Nov 10th
It is the day before November 11th - Rememberance Day.
As a Baby Boomer, Rememberance Day can take on a number of different importances. I have not been to war and have not had to defend myself, my family or country against tyranny. But I am old enough to remember the stories about those who did.
My uncle Max was in the Air Force and saw duty in Europe. My uncle Sam was posted hundreds of miles north of Edmonton is a desolate post, most of the time by himself, watching a screen and looking out for enemy planes. Herb, the person who interviewed me for my teaching job at CMCC in 1976 saw active duty in the Air Force over Europe.
I was at York University from 1968 to 1971 when students in my class, sitting beside me, were born and raised in the US - and were in Toronto as a result of the Viet Nam war. By the luck of birth, I was not subject to the draft but like so many other "middle class sociology students who were safe in the homes" I protested the war outside of the US Embassy.
I abhor war - as do all soldiers. They do it because they have to. If they had their choice they would be in the army for everything else it does when dealing with natural disasters. But because the world is not always a nice place, thank God they are there to deal with the issues that they are faced with.
Two years ago I was a soldier for a day. I was geared up and experienced some of the things that soldiers experience when starting their new occupation. I lasted about three hours -- I ended up with an issue on the obstacle course involving a climb and fall from about 10 feet. It wasn't quite as funny as serious when you begin to appreciate all that is required of a soldier.
I think about our soldiers more often than simply on Rememberance Day. God bless them and their families for all that they do and sacrifice.
As a Baby Boomer, Rememberance Day can take on a number of different importances. I have not been to war and have not had to defend myself, my family or country against tyranny. But I am old enough to remember the stories about those who did.
My uncle Max was in the Air Force and saw duty in Europe. My uncle Sam was posted hundreds of miles north of Edmonton is a desolate post, most of the time by himself, watching a screen and looking out for enemy planes. Herb, the person who interviewed me for my teaching job at CMCC in 1976 saw active duty in the Air Force over Europe.
I was at York University from 1968 to 1971 when students in my class, sitting beside me, were born and raised in the US - and were in Toronto as a result of the Viet Nam war. By the luck of birth, I was not subject to the draft but like so many other "middle class sociology students who were safe in the homes" I protested the war outside of the US Embassy.
I abhor war - as do all soldiers. They do it because they have to. If they had their choice they would be in the army for everything else it does when dealing with natural disasters. But because the world is not always a nice place, thank God they are there to deal with the issues that they are faced with.
Two years ago I was a soldier for a day. I was geared up and experienced some of the things that soldiers experience when starting their new occupation. I lasted about three hours -- I ended up with an issue on the obstacle course involving a climb and fall from about 10 feet. It wasn't quite as funny as serious when you begin to appreciate all that is required of a soldier.
I think about our soldiers more often than simply on Rememberance Day. God bless them and their families for all that they do and sacrifice.
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