« Leaving Town | Main | Foreign Food »
November 11, 2005
Remember
Reading Trouble’s blog reminds me of my own Grandfathers’ experiences with the war. The affect that they have had on my family have been profound. My Paternal Grandfather never fought in the war but lived under German occupation in the Netherlands. My other Grandfather joined the Military near the start of the war and in 1944 volunteered to go overseas when he had not been ordered across.
I never new my Paternal Grandfather as he died before I was born. From all accounts though his reaction to the war was very much in keeping with his personality. During the war my grandparents had a terraced garden that was hidden from the road and neighbours. It was intended to grow vegetables for the residents. My grandfather grew tobacco. This was an illegal act that could easily have destroyed his family if he and my grandmother were caught. They weren’t. The money supported their families during the war and brought my Grandparents and their two young sons to Canada first class. My Grandfather Monsma tricked the Nazi occupation at great risk and one. He was a scoundrel, not a soldier.
My other Grandfather served with the Royal Canadian Air Force from about the start of the war until mandatory retirement. He speaks little of his service, even after the war. What i do know is that he chose to go overseas well after the war was underway. He knew what was at stake and still chose to take that risk. When asked about the war he claims that he wasn’t a hero and refuses to discuss the issue. To my mind he is a hero. He knowingly put his life on the line for something he believed in. I may not get along with him but I admire what he did. On Remembrance Day I can’t help but reflect on what he did.
I remember too the countless people who didn’t come home from the war.
Posted by Bluerevolutionist at November 11, 2005 02:13 PM