Today is National Aboriginal Veterans Day in Canada. To be
honest I wasn’t aware of this date I assume all those who served in the wars
are remembered on November 11. We have
two male tenants at KMHC who served in the military so whenever the opportunity
arises I listen to their stories. :)
My step father was in the Canadian Armed Forces he served, fought
and survived WW2. After the war he
obtained a job as a bulldozer operator for an excavating company in
Toronto. I have strong memories of him
as I grew up, he was a disciplinarian and tough on me yet there was a gentle
side to him. He was the typical Canadian
fisherman every Friday after work he would load up his big old 1960’s Pontiac Parisienne with
his fishing gear and bring (drag) me along. I say (drag) because I didn’t always want to
go. Georgian Bay was filled with many of
his favorite fishing spots, he taught me all aspects of freshwater fishing and
today I miss it. He would visit many
reservations along the Georgian Bay area and he knew many Aboriginal people. Back then Aboriginals spoke Ojibway fluently especially
the elders and I couldn’t understand or speak the language. I suppose as a kid I felt like an outsider which
is why I didn’t like going to the reservation.
One time my father & I were sitting at the kitchen table I was
admiring his war medals when I asked what war was like! It was a topic that wasn’t open for
discussion and I was scolded for asking.
When he was in a good mood he said many times he would like to visit the
Netherlands, Belgium and France again. Unfortunately
while in my teens he died in his sleep while visiting the reservation. That was the one weekend
I decided to stay at home in Toronto. When
a relative gave me the news I was devastated.
Here was a fifteen year old kid with no father and all alone, it was the
beginning of a new chapter in my life filled with a lot bumps along the way. 10 years later I did go back to Pickerel Reservation
for the last time to visit my father’s grave. Standing there in silence looking at his gravestone and like old
times it was just him and I.
Last week I received an invitation, on Friday November 11 Wesley
Urban Ministries Multicultural group will be traveling to the Canadian Warplane
Heritage Museum. We will be honoring
those who served our country with a special indoor Remembrance Day service. :)
Nov. 11 2016 Add on http://tinyurl.com/zekp2vd
Nov. 11 2016 Add on http://tinyurl.com/zekp2vd
Tk
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