com
Section: RCL
“If people only knew what we offered,” One soldier's story
said Grant. “People only think of a
Legion as a place to smoke and drink.
It’s not like that any more. We have
pool tables, dart boards, bingos. We
have the biggest TV screen in
Victoria.”
Grant is hoping that once people
realize they don’t need a direct, or
even indirect, connection to the
military, practically anyone can join.
Veterans obviously can move into the
fraternity, but so too can police, fire
and emergency services personnel.
Grant said anyone in the general
public can join. After two years of
membership, they will have voting
privileges.
Credit: DND
As a young girl, Amanda Darlington
knew she wanted to serve her country;
it was just a matter of when.
When she was 13 her camouflage
bedroom motif left little doubt about
where her passion was.
Corporal Darlington is a shining
“It’s more than just a social club – it’s example of a woman in the Canadian
Forces who is serving her country,
an institution that serves not only
“But we have to be. We don’t
and is intent on being part of the
veterans,
but
seniors,
working
families
necessarily want to brag about helping
international mission to secure
and
young
people
as
well.”
someone out. It could be
democracy for Afghanistan. The
embarrassing for them.”
How firmly does Grant believe in the
Bracebridge-born soldier is serving a
seven-month mission with the
Embarrassing? But you couldn’t argue Legion? Very strongly, considering
branch 172 is setting to demolish its
transport company as a mobile
with the motives behind the giving.
current home to build a new 20-storey support equipment operator for the
Whether it’s buying a set of Jaws of
building, that will not only house the
Canadian Forces Army in Afghanistan.
Life for the fire department or band
new
home
for
his
branch,
but
uniforms, more often than not, the
In the first few weeks of her mission,
Legion has been there for those who commercial space, along with
step-dad Lorne and mother Nancy
affordable accommodation for those
ask for help.
Sculthorp of Gravenhurst, who keep
on a fixed income.
regular contact with their daughter
“One of the things we believe in is
through e-mail and telephone calls,
helping people out, whether they are a Esquimalt Mayor Chris Clement
endorses the idea.
learned death was nearly as close as
member of the Legion or not,” said
Grant.
He said while the project must still go the next phone call.
But now it appears branch 172 could through the official vetting process, he When Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze
thinks it’s a worthwhile project.
lost his life last month after a roadside
use some help of its own. In the
improvised explosive device went off
1990s, membership peaked at well
“(The Legion) is not just a property
over 2,000. Now it has sagged to
owner,” said Clement, “it’s an integral under the light armoured vehicle he
was driving, it literally and figuratively
Page 22
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
shook Darlington. Just two vehicles
behind the explosion, inside her 16tonne truck, Darlington could feel the
entire vehicle shake, Lorne explained.
Darlington called from Afghanistan a
day after the incident, clearly shaken,
needing some reassuring words.
“It’s just a little closer than I thought.
We’re not in Wainwright (Edmonton)
anymore,” she told him over the
phone.
Wainwright is where she trained, and
it was pretty clear, training was over.
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
the army cadets were a big part of my
decision to (join). As far as choosing
the army compared to navy or the air
force, well, I am not too sure. The
army seemed more hard core at the
time.”
At the Sculthorp residence in
Gravenhurst it’s easy to see evidence
of their daughter all over the house;
from walls of photos, the yellow ribbon
cut-outs in the front lawn to the
national flag and Canadian military
flags waving in the breeze.
A proud Canadian, wearing his
“Amanda’s not a girly-girl. She doesn’t Canadian Army insignia ring, her stepcry a lot, but when I heard her on the dad knows the military well. As a
phone she was pretty broken up,” he former full-time soldier with the
said.
Canadian Air Force for four years in
the 1970s who re-enlisted as a
Later that day, after spending a full
reservist, and in the mid-1990s as an
day at work, he sat down at his
instructor, he knows how the military
computer and sent an e-mail to tell her
operates, and can get information
what she needed to read.
when nothing seems to be coming out
“You’re doing right. You’re strong. You from Afghanistan.
may be scared shitless,” which was
Mother Nancy beams when she talks
what she had said on the phone. “You
about her daughter, but puts on a
may be, but tomorrow is another day,”
brave face when she is reminded of
he wrote.
the recent passing of Trooper
The first time they learned about her
Hayakaze.
mission to Afghanistan, it came with
“Everybody keeps saying to me that
some apprehension.
you must be scared. You must be so
worried about her and I’m not. I just
“We feel, although we were
apprehensive about her going, nobody keep thinking the positive things,” she
said. “She calls once in a while to say
wants to see their child go in harm’s
she’s OK and so I keep focusing on
way, we know she is doing her job.
the positive. Nothing is going to
She’s doing what she was asked by
happen to her. She is going to be
her country. Whether it is right or
wrong that’s not for me to say, but she safe. Her buddies there will have her
back and she’s going to come home
was given a job to do,” he said.
just fine.”
When Darlington first arrived in
Ever since her early teens, Darlington
Afghanistan she expected to go to
Kandahar Air Field, but after arriving in has been working toward achieving
her dream, joining the local army
the country on Feb. 13, plans
changed. It’s unknown exactly where cadets and going on exchanges to
she is, and besides driving in convoys, Germany and Florida.
what she is doing.
Darlington’s resolve and determination
Telephone calls are vague to ensure were shown clearly when she walked
the safety of the soldiers, as ordered the 35-kilometre distance from their
home in Uffington, at the time, to
by the military.
Bracebridge Public School with a 35Since Darlington realized her dream
lb. rucksack. It was her preparation for
by joining the Canadian Forces, after
an exchange trip where she was
graduating high school, she has not
required to hike some 15 kilometres.
pictured herself anywhere else.
Despite teenage years spent working
“The thought of serving my country,
toward the sole aim of getting into the
working outdoors and the adventure
Canadian Forces, the early years
was what got me interested and the
were spent as a young girl with hair in
dream just never went away,” said
ringlets, wearing dresses and playing
Darlington, in an e-mail. “I think that
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
with dolls.
The switch occurred when she heard
a guest speaker at her school
expound upon the military when she
was 11.
“She came home one day and said I
want to join army cadets,” her mother
said.
When she joined the Bracebridge
cadets, Lorne also joined, which led to
her step-dad eventually re-enlisting.
“She got the whole family involved,”
said Nancy.
Her mom also joined the cadets (in a
civilian capacity) to be with her
daughter and husband. It gave her an
insight into the military world, even
pushing her beyond her comfort zone.
Brotherhood may imply only the male
gender, but Darlington she believes in
her band of brothers to protect her, as
she would for them. It’s this kind of
camaraderie in the military that she
loves, her parents said.
Nothing is forever, but for Darlington,
the military is something she has
dedicated her life to and with the 25year contract she signed last year, this
commitment will last until she retires.
It is plain to see they think of their
daughter all the time, both wearing the
clothes their daughter has given them.
Sculthorp turns his back, showing me
his Canadian Army jacket while her
mother shows me her red and black
scrub, complete with a mosaic of red
ribbons.
Despite the media’s seemingly
periodic announcement of soldiers
dying, the couple is positive and takes
comfort in the knowledge they will
hear about any tragedy before the
news goes public with it.
Lorne regularly checks the computer
for online news and anticipates the
announcement of a casualty, but when
there isn’t one, he often sighs with a
sense of relief.
“What she said to us is if you hear it
on the news, don’t worry because it is
not me,” he said. “Because if it is me,
you’ll have a phone call long before.”
Unfortunately we only hear about the
ones killed, but there are hundreds
who are injured and maimed all the
time, he said. It’s still hard to hear
Page 23
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
when any soldier has died though.
“It’s not her, but it is still somebody, a
Canadian doing the job,” he said.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Darren Lum, Bracebridge Examiner
Section: Afghanistan
Warehousing seniors is no
solution
Providing appropriate care for seniors is
one of the most pressing issues in New
Brunswick’s health care system.
Credit: Telegraph-Journal File
NEW BRUNSWICK: In his recent
feature "Sad Days, Long Nights,"
reporter Reid Southwick has
chronicled the plight of an esteemed
Second World War veteran, Alex
Doucet, and his daughter, Veronica
Ratchford. Both are experiencing the
perennial and burgeoning quandary
that exists within the New Brunswick
health care system: fewer and fewer
acute care beds being available for
those requiring them; having to endure
endless days and sleepless nights in
stretchers or cots, often lined up along
crowded, hectic and unwelcoming
hospital corridors.
Increasingly, we read these oft
repeated and anguished accounts of
those suffering the inadequacies of
our health care system and
predictably, we endure the same
protests levelled against the prevailing
provincial government.
Each such story over the past 25
years or so describes the same
mournful theme: that is, elderly and
vulnerable adults overcrowding our
hospitals, "taking up beds" to await
mostly unwanted placement:
essentially, considered as burdens.
Also predictably, we hear repeated
promises from our politicians for more
nursing home beds.
These so-called plans and schemes
for our futures are not only of narrow
Page 24
Week Ending April 19, 2008
vision and uninspiring, but also well
beyond our means.
placement to long-term care, and
death.
On what grounds are the elderly within
our health care system judged so
negatively, as such burdens? As a first
step, we should explore our hospital
censuses from the past few decades
and note the unwavering and
accelerating increase in the average
age and length of stay of our hospital
populations. Most of us are aware of
the explicit and repeated predictions
regarding the rapidly changing
demographics in Canada: the elderly
represent the fastest growing segment
of our population and continue to do
so. This group also constitutes the
leading consumers of health care
dollars when compared to younger
age groups.
Confounding these realities is the
tendency to accumulate increasing
numbers of chronic medical conditions
with age. With new complaints, we
expect to be prescribed a new drug
when we visit our doctor. To all of this,
add the well-documented evidence
that the most commonplace medical
intervention in the physician's office is
the prescribing of a medication.
Secondly, the elderly suffer the
highest proportion of therapeutic
failures within the system, resulting in
death or for some, what is worse protracted stays in acute care, waiting
unwillingly for transfer to a nursing
home bed: the last resort.
Finally, in spite of an expansive body
of knowledge regarding the natural
aging process and how disease
presents differently in the elderly, that
expertise is not widely applied within
the "medical" model of the health care
system. In addition, little or no time is
allotted by Canadian medical schools
to the study of geriatric medicine.
A basic tenet of geriatric medicine
follows that in elderly and vulnerable
adults, the dividing line between our
physical, mental and social spheres of
being are not clear: in fact, are much
less distinct than in younger people. In
It must be recognized that prescription other words, it is unusual to see an
elderly person with a physical illness
drugs represent one of the greatest
threats to the elderly in Canada today. without it affecting his or her mental
and social well-being. Additionally,
Contemporary medical literature
symptoms and signs of physical or
suggests that at least 60 per cent of
problems the elderly face are related mental illness in the elderly differ
to their medications. For example, at dramatically from the same illness in
younger people.
least 15 per cent of all hospital
admissions involving the elderly are
For example, an elderly person who
directly related to the adverse effects
develops a serious depression or a
of their drug treatment.
common (in the elderly) side effect of
a sedative or hypnotic drug (nerve or
It is well known that as we age or
sleeping pill) will often present only
develop chronic medical conditions,
our organ systems become much less with mental confusion. This situation is
efficient at handling drugs. This is due most frequently and mistakenly
mainly to aging changes in body mass diagnosed as dementia - for example,
and composition. In addition - for any Alzheimer's disease - and results in
hospitalization. The actual cause of
prescribed medication - there is with
the symptoms are neither suspected
aging an increasing rate in the
development of a severe side effect to nor tested for. All agree the patient
that drug. We may also experience a cannot return home and thus must
await placement. It is therefore not
severe drug-drug reaction if we are
taking other drugs when a new drug is surprising, given the absence of
prescribed. Often a severe side-effect knowledge and the endemic nihilism,
that our hospitals have become
is diagnosed as a "new illness" and
overcrowded with such cases.
yet another drug is prescribed. This
not uncommon state of affairs is
Underscoring this tragic state of affairs
known as the "illness-medication
is the failure to understand that elderly
spiral."
people have an enormous capacity to
Such prevailing drug reactions in the recover and rehabilitate. It is also not
appreciated that most seniors possess
elderly cause prolonged hospital
stays, further disability, inappropriate a fierce sense of independence, and
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
most would not willingly or happily
necessary for those whose nursing
volunteer for nursing home placement. requirements are beyond the scope of
any home-care service. Seniors and
In a recent interview, Health Minister
dependent adults who are competent
Michael Murphy discussed the
to choose such care - and those who
announcement by Mary Schryer, the
are not competent - should have ready
minister for social development, of 177
access to such professional facilities.
new nursing home beds in the
province over the next three years.
If tradition prevails, we will continue to
accuse the politicians of the day for
He went on to elaborate an interim
these shortcomings and the crisis
plan: "As we move the medicallysituation in acute care. However,
discharged out of our hospitals into
many of us are convinced that it is the
nursing homes and special care
intransigencies and the traditional
homes, the idea is make sure they're
view of health and medicine held by
not filled up by new seniors. This is
senior government bureaucrats who
going to be more about people looking
are chiefly responsible.
after themselves at home."
With regards to comprehensive
Mr. Murphy went on to state, "There's
insured home-care service, for
a sense of loss of independence, and
example, the prevailing attitude
we can assist those in need at home
amongst senior bureaucrats in the
in a much more economical and
Department of Health is focused on
dignified fashion than some of the
the fear that seniors in the community
things we've done already".
would run amuck, taking advantage of
Although there are fewer and fewer
services available - that such a
acute care beds available at the
program would be too costly.
present time, the Health Minister plans
Not so. Seniors deserve
to have these unavailable for seniors
comprehensive services to keep them
such as Mr. Doucet in the future as
in their homes; no more, but certainly,
well.
nothing less.
However, he does plan for more
Over the past few decades, many of
nursing home beds over the next three
us representing various professional
years, 177 in fact. Thus, frail seniors
disciplines have recognized the
at risk living at home have little
interdependent physical, mental and
alternative: the present programs for
social needs of the frail elderly.
home care are not insured (unlike
Coming face to face with the
Medicare), are difficult to access, and
inefficiencies and inadequacies of
are paltry at best.
government programs, we have
In fact, the Premier's Health Quality
lobbied government to co-ordinate
Council, under Premier Bernard Lord's multi-disciplinary home care initiatives
tenure, recommended that long-term for the frail elderly and disabled. We
care - that is, both home care and
believed that community-focused
nursing home care - become insured multidisciplinary teams comprised of
programs. This would allow for optimal trained nurses, social workers,
home-care delivery assessed and
occupational, physical and speech
provided for by comprehensive
therapists, nutritionists and
multidisciplinary teams. Then and only geriatricians could work together and
then could we rationalize the number successfully keep people at risk in
of nursing home beds that are
their own homes. We were also
necessary. Only this approach would convinced from studies in other
finally unburden the crisis that acute
countries that this approach was much
care services are currently
less expensive than simply
experiencing. To do otherwise - to
"warehousing" seniors in everannounce more beds without a
expanding nursing homes.
comprehensive analysis - is, in my
In the meantime, it is incumbent upon
opinion, reckless, irresponsible, and
all of us as individuals to remain fit
purely political.
and healthy throughout our lifetimes. I
There is no question, however, about will conclude with an ancient but apt
the benefits of nursing homes in the
collection of rules penned by Sean
system. They are absolutely
Egan: The Ten Commandments of
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Health and Longevity, taken from "The
Very Old of Rural Ireland:"
1. Eat a simple diet of home-grown
foods.
2. Lead an active life.
3. Avoid smoking.
4. Drink alcohol in moderation.
5. Live the outdoor life.
6. Think positively each day.
7. Drink plenty of spring water.
8. Sleep eight to nine hours each day.
9. Do all things in moderation.
10. Avoid the doctor.
Warren Davidson, M.D. is a consultant
in geriatric medicine.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Warren Davidson M.D., Commentary Telegraph
Journal
Section: Seniors
Few remain from the War to
End All Wars
Credit: www.sheppardsoftware.com
Burlington - With so much attention
being paid to our present military
conflict in the Middles East, we must
not forget that the War on Terror is
just the next, or present, conflict that
has put young American men and
women in harm’s way. With so many
names of so many young people who
have given so much in the service of
this country, it goes almost unnoticed
when a 108-year-old man dies in
Florida.
With Memorial Day approaching, the
Burlington Office of Veterans Services
continues to maintain the solemn list
of names of local veterans who died
since the last time we gathered on
Memorial Day. This year we will also
acknowledge the passing of several
Page 25
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
men who did not live in Burlington,
including 108-year-old Harry Landis.
Week Ending April 19, 2008
France lost her last WWI veteran
when Lazare Ponticelli died at 110
years of age. He was born in Italy but
What makes the passing of this 108at age 9 got on a train to escape a
year-old veteran in Florida noteworthy,
tough childhood, and joined his older
and historic, is that with his death
brothers in France. Mr. Ponticelli
there is now only one known living
outlived 8.4 million Frenchmen who
American-born veteran of World War I.
served in what they called “la Grande
That one last World War I veteran,
Guerre,” according to the Associated
Frank Buckles, who turned 107 years Press.
old this past February, is now living
On March 6 of this year Frank Buckles
history. He is now the only Americanmet with President Bush and attended
born veteran still alive to have served
a Pentagon exhibit featuring photos of
during the “War to End All Wars.”
World War I veterans. Included in the
In a recent VFW Magazine article
photos is a Canadian-born veteran
Buckles was quoted as saying that at who served with the Canadian Army
16 years of age he had read all about and is considered the last surviving
the War in Europe and after trying to
Canadian veteran of World War I.
enlist in the Marines and Navy,
John Babcock , at age 107, first
enlisted in the US Army in August
attempted to join the military at age
1917. He served in France in the
15.
Gironde area, St. Andre de Cubzac,
After the war, in the 1920s he came to
Basens, Bordeaux and St. Sulpice. He
the United States and joined the
was discharged in 1919 as a corporal.
United States Army, rose to the rank
According to the US Library of
of sergeant and became a United
Congress and its Veterans History
States citizen in 1946. According to
Project, there is a full 148-minute
Wikipedia, at age 65 Babcock became
interview with Mr. Buckles on a variety a pilot. He has maintained a healthy
of subjects, including the fact that
lifestyle taking daily walks with his
even today he lifts 2-pound weights
second wife, and at 100 years of age,
and does stretching exercises and sit- wrote an autobiography entitled, “Ten
ups, at 107.
Decades of John Foster Babcock.”
One of Babcock’s grandsons, Matt,
In 1941 when World War II broke out,
has served in Iraq.
Mr. Buckles was working for an
American shipping company in the
There are only about a dozen other
Philippines and was captured by the
World War I veterans who served in
Japanese. He spent three years in a
other countries during the Great War
Japanese POW camp.
who are still alive. They are all more
than 100 years old. They are truly the
J. Russel Coffey, the third last WWI
last of that generation who served
veteran died in December 2007. On
during that war.
Feb. 7, 2008, Harry Landis, the
second last veteran of that war, died
This Memorial Day, when the names
at the age of 108 at a nursing home in of those men and women from
Sun City, Fla.
Burlington who died this past year are
read, the names of these other men,
Coffey enlisted in the Army in October
all more than 100 years old, will also
1918, about a month before the
be read.
armistice was signed. Landis joined
the Army in October 1918 and served Memorial Day this year will be
at a military hospital where soldiers
celebrated on Monday, May 26.
with the Spanish flu recuperated. His Hopefully you will be able to join us at
99-year-old wife still lives at the
the Chestnut Hill Cemetery at 10 a.m.
nursing home.
Bob Hogan is director of Burlington
France and Germany have also
Veterans Services.
recently lost two veterans who are
Friday, April 18, 2008
believed to be their last WWI veterans.
Bob Hogan/Director of Veteran Services
Section: Veterans
Erich Kaestner is believed to have
been Germany’s last WWI veteran.
Kaestner died Jan. 1, 2008 at the age
of 107.
Page 26
Nov. 11 poem wins provincial
recognition for PAMS student
Award for Remembrance poem: PerthAndover Royal Canadian Legion Branch
36 President Charlene Paris and 2007-8
Poppy Chairman Graydon Ruff were on
hand last week at Perth-Andover Middle
School to hand out a prize for poetry to
Grade 8 student Hilary Kennedy. Her
poem ‘Remembrance of Heroes’, written
for the Legion’s poster/essay/poetry
contest, came in second place among all
the entries across New Brunswick.
Last fall the Perth-Andover Royal
Canadian Legion Branch 36 held its
annual Remembrance Day poster,
essay and poetry contest and in midDecember several Perth-Andover
students received prizes for their
posters, but it wasn't until last week
that Hilary Kennedy of Perth-Andover
received her prize for poetry.
Last December Perth-Andover Legion
President John Gagnon handed out
the poster prizes but last week at P-A
Middle School, new President
Charlene Paris and 2007-8 Poppy
Chairman Graydon Ruff gave the $50
cash prize to Hilary Kennedy, a grade
8 PAMS student. Almost 100 students
from Perth-Andover area schools had
submitted entries to the Perth-Andover
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 36
Remembrance Day contest and out of
all those, judges had to choose three
posters for the top three prizes and
the best poems to send to Legion's
Provincial Command in Saint John.
"We read the poems here at the
Legion and we get the veterans'
opinions; they picked the ones they
liked the best. We sent them on to
Provincial Command; they judge them
down there," commented Charlene
Paris.
John Gagnon, Past President of the
Legion, and president at the time of
the contest, was also impressed with
the poem. "She won second place
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
provincially in her age group, grade
eight. It was quite a recognition," he
said of the grade 8 student who is also
a prize-winning pianist and
accomplished athlete.
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Nurse to deploy to
Afghanistan; KGH employee
to treat wounded soldiers,
civilians
Here is the winning poem:
"When I heard about it, I just felt that I
really want to do this," she said. "I
think it will be a life-changing
experience, just to be part of and
support our military, as well as the
coalition [forces] that are there doing
their thing. My children are grown so
that has given me the freedom to be
able to leave my family for this period
of time."
Remembrance of Heroes
Every year the time rolls around
To honor the soldier who fought on
that ground
To remember the soldiers who went to
fight
Full of bravery, full of might
To remember the many families torn
apart
To remember the wives with a broken
heart
To remember the children with so
many fears
Of losing someone they loved for so
many years
Denny figures her experience as a
critical care nurse in two different
settings appealed to the military.
"I guess I had the skill set they were
looking for so it worked out," she said.
To remember the knocks on a
soldier's door
That brought them the message to go
to war
Those years of terror we must not
Debra Denny, a nurse at KGH's intensive
forget
care unit and at Collins Bay Penitentiary, is
The time that soldiers will not regret
They fought for freedom
They fought for more
They fought with courage
They fought a war
Denny just completed a five-day
training session at Kingston's Peace
Support Training Centre, where all
Canadian Forces soldiers are sent
before they're deployed overseas.
In addition to that training, Denny has
had to do some of her own personal
preparation.
one of three civilian nurses to leave
Canada to work at the Kandahar hospital
next month.
"Working at an ICU, you deal with
Credit: Ian MacAlpine/The Whig-Standard critically ill people and traumas, but
KINGSTON: After raising three
children and working as a nurse for 15
The crosses we see where poppies
years, Debra Denny has just accepted
grow
Remind us of people, heroes we know what will likely be her toughest
assignment.
Proudly in front of the cenotaph we
stand
The civilian nurse is headed to
To honour our soldiers who fought for Afghanistan to work at the Kandahar
this land.
Air Base hospital for a two-month stint.
Hilary Kennedy.
She leaves in early May.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Robert LaFrance, The Victoria Star
Section: Veterans
right person in the Canadian Forces to
whom to apply, but she stuck with it
over a period of a couple months,
determined to go to Afghanistan to
help provide care for injured Canadian
soldiers and Afghanis.
Denny, who lives a 20-minute drive
north of the city in Inverary, is taking a
leave from her jobs at Kingston
General Hospital's intensive care unit
and as a nurse for the Correctional
Service of Canada at Collins Bay
Penitentiary, a maximum-security
prison.
certainly we don't deal with blast and
explosion injuries, which is going to be
something I'm going to be dealing with
there," she said.
"The training [the military] gave me
didn't really prepare me for that. I've
done some of my own research. From
a nursing perspective, this is certainly
out of the realm of anything I've ever
dealt with here in Canada."
She's looking forward to her time in
Kandahar and feels that she has also
prepared herself psychologically for
the stress she'll experience there.
"I'm sure I'm going to see and
experience a lot of things that are
going to be upsetting ... I've thought a
lot about it," she said.
She's one of three civilian nurses to
"I'm drawing on life experience and
leave Canada to work at the Kandahar nursing experience to get me through.
hospital next month.
Ultimately, a patient is a patient and
my job is to nurse that patient to the
Denny applied to work in Kandahar
best of my ability, given the situation. I
late last year after hearing about a
shortage of nurses and other medical think I'm prepared for that. I know it's
personnel at the military hospital last going to be a huge adjustment and a
stressful one at that."
summer. It wasn't easy finding the
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 27
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
She's anticipating that it will be difficult
to spend two months away from her
family. The longest she's been away
from them before is a weekend.
the RAND Corporation, reported that
about 19 percent of the troops said
they might have experienced a
traumatic brain injury, usually the
result of powerful roadside bombs, yet
She has two sons and a daughter who
a majority of those troops had never
range from 20 to 26 years of age.
been evaluated for such an injury.
Though they'll miss her, she said they
The 500-page study is the first
support her going to Afghanistan.
exhaustive, private analysis of the
"Initially, they were concerned about
psychological and cognitive injuries
the safety aspect," she said. "I'm going suffered by service members. The
to be relatively safe. I won't be leaving study sought to determine the
the base. I'll be flying in and out.
prevalence of these injuries, gaps in
Obviously, there's some risk, but I
treatment and the costs of treating, or
think once they felt a little more secure failing to treat, the conditions.
about my safety, they were all very
RAND researchers conducted a
supportive."
telephone survey from last August to
Friday, April 18, 2008 January 2008 with 1,965 service
Jennifer Pritchett Whig-Standard Staff Writer members, reservists and veterans
Section: Afghanistan who had deployed to Iraq or
Afghanistan in the last five years.
Some respondents had deployed
Nearly a fifth of Veterans
more than once. The researchers also
report mental disorders
gathered data from focus groups. The
survey was conducted in 24
communities with high concentrations
of service members, reservists and
veterans.
The Defense Department said that it
was heartened that the data reflected
its own findings on the prevalence of
mental injuries, and that the study
helped highlight the hurdles the
U.S. soldiers patrolling in central Baghdad military faces in helping veterans.
on Wednesday.
Credit: Erik de Castro/Reuters
"We're on a long journey, and we've
come a long way, but we've got a long
U.S.A.: One in five service members
way to go," said Colonel Loree Sutton
who have returned from Iraq or
Afghanistan report symptoms of post- of the army, head of the new Defense
Center of Excellence for Psychological
traumatic stress disorder or major
depression, but little more than half of Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
them have sought mental health
Lisa Jaycox, a senior behavioral
treatment, according to an
scientist at RAND and a co-author of
independent study of United States
the new study, "Invisible Wounds of
troops.
War," said the findings also served to
underscore the barriers, some of them
The service members and veterans
self-imposed, that troops face in
who reported these symptoms
getting help. War veterans say they
represented about 19 percent of the
1.6 million service members who have are often reluctant to seek treatment,
deployed to war in the last five years, in part out of fear that their medical
information will be used to derail their
a figure consistent with the most
recent findings by military researchers. careers. Commanders typically have
access to a service member's military
A 2007 survey of combat army
medical records.
soldiers who had been home for
several months found that 17 percent
of active-duty troops and 25 percent of
reservists had screened positive for
symptoms of stress disorder.
"There is a perception that the record
can be used against them," Jaycox
said. "That is hard to overcome given
that the record is not confidential."
The study, released on Thursday by
Only 53 percent of service members
Page 28
and veterans who reported symptoms
of post-traumatic stress disorder or
depression sought treatment. Of
those, about half got "minimally
adequate treatment," according to the
study.
"Clearly, that's a finding that concerns
us," Sutton said during a meeting with
reporters.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is
considering removing a question
about a service member's health care
history from security clearance
questionnaires, she said.
"We think that's going to be a big step
forward to help our service members
understand that seeking care, in fact,
is a sign of strength," Sutton said.
A shortage of well-trained mental
health workers in the military and the
veterans' health care system
compounds the challenge.
The RAND study also estimated the
two-year cost of treating service
members who return from war with
symptoms of post-traumatic stress
disorder or depression. It put the
figure at $6.2 billion, an amount that
includes medical care, lost productivity
and losses from suicide.
The better the treatment, the more
that the nation saves, the study
concluded.
"This is a crisis, and we can't keep
muddling around the edges," said Paul
Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans of America,
a nonpartisan advocacy group. "We
can pay for mental health care now or
pay for the jail cells and cemeteries
and alcohol and drug treatment
programs later. Not to mention the
moral obligation we have to these
veterans."
Friday, April 18, 2008
Lizette Alvarez, INternational Herald Tribune
Section: Veterans
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Luftwaffe pilot-turnedCanadian who performed an
act of amazing grace, dies.
Me 109 in full war-colors aug. 1993 Oost
Malle Belgium.
Credit: Marcel van Leeuwen
Ordered into the skies to shoot down
a damaged Allied bomber during the
Second World War, he could not bring
himself to open fire. It would be 43
years before he learned its fate.
VANCOUVER -- Franz Stigler of
Surrey, B.C., was a German fighter
pilot who committed one of the few
documented acts of chivalry during air
combat in the Second World War. In
1943, faced with shooting down a
badly damaged U.S. bomber whose
crew was obviously badly wounded
men, he just couldn't pull the trigger
and instead escorted the aircraft to
safety.
Within a decade, Mr. Stigler had
immigrated to Canada, but for years,
he wondered whether the Boeing B-17
had made it back to Britain.
Born in Bavaria when the First World
War was at its height, he was meant
to be a pilot. His father had served as
an observer in the German air force,
and after the war, he encouraged his
son to take an interest in flying. By the
time he was 12, Franz had soloed in a
glider.
He studied aeronautical engineering
and took flying lessons. After
qualifying, he flew several different
types of aircraft. In 1939, he joined the
fledgling Luftwaffe, and by Sept. 1 he
was at war. Despite having flown
multiengine aircraft, Mr. Stigler chose
to fly fighters. On most of his combat
missions, he flew the legendary
Messerschmitt BF-109F, which,
according to fighter pilots on both
sides, had characteristics that were
superior to the equally legendary
Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker
Hurricane. Like most fighter pilots, he
flew with several different squadrons
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
and eventually commanded two, 8/11
and 12/IV Squadrons (or Jagdstaffels),
which in turn were part of
Jagdgeschwader 27, the equivalent of
an Allied fighter wing.
W.V. On Dec. 20, 1943, Mr. Brown
took off from his base at Kimbolton,
near Cambridge, as part of a raid on
the Focke-Wulf fighter plant at Bremen
in Germany. It was only his second
combat mission, and his first as
In four years of operational flying, he
captain. His B-17, with its equally
served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy,
young crew, had the whimsical name
Holland and Germany. He was shot
of "Ye Olde Pub." The plane reached
down 17 times and bailed out of
the target without incident, dropped its
aircraft four times, but otherwise
bomb load and turned for home, only
managed to land or crash-land. His
to suffer a direct hit from an antiscore was 28 confirmed aircraft shot
aircraft gun. The Plexiglass nose was
down or badly damaged and more
shattered and two of the four engines
than 30 "probables." He flew a total of
were damaged. Unable to maintain his
417 combat missions from 1940 to
position within the formation, Mr.
1945 and earned the Iron Cross
Brown dropped astern.
Second Class, the Iron Cross First
Class and the German Cross in Gold. Eight German fighters appeared and
pounced in an attack that damaged a
Although there were many German
third engine, destroyed most of the tail
pilots with much higher scores, some
and knocked out the oxygen, hydraulic
claiming well in excess of a 100, it is
and electrical systems. The controls
doubtful that they survived as many
were only partly responsive, the rear
critical situations. Mr. Stigler was
gunner was dead and three other crew
wounded four times, suffered burns
members were wounded. To make
and sustained lifelong scars on his
matters worse, Mr. Brown had been
legs and head, among them a very
struck in the shoulder by flak.
visible forehead mark made by a bullet
that came though the windshield of his Only half-conscious because of a lack
of oxygen, he lost control and the
fighter. Fortunately, the windshield
slowed the bullet's velocity and it failed plane inverted and spiralled down to
within about 100 metres of the ground.
to penetrate his skull.
Miraculously, he came to his senses
While stationed in the Mediterranean,
and levelled out. He struggled to gain
his squadron was detailed to escort
height and speed, but with only one
Stuka dive bombers targeting a
engine at full power and one at half
shipping convoy. Each Me-109 carried
power, the aircraft was close to
a 225-kilogram bomb slung
stalling. Three of his crew were unable
underneath and, having reached the
to bail out, so his only options were to
target, they were instructed to dive
crash-land in enemy territory or try to
and release the bomb as they pulled
make it back to England.
out. The idea was to make the bomb
While struggling with the controls, he
"skip" on the water and hit the ship's
became aware of a lone Me-109 flying
side. Mr. Stigler released his bomb
and it bounced so well that it became alongside. The B-17 had lumbered
airborne and kept pace just off his port through the skies near a German
wing. He climbed away as fast as he airbase and the fighter had been sent
up to finish it off. The German pilot
could.
circled around the B-17, came back to
By late 1943, he was posted in
his original position and pointed
Holland at a base from where the
towards the ground. Mr. Brown, still
Luftwaffe could best attack Allied
dazed, ignored the suggestion that he
aircraft on both the outward and return
should attempt to land, and kept flying.
legs of bombing missions. The British
The enemy pilot held position until the
and Canadians flew the four-engined
B-17 was over the North Sea and
Avro Lancasters and Short Sterlings,
pointed in the direction of England. He
while the mainstay of the U.S. Army
waved, saluted and flew back toward
Air Force was the Boeing B-17 Flying
to Holland.
Fortress.
Mr. Brown and his crew made it back
One of the Flying Fortresses was
to England and landed safely at
piloted by a 22-year-old lieutenant
Seething in Norfolk. The story of the
named Charlie Brown, from Western,
encounter was immediately classified
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 29
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
as secret, as it would not have gone
over well for the public to know of a
chivalrous enemy when they were
exhorted to hate all Germans.
Mr. Brown had survived the war and
Former Royal Canadian
remained in the U.S. Air force and
Legion Branch 52 President
served various staff roles before
Dies.
retiring as a lieutenant colonel. By
1986, he had settled in Florida and
The pilot was Franz Stigler. When he
sometimes he thought about the
closed on the bomber, preparing to
enemy pilot who had given his crew a
shoot it down, he was astonished.
chance at survival. It was not until he
"I was amazed that the aircraft could
attended a convention of the U.S. Air
fly," he told The Associated Press in
Force Association that year that a
1997. "The B-17 is the most respected chance remark by a friend prompted
airplane. I flew within 12 yards. It was him to act. He wrote to the newsletter,
a wreck. The tail gunner was lying in
seeking information and describing the
blood ... holes all over."
extraordinary 1943 incident over the
North Sea.
The pilot, he noticed was also
wounded and "his crew was running
Two months went by and finally a
all up and down tending the
letter with a Canadian stamp arrived.
wounded."
The writer said his name was Franz
Stigler, and that he was the pilot who
Mr. Stigler held his fire. He could not
had waved the B-17 on to England.
bring himself to attack a plane carrying
dead and severely wounded crew. "It In the summer of 1990, the two men
would be like shooting at a man in
finally met at a hotel in Seattle. It was
parachute," he said years later.
the first opportunity they had to pin
down a time and place. A friendship
Back at base, he reported that he had
“He was one hell of a nice guy, just a nice
immediately resulted, and eventually
successfully shot down the B-17 and
person to be around.” Murray Findlay,
they toured together to tell their story
that it had crashed into the sea. To
public relations officer for Royal Canadian
at reunions and at special museum
Legion Branch 52.
admit the truth would have risked
events. Not surprisingly, they found
Credit: Examiner file photo
court-martial and very likely execution.
themselves celebrities among
"I couldn't tell anyone about it at home
veterans and became the subjects of Former barber, Second World War
that I had let them go or I would have
Veteran Tony Basciano dies
many articles in newspapers. Peter
been looking down the barrels of a
Gzowski, host of CBC's Morningside, To the community Anthony (Tony)
firing squad," he said.
was the first to interview them on
Basciano was known as a long-time
Earlier in the day, he had already
radio.
barber, Second World War veteran
downed two other B-17s, and a third
For his part, Mr. Brown also found an and former Royal Canadian Legion
would have assured him the coveted
unexpected release. In the long years Branch 52 president. To his family he
Knight's Cross medal.
was a protector, provider, a storyteller
since the war, he had suffered a
In 1953, Mr. Stigler emigrated to
recurring nightmare in which he was in with a sweet tooth and a hunk.
Canada - first to Montreal and then to an aircraft spiralling down toward trees Mr. Basciano died Wednesday at 8:45
British Columbia. He found work as a and buildings. The dreams ceased the p.m. after 6 1/2 weeks at the
mechanic with a logging company in
day he met Franz Stigler.
Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
the Queen Charlotte Islands and later
Once enemies, the two men became He was 86.
settled in Surrey, where he became
as close as brothers and talked on the Pat Basciano, his wife of nearly 33
operations manager for the truck
phone almost every week. "For some years, said her husband loved the
division of Hertz. He than ran his own
reason, we really hit it off," Mr. Brown legion, his barbershop his many
trucking company for several years,
said.
friends and family.
assisted by his wife, Hija.
FRANZ STIGLER
Mr. Basciano was nearly 80 when he
Through the years, he never forgot the
damaged B-17. He often mentioned
Franz Stigler was born Aug. 21, 1915, retired in 2000 after 53 years to his
disappointment, she said.
the plane to Hija, and speculated
in Regensburg, Germany. He died
about what had happened to the crew. March 22, 2008, in Surrey, B.C., of
“He always said ‘I’d still be working but
For all he knew, it might have crashed complications from surgery. He was
my wife made me quit,’ and I said
into the sea on its own.
92. He is survived by wife Hija and
‘maybe the fact that you were in
daughter Jovita. Two earlier marriages intensive care and we thought you
For 43 years, the riddle went
ended in divorce. He is also survived were going to die had something to do
unanswered and then a letter
by Charlie Brown of Perrine, Fla.
with it,’” she said.
appeared in a newsletter for German
fighter pilots, past and present. Charlie
Friday, April 18, 2008 His health had been a problem for
Brown, the American pilot, had
Ray Eagle, Special to The Globe and Mail nearly a decade, Pat said, with a
Section: Veterans stroke, heart problems and prostate
submitted it on a hunch.
Page 30
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Week Ending April 19, 2008
cancer.
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
with his family, Cooke said.
Born in Italy, Mr. Basciano moved to
“When he had to give up the parade
Peterborough when he was 18 months he was pretty upset he couldn’t
old and remained here his whole life
march,” Pat said.
except for the war.
The couple met at the legion at a
During the Second World War, Mr.
Remembrance Day dinner, Mr.
Basciano spend six years overseas in Basciano asked Pat to dance, she
Sicily, Italy and Holland.
said.
wore it up until he died.
“He didn’t even want the rosary sitting
beside him he wanted it right around
his neck. It never left him the whole
time and he’s going to be buried with
it,” she said.
Friday, April 18, 2008
NICOLE RIVA/Examiner Community Writer
Section: Veterans
His daughter, Nicole Cooke, said her
dad described that time as some of
the best years of his life.
“He was a real hunk and I got him. I
had to fight to get him and it was worth
it,” she said.
Canada's last First World War
“He would rarely talk about it, but
whenever he talked about it almost
every story was a good story,” she
said. “He didn’t like to talk about the
negative things he would tell us the
funny things.”
At home Cooke said her dad was an
“old-school Italian dad,” but above all
else took care of everyone.
Mr. Basciano lied about his age to
enlist and was named a sergeant at
20, Cooke said.
vet receives commendation
“He had to raise his four little brothers,
his mother died when he was 12, so
he’s always been a protector,” she
said.
Mr. Basciano was quiet and wanted
everyone to be happy, which Cooke
When he returned to Peterborough he said he carried on to his last days
took a barbering course and his shop when he had trouble speaking.
gained a strong reputation. Pat said
“He became a real man of gestures,
new recruits would be sent to his shop
he would make funny little gestures to
for their brush cuts.
people and make goofy faces at
people to make them laugh,” she said.
“It was really hard on him when he
had to retire because of his health, he “Even though he was the one that was
dying he was still trying to make
absolutely loved the job it was a real
everybody laughed around him.”
social outlet for him,” Cooke said. “It
was a good business, he was a hard
Cooke said all four children and two
worker it certainly gave us kids a good
stepchildren knew how proud dad was
life.”
of them and he adored his
Cooke has fond memories of spending grandchildren, spoiling them with ice
days at the barbershop sweeping up
cream.
hair and spinning around in the extra
“The moment grandkids walked in the
chair. Her oldest daughter was able to
house he would offer them a bowl of
get her first haircut by grandpa.
ice cream. It didn’t matter if they had
“I still run into people that say ‘he gave just finished breakfast or if they were
me my first haircut,’” Cooke said.
coming for dinner and were just about
to eat,” she said.
Outside of work, Mr. Basciano loved
the legion his family said, and he held Mr. Basciano loved sweets, Cooke
position including president from 1973- said, he was famous for always having
74.
candy around the house and the
family got him ice cream in the
Murray Findlay, public relations officer
hospital when he had trouble eating.
for Royal Canadian Legion Branch 52
said he was also sergeant-at-arms
“That’s what he loved, mom fed him
and zone commander. Mr. Basciano
two cups that first night,” she said.
was honoured as a life member of the
A Roman Catholic, religion was also
legion and received the palm leaf, the
important, Cooke said her parents
legion’s highest honour.
house was covered with religious
“He was one hell of a nice guy, just a statues and Mr. Basciano had last
nice person to be around,” Findlay
rites delivered several times.
said.
Cooke’s brother, Warren Chambers,
Mr. Basciano was very involved in
brought a blessed rosary from Rome
parades, which he always attended
to Mr. Basciano in the hospital and he
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
John Babcock was shipped over to
England as a teen and ended up, in 1917,
with the Boys Battalion, a reserve brigade.
The war ended before he could get to the
front lines. At a small family ceremony in
Spokane, Washington, the Honourable
Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans
Affairs, presented a Minister of Veterans
Affairs Commendation to Mr. John
Babcock, Canada's last known First World
War Veteran.
Credit: Reuters
SPOKANE, Wash. - John Babcock
was only 15 years old when he signed
up to fight for Canada in the First
World War.
Now, more than 90 years later, the
107 year old says he's bemused by all
the attention he receives as this
country's last known surviving veteran
of that war.
At a ceremony near his home in
Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Babcock
was presented with a special award by
Page 31
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Week Ending April 19, 2008
Michael Chong, Member of Parliament
for Wellington-Halton Hills, on behalf
of the Honourable Greg Thompson,
"I'm honoured," Babcock said,
Minister of Veterans Affairs, today
according to Kim Blanchette a
attended a remembrance event at the
Canadian official who attended the
Royal Canadian Legion Branch #120
ceremony, "but I didn't do anything. I
(Georgetown, ON), where he
didn't fight. They sent me to the young
confirmed Government of Canada
soldiers battalion and we drilled for 8
funding of up to $2,500 for this event
hours a day."
and other community remembrance
Saturday marked the first time since
activities.
the award's creation in 2001 that the
"Commemorative events help make
minister has travelled outside of
sure that future generations keep the
Canada to give the Minister's
torch of remembrance ablaze," said
Commendation, which recognizes
Minister Thompson. "This is one more
both commendable service to the
way we can encourage Canadians of
community of veterans, and the
all ages to remember and honour the
sacrifice and achievements of
men and women who served our
veterans themselves.
country so well."
Born on July 23, 1900, Babcock had
The all-day event allowed Georgetown
to lie about his age to join the 146th
citizens to learn more about the work
Battalion of the Canadian
being done by the Legion for Veterans
Expeditionary Force in the war. He
and the community. Mr. Chong also
was shipped over to England as a
announced funding of up to $5,000
teen and ended up, in 1917, with the
towards two candlelight tributes.
Boys Battalion, a reserve brigade.
Funding is provided through Veterans
The war ended before he could get to Affairs Canada's Community
the front lines though, and it was one Engagement Partnership Fund.
of Babcock's great disappointments
On May 8, more than 1,200 school
that he never made it into active battle.
children will attend candlelight tributes
at cenotaphs in the communities of
In a 2006 interview with Veteran's
Georgetown and Glen Williams. They
Affairs, Babcock explained his
will meet Veterans and place lit
reaction at the time: "I was chagrined,
candles around the each cenotaph to
I wasn't a 'real' soldier."
honour service men and women who
He also said that he feels for today's
died while serving their country. The
soldiers.
candles will burn overnight.
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg
Thomson.
"I understand what they go through in
basic training and drilling. You are
soon taught to obey orders."
After the war, Babcock moved to the
United States and served in the
American Army from 1921 to 1924.
Babcock attended the ceremony
Saturday with his wife, Dorothy.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Canwest News Service
Section: Veterans
Government of Canada
Encourages Canadians to
Remember
Veterans Affairs Canada
Section: Veterans
Government of Canada
Commemorates the 55th
Anniversary of the Korean
War Armistice
Vancouver - On behalf of the
Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister
of Veterans Affairs, Dr. James
Lunney, Member of Parliament for
Nanaimo-Alberni, participated in a
commemorative ceremony to mark the
55th anniversary of the Korean War
Armistice, the 10th anniversary of the
Kap'Yong Memorial Plaque
dedication, and the twinning of Pacific
Rim National Park Reserve with
Hallyo Haesang Sea National Park in
Korea.
"Today, we commemorate the legacy
of those Canadians who served in the
first major international crisis following
the end of the Second World War.
More than 26,000 Canadians served
in the Korean War and 516 lost their
lives in the name of peace and
freedom," said Minister Thompson.
Veterans Affairs Canada partnered
with The Royal Canadian Legion,
Parks Canada and the Korea
Veterans Association to honour the
distinguished contributions of
"Community events give all citizens
Canadians in the Battle of Kap'Yong
the opportunity to interact with our
during the Korean War. Many people
Veterans as well as honour those who
joined Dr. Lunney at Radar Hill, Pacific
made the ultimate sacrifice," said the
Rim National Park Reserve to
Honourable Michael Chong.
remember the great sacrifices and the
The Community Engagement
achievements of the men and women
Partnership Fund provides funding to who served.
non-profit groups, educational
"Our Government supports events that
institutions and other organizations
foster appreciation-especially in
delivering remembrance activities and
Canadian youth-for the
events. Administered through
accomplishments and sacrifices made
Veterans Affairs Canada's Canada
by Canadian service men and
Remembers program, contributions
women," said Dr. Lunney. "As
are made throughout the year and
Canadians, we share a proud military
encompass both national and
history and we are passionate about
community-based projects.
honouring Canada's Veterans and all
To learn more about the Community
who served."
Engagement Partnership Fund or to
For more information on Canada's
apply for funding, go to www.vacinvolvement in the Korean War, visit
acc.gc.ca or call 1-800-443-0394.
www.vac-acc.gc.ca.
Georgetown, ON - The Honourable
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Page 32
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Week Ending April 19, 2008
WEBNEWS Volume - 2 Edition 15
Veterans Affairs Canada
Kap' Yong Memorial Plaque, but
Section: Veterans heavy snow on Vancouver Island's
east coast prevented a bus from
making it to Pacific Rim National Park
Korean War memorial on
Reserve, which was twinned with
Vancouver Island 'last big
Korea's Hallyo Haesang Sea National
Park 10 years ago.
gathering,
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Keven Drews, The Westcoaster
Section: Veterans
Those who were able to attend
gathered at the plaque overlooking
Clayoquot Sound and the Pacific
Ocean, where they remembered the
battle, which was fought atop Hill 677
by the 2nd Battalion of the Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry on
April 25 and April 26, 1951.
Major C Gordon Owen, a Korean War
veteran salutes during the singing of
Canada's national anthem in downtown
Tofino Friday April 18, 2008.
Credit: Keven Drews
TOFINO, B.C. — The tiny blue bars
pinned above rows of gold and silver
medals speak to the horrors this evershrinking group of Korean War
veterans experienced 57 years ago
this week.
Those blue bars - the rare U.S.
Presidential Unit Citation - was
awarded to the 2nd Battalion of the
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light
Infantry for stopping a Chinese
offensive at Kap' Yong Hill in April
1951.
Dozens of Korean War veterans including 10 who received that citation
- and their families gathered Saturday
in Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim
National Park Reserve to remember
the battle, the Korean Armistice and
those who never returned.
"We've lost four members this year
alone of the Kap' Yong veterans, so
we're getting thin," said Edward R.
Murphy of Victoria, a survivor of the
battle.
John Bishop, another veteran,
predicted Saturday's memorial atop
Radar Hill could be the last time this
group would come together.
Ten Canadians died and dozens were
wounded, but the infantry, the 3rd
Battalion of the Royal Australian
Regiment and an American heavy
tank battalion held the line, stopping
the Chinese offensive in its tracks.
"We were just doing our duty," Bishop
said, reminding the crowd that the
action stopped Seoul from falling.
The three units were awarded
presidential citations for their actions.
Two years and three months later, on
July 27, 1953, the Korean armistice
was signed.
Of the 26,971 Canadians who served,
516 were killed and 1,558 were
wounded.
James Lunney, Conservative MP for
Nanaimo-Alberni, told the veterans
that Canadians are proud of them.
"Our freedom is not free. It never was.
It will never be," he said. "Today we
salute you. We remember. We thank
you on behalf of a grateful nation."
Tong-Mo Suh, Korea's consul general,
thanked the veterans, many of whom
volunteered to fight at a young age.
"Your action changed the course of
Korea's history," he said.
He told the veterans their sacrifice
was not in vain because Korea now
has the world's 13th-largest economy,
participates in United Nations
peacekeeping missions, and Ban Kimoon now serves as secretary
general for the UN.
"Today it's important because it's
probably the last big gathering of Kap' "I express my sincere thanks for your
service to my country. You are heroes
Yong veterans because of our age,"
to us. You will be in our hearts and
he said.
minds forever."
More veterans were expected at the
The Royal Canadian Legion, Fred Gies Branch 50 (Ontario)
Page 33