I did make it to Barrie, but didn't stay too long wife's ankle was pretty rough and I was exhausted, but I got the gist of it...
Anyway, went out to Fleetwood sunday probably around noon. I knew lots of guys would be gone etc, but I wanted to get the feel of the thing.
Attached is a picture of a gentleman I immediately had to meet! I love old army trucks. Something struck me though as he was gingerly putting away a uniform
and I saw a whole freaking pile of medals.
Talked to him for a while, about the 42 ford welding truck, but it got a little more serious as I discovered he was actually a WWII vet.
My family were children in holland during the war, obviously my mother. I informed him of the fact, and let him know that we all deeply,
sincerely appreciate everything he'd done (He'd been all over Europe, and even into holland, in to the town my family lived).
He got silent, had a tear in is eye, and wanted to know, "are they here now". Yes, my late mother and a bunch of her sisters came to Canada in the 50s. Most
of our family is actually here and not in holland. He uttered a sort of stunned "isn't that something"
I don't really know **** about the military, I'm as civilian as it gets. Its occurred to me though that men like this and all these other
military guys are out there everyday doing whatever it is they do so I get to be a lazy, fat, comfortable civillian.
So, thanks went to him and thanks to and of you who have/are serving.
Oh yea, and never mind old radios, we got onto that discussion.... :)
And we should never forget their sacrifice for the freedoms we have had in this Country..Thank-you sir for your service..great photo and story and thanks for sharing and taking the time to visit and engage that gentleman in conversation..Too many of our youth do not have a clue of the sacrifices so many Familys made on our behalf...and never forget WAR is hell..
And I think too many of us are quick to dismiss the work that our current servicemen do, and our more recent ones.
That guy was pure class, what a gentleman. He said "I'll see you next year", and so yeah, we'll be heading over to fleetwood again. I hope I made his
day, he made my month.
This history is just in my blood... was taught about the war as soon as I could understand.
My grandfather was a WWI vet, and I was taken all over Holland as a kid to see WWII sites etc, our family was big with 9 kids, and they were scattered around the country.
I got to take in lots of history.
I don't think he saw much active duty, but he was stationed in this fort in south holland. As we walked through the fort with the curator, my grandfather starts correcting him on stuff...
The fort had been taken by the germans in WWII, and was more a WWII museum, they hadn't thought much toward WWI. Smart guy, goes and grabs a tape recorder and
spends about 4 hours with my grandpa, going through the fort explaining what it was like during the previous war.
War is hell, and probably the best gift my late mom left me was stories first hand of being a child during WWII.
Also, I'm only 34. I grew up somewhat in Erin, ontario, I can remember every nov 11, heading over to the cenotaph with all the other elementary school kids, of course at the time there would have been more WW1/2 vets alive. I remember seeing them, dressed in uniform, wiping tears from their eyes during the ceremony. We didn't quite enjoy it or understand it, but we were taught to respect these guys, and what they did was important.. As I got older I got the point.
I always wonder though if that was a unique small town sort of thing, or if that was done all over. Don't think they do that with kids today.
Thanks for posting this story. Really makes you proud of our vets. This kind of post is what makes this site just a little bit better than some of the other car sites. Ed
BMW, nice posting,, and yes up here each Nov. the kids and many people, including younger folks 20-30 still attend the cenotaph for the rememberance service.
I thought i'd add on to this, since my mom is no longer around, I needed to reach out to some other family to figure something out.
This gentleman told me a story that was eerily familiar, when the Germans were retreating back through they did a few things. Shoot people, burn things, etc
as they were retreating back.
My mom told me of being in a town where they had heard of liberation and I guess the good guys were on their way. People in town started to celebrate etc, but a group a retreating
germans came through and shot at people, broke things etc, and lots of people fled to the church. I got the story correct after checking with a few other relatives...
Anyway, this gentleman...
He told me this story of how they came into a small town in holland and there were nearly no people to be found. He said "Those germans weren't all that nice when they were leaving" "But it was funny that piles of people were locked into the church."
There's lots of churches and towns in Holland, he did mention being in the south.
