I remember the handsome fellow in the old black and white photo every day.
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According to information gleaned long ago from my Nana, Gramps served with the Loyal Edmonton Regt., from 1940 to 1946. A member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Pro Pats.
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For sowing the seeds of a lifelong passion for sport? For creating the template you refer to almost daily in terms of raising a family?
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A man who served his family with even more distinction. Married to the same woman for more than 60 years.
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The man who rescued me from my first driving lesson (at age three, I somehow backed his car from the driveway into the middle of a busy road).
The man who instilled in me my competitiveness by kicking my butt at lawn darts (and anything else) until I actually deserved to beat him.
The man who taught me that if you believed in your convictions, to hold firm. (Even if the encyclopedia said otherwise!)
The man responsible for my love of lowbrow humour.
The man who used his cane as a hockey stick during an impromptu backyard game with my then young son.
The word hero is overused, tossed around casually. Gramps was my hero, and that was for real.
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But as soon as he saw us, he perked up. He grabbed a little teddy bear his great grandson had brought along, and immediately started doing silly imitations. Amazing.
And I have a zillion of those anecdotes. We had long, animated discussions about many things. But one thing we never, ever, talked about was his time during the war.
I was an inquisitive young lad, so clearly wanted to ask about it, but was always politely and quietly told not to ask. It was off limits.
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I can only imagine how horrific it may have been, or what would go through the minds of any young person serving in such a capacity so far from home.
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Lest we forget.
Do you have a special person you think of on Remembrance Day? I'd love to hear the tales of the people who meant the most to you.
PQB News/VI Free Daily editor Philip Wolf welcomes your questions, comments and story ideas. He can be reached at 250-905-0029 or via email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca.