had passed, and his self-defence system, able to hold
the symptoms in check for so many years, was failing.
The march toward his civilian death was a frightening
dance with the terrors of his war, the details I would
never know. That is heroism — a heroism of seventyfive
years duration.
It wasn’t all a dance with the devil. On more than
one occasion, an angel of mercy visited to help him
battle his PTSD. In Holland in 2005, we visited more
than one war cemetery, fastidiously and respectfully
maintained by the Dutch. The grass was green and
trimmed, the crosses neat and standing erect, and
every gravesite honoured. Dad and I wandered
amongst the crosses, and by the hand of an angel,
we found ourselves at a cross marking the grave of
a young man from Dad’s hometown who had never
returned. This man’s decision to leave had influenced
Dad to do the same. We cried over his grave. We
prayed. We thanked him for his service and the
ultimate gift he gave.
Dad’s angel returned on that last Remembrance
Day in 2019. He could no longer march, but sat
through the service in his wheelchair, standing only
for “God Save the Queen.” After the service an eightysome-year-old
woman asked Dad in her Dutch accent
if he had served in Holland. When he answered
“Yes,” she cried, embraced him, and thanked him for
her life of freedom and abundance. Dad saluted her
from his wheelchair and told her it was his honour,
and my dad the hero was again before my eyes.
ODE OF REMEMBRANCE*
They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning,
We will remember them.
…
For those who leave, never to return.
For those who return, but are never the same.
Today and every day, we honour you.
My pledge to my father is to remember this poem
and to always hold his memory close to my heart. His
sacrifice and suffering was not in vain.
Lest we forget.
* From the poem “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon
Calgary Co-operative Memorial Society (CCMS)
CCMS is a non-profit member-owned co-operative. We arrange discounted funeral
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Since being founded in 1965, we have had more than 45,000 members. Membership
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The most important benefit is the peace of mind gained from knowing that, by putting
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You can purchase a lifetime membership for only $40 per adult. For more information
visit calgarymemorial.com, or call the CCMS at 403-248-2044 or 1-800-566-9959.
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