November 11, 2010

Remembrance Day

(I thought it would be nice to rerun a blog I wrote in 2008 on our cross Canada Farewell tour, about a hero in our family that helped us remember.)

History Taken Down a Notch (July 23, 2008)

Ok, so I have learned about WW2 in school. I have heard about it on TV. I have read about it in books and magazines but the truth is and I hate to admit this, it kind of bored me. It just didn't touch me close enough to home. It was a time that I just couldn't comprehend.

Well things are very different now. We were all at the kitchen table in Candle Lake, Saskatchewan and the kids and I were doing a puzzle and Graham and his Grandpa Elwood were talking. The conversation came around to WW2 and the allied invasion of Europe in 1944 and Elwood began to recount for us the Canadian invasion of Juno Beach in France.

"We arrived at Juno beach in boats and we were all unloaded into the water. We were in our full gear and boots and heavy packs and guns. The water was up to our necks and for some of the men it was over their heads. Right away we started to struggle. Trying to make our way to shore with all the weight on us, was hard. Several men began to drown and we were trained to keep moving and we weren't allowed to stop and help. We made it to the beach facing a hail of bullets from the German positions: there was no time to stop and catch your breath or take a break. Gun fire was on us and we had to "clear" the German bunkers on the higher ground at the edge of the beach. We fought in lines. The first line would go forward and fight and then drop and then the second line would go forward and drop. It gave each team a few moments to reload, etc. As your friends would get hit and wounded around you, you had to just keep running. Months of training had been drilled into us that if you stop you would never get started again. We fought for a week solid with no rest. We had a bit of reprieve from the gun fire at the end of the week, enough so that we could get a bit of rest. We ate biscuits that swelled up in your stomach and made you think you were full. We drank any water we could find and put tablets in it to purify. "

As we sat and listened, it became so real. History wasn't something we couldn't see, it was one soldier, telling his story. It hit us all. The kids had stopped their puzzle at this point. I had moved closer. We were pouring over pictures and memorabilia. Everything seemed so clear now. The gratitude I felt was overwhelming.

Wouldn't we be lucky if all history lessons could be taught by someone making the history. Taken down to an intimate level that we can all comprehend. The kind of level that makes us ask all the questions that fill in the blanks because we are so drawn in.

Elwood went back to Juno beach for the first time in 1995. He had a picture of it. It looked beautiful. He described how strange it felt to stand there. He also had a picture of the endless rows of graves of all of the Canadian soldiers. He said that this is when his emotions really rose to the surface, as he walked around and saw so many of his friend's names.

I can't thank Elwood enough for sharing his stories with us. It was a couple of hours that none of us will ever forget.

4 comments:

  1. Ok this took me to heart. I have been following your blogs for long since Gromit introduced you all. But this is the first time I am touched by ur blog and the Remembrance day story. I have to watch the movie "Storming Juno". I thank you for this blog. Please pass my greatest respect for Mr Elwood and thank him on my behalf and giving me & my family to be part of this Great Country. I am sure I can't thank him enough.
    aj

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the story Julie. Thank you so much for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. beautiful Julie. |Grandpa will love it. Dad printed off all your blogs for grandma and grandpa but i will be sure he adds this. just the last few years he has started to talk about it. He and Dwayne had a phenominal chat about those days and how fast life changed!!! He is an amazing man with so much to share and i am so glad that bit by bit, as hard as it is that he is sharing it. It will help the honour, pride and the true weight of the situation live on with our children. i changed my profile pic to Grandpa's enlistment picture for rememberance day and he looks so young and innocent. makes us remember that so many young and innocent men either lost their lives or were changed forever!!!!
    Miss you guys. love and hugs to you all...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved this blogg Julie. A true history lesson for sure. Our grandfather was not one to talk about what happened to him in the second world war for I think the memory was to painful and something they just didnt speak of. His father also never told stories of the first world war either. But Stephen J . Nichol of Kingston wrote a book called "Ordinary Heroes" Eastern Ontario's 21st Battalion C.E.F in The great war. Your great grandfather is mentioned in it several times and there are a few stories in there that paint a pretty good picture of what he went through. I am sure rememberance day took on a whole new meaning for you. For me I was reminded of my own brother who has gone over to serve in the war several times now and I have been reminded of how lucky we were when he returned safe and sound.

    ReplyDelete