My Journey With Weight Loss – A Day For Remembering

I didn’t workout today (ok, still did a 1/2 hour walk with the dog) and I don’t feel bad about it as I have done 3 good runs this week. Instead, today is about remembering. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 the Armistice agreement was signed ending WWI. Here in Canada on November 11th we recognize all those that have served our county. This is a special day for my family as my Dad was a veteran who served in WWII. Normally we would spend the day at our local Legion to give thanks to those that have served their country. However, my family made the decision not to attend the services this year simply because it is too much contact with other people and we all agreed we could watch the services on tv. A friend has let me know she is attending the outdoor service at our local cenotaph and will lay her poppy there for us (note, here in Canada the poppy is a symbol of remembrance).

My Dad enlisted into the army at age 17 (this of course wasn’t legal but he lied about his age as did his father who was in his sixties so wasn’t eligible to enlist either). He never spoke to us about what he saw while he was overseas, instead he told the fun stories. He told us about the antics with his friend Jerry such as how they lied about being smokers so they could get cigarette rations which they then sold to the other soldiers when they had run out of their rations. They had a funny story about stealing Xmas turkeys from the mess and then selling those (this of course led to a stint in the brig). The only thing he ever said about landing in Normandy on D-Day was that James Arness, who was 6′ 6″, was one of the first soldiers to get off the amphibious boat so that they could tell if the water was shallow enough. Those are the types of stories he shared, not ones about the atrocities he saw.

For his service, the government treated him deplorably. For decades he fought to get the injuries he sustained in the war recognized. In particular, he came out of the army with serious back issues. The government denied that this had anything to do with his service. As a matter of fact at one point they sent him a letter telling him his pain was psychological. It wasn’t until he was dealing with an orthopedic specialist on an entirely different issue that proof was finally found. Turns out while Dad was unloading a supply truck it had backed up and pinned him against a tree. This caused chunks of bone to break off his spine and those chunks became filled with arthritis hence the sometimes unbearable pain. At that point Dad finally was deemed a disabled veteran and was given a pension which was not retroactive. Unfortunately the amount he received was no where near enough to support a family of 5 but the government blamed that on him telling him if he had not had children so late in life we would no longer be dependents and him and Mom would have easily been able to live on that pension. Seriously, that was the thanks he got.

But, the war did more damage to him. It took me a long time to realize that Dad suffered terribly from PTSD. While that term is thrown around a lot now, back then psychological damage from serving your country was not recognized. Sadly, I believe that the psychological injuries were far more painful for him than the physical injuries.

I will be upfront here, I am a pacifist, I do not believe in war. However, that does not stop me from remembering the fallen and the fact that they served because they were dedicated to their county and felt they needed to protect the rights of all citizens. I guess it worked because while I am sure when I acknowledge my dislike of war my Dad is looking down at me shaking his head but smiling in pride that when he fought for this country he ensured my right to those beliefs.

So I ask all of you today, wherever you are, if you see a veteran or someone who is currently serving in the forces, just thank them.

I leave you with the following which I think sums up my feelings on this day 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.