Remembrance Day

Had an uncle in the Navy, he would have joined in the 50s.
Other than that, I'm the only one in my family to serve.

I respect the older generations for sure, but don't forget that the current vets also feel the same emotions, have also lost and a few of them have some great war stories... A buddy of mine received his MMV not long ago.

It means more than ever to me now, and the families of those past deserve to have a day to see their loved ones being recognized and respected, despite your personal political views. These people were just normal people doing a job that they didn't think was anything special.

I've had people saying thank you to me, and I have no idea how to take it... I came home, that's enough thanks for me... The one they should be thanking is those who didn't and their families.

Best thing about the 11th is hanging out with all the old guys, having a few drinks and listening to the cool stuff they did back then... Lots of things never change.
 
RockerGuy said:
Its weird that for so many years there were never a remembrance day thread on this forum... shame on u :rolleyes:

Anyway, if you have an uncle aunt grandfather who took part in WWII, let us know. It was the last great modern war. There were lots of trials and tribulations for alot of people and lots of countries. So if u have some stories, I would love to hear them. I like watching them on the history channel, but they are not interactive and I don't get to ask question :). If there are still veteran riders on this forum, I salute you sir!

To the other veterans from other wars, you can also share them, but they have to be spectacular, like if your dad hid a watch up his anus so that his captors cannot put their filthy hands on it:
pulpfiction-watch.jpg

thewatch.jpg


Some useless facts:
Did u know the Nazis were the first to make a long range ballistic missile?
They were the first to put Nitrous in an engine, used to inject it in their aircraft engine.

But anyway, to all of our veterans, I salute u!! :salute:
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absolutely they don't even have the R.I.P. section for great riders and comrades.
 
rmemedic said:
Had an uncle in the Navy, he would have joined in the 50s.
Other than that, I'm the only one in my family to serve.

I respect the older generations for sure, but don't forget that the current vets also feel the same emotions, have also lost and a few of them have some great war stories... A buddy of mine received his MMV not long ago.

It means more than ever to me now, and the families of those past deserve to have a day to see their loved ones being recognized and respected, despite your personal political views. These people were just normal people doing a job that they didn't think was anything special.

I've had people saying thank you to me, and I have no idea how to take it... I came home, that's enough thanks for me... The one they should be thanking is those who didn't and their families.

Best thing about the 11th is hanging out with all the old guys, having a few drinks and listening to the cool stuff they did back then... Lots of things never change.
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Sorry, I did not mean it that way. But what those guys did back then were in a different league compared to what the guys do now. Ortona, Passchendaele, Juno Beach, Vimy Ridge, just to name a few. Lots of lives were lost in those events. Lots of people do not know how difficult it was for those guys and I just wanted to highlight that.

But on a different note...
ALL VETERANS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS THREAD ;)
 
My moms father served... And apparently wouldnt ever talk about what happened. What we do know is he was shot trying to steal a german motorcycle. But he was with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment. Served with Farley Mowet. Supposedly there are a couple books about their regiment. I really should get and read.

But as always I'll be at work taking my break from 1030 to 1130 to watch the ceremony online. I hate how the 11th isnt a holiday in this province.... its sick!
 
RockerGuy said:
Sorry, I did not mean it that way. But what those guys did back then were in a different league compared to what the guys do now. Ortona, Passchendaele, Juno Beach, Vimy Ridge, just to name a few. Lots of lives were lost in those events. Lots of people do not know how difficult it was for those guys and I just wanted to highlight that.

But on a different note...
ALL VETERANS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS THREAD ;)
Click to expand...

There is no doubt those wars were worse. Believe me, I would rather do it the way it's done now than the way it was back then. The battles we have are nothing like what they were.
 
Rememberance is a Day off for me! I love working for the Bank.
 
My family does not have any Canadian war history, but does have WW2 history.

I don't have all the details down since my grandfather spoke very little about it, but the story goes that he was a POW of the Mussolini army - I am not sure if he was a deserter (there were a lot of those during the war) or if he fought for the allies (there were several Italian groups that fought with the allies later on in the war). Anyway, he was caught, and ended up on ferry full of prisoners sailing the Adriatic, where Mussolini's army was executing them systematically and throwing the bodies overboard. Seeing that it was almost my grandfather's turn, he jumped ship and swam to Croatia - and he did not know how to swim - survival instinct! He stayed in hiding in Croatia for 3 years, living off potatoes and whatever else his host family provided. My grandmother had no way of knowing whether he was dead or alive. I suppose after 3 years of silence, you assume the worst. So you can only imagine the reunion when he returned.

When I was younger, my parents bought me a drum kit. Every time my grandfather came over, he played all these military drum patterns. That's the closest I ever got to him talking about the war.

I wish I was old enough at the time to talk to him. He died when I was 10.
 
RockerGuy said:
Sorry, I did not mean it that way. But what those guys did back then were in a different league compared to what the guys do now. Ortona, Passchendaele, Juno Beach, Vimy Ridge, just to name a few. Lots of lives were lost in those events. Lots of people do not know how difficult it was for those guys and I just wanted to highlight that.

But on a different note...
ALL VETERANS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS THREAD ;)
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Let's not forget the Battle of the Somme. A generation of Newfoundlanders was wiped out in 15-20 minutes during that assault.
 
My great-grandfather, his 2 brothers and their dad were actively involved in breaking through the Salonika Front. As I said before, more than half the male population died in World War 1, so statistically, if 2 men from the same house went to war, only 1 would (hopefully) come back. In this case, all 4 fought in the early battles against the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Bulgaria, survived the retreat across Albania and came back with a vengeance. They were all wounded multiple times, received all sorts of medals, all almost died from hypothermia, mountain clan attacks and malnutrition during and after the retreat, but they survived, refitted, came back and liberated the country.

My dad got me a book with first-hand accounts from Salonika vets. Some of the stories were crazy, like one guy single-handedly charging a Bulgarian machine gun nest in high noon (they were too vigilant at night, but it got pretty hot during the day) and taking it or another guy capturing a squad of Austrians by being cool as a cucumber, strolling in and convincing them that they were surrounded.. I should give it another read as soon as I dig up the tote.

Edit: A link to the pretty decent Wikipedia article on this little-known (in Canada) theatre of action during the World War 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki_Front
 
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FiReSTaRT said:
My great-grandfather, his 2 brothers and their dad were actively involved in breaking through the Salonika Front. As I said before, more than half the male population died in World War 1, so statistically, if 2 men from the same house went to war, only 1 would (hopefully) come back. In this case, all 4 fought in the early battles against the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Bulgaria, survived the retreat across Albania and came back with a vengeance. They were all wounded multiple times, received all sorts of medals, all almost died from hypothermia, mountain clan attacks and malnutrition during and after the retreat, but they survived, refitted, came back and liberated the country.

My dad got me a book with first-hand accounts from Salonika vets. Some of the stories were crazy, like one guy single-handedly charging a Bulgarian machine gun nest in high noon (they were too vigilant at night, but it got pretty hot during the day) and taking it or another guy capturing a squad of Austrians by being cool as a cucumber, strolling in and convincing them that they were surrounded.. I should give it another read as soon as I dig up the tote.

Edit: A link to the pretty decent Wikipedia article on this little-known (in Canada) theatre of action during the World War 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki_Front
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All I know about Serbian war is from the movie "Behind enemy lines" :rolleyes:
 
Let's remember they hoped to be the last generation to have to go to war. I get annoyed with the whiners (not here) that come out every year complaining Remembrance Day glorifies war. A few told me it was the best time of their lives and they'd never want to do it again. You people seem to have the right take on it.
OP wanted tales. My family was 100% Scottish -
Grandfather - WWI infantry
Father - Rolls Royce aircraft machinist and Home Guard gunner. Slept so soundly the family frequently had to wake him up to go to the air raid shelter.
Mother - Lt. British Army nurse - survived the London blitz by one night when she was ordered to take a day off after two weeks straight and her replacement was killed. Also nursed Allied and German patients in field hospitals. Ended the war in India. Taught me how to say "shut the door please" in Urdu, lol.
Uncle 1 - Trained snipers in marksmanship (2nd generation professional gamekeeper)
Uncle 2 - Royal Engineers, Africa
Uncle 3 - Commando, various theatres
Uncle 4 - RAF training facility near Meaford
Nextdoor Neighbour 1 - Polish Air Force in Britain - Wellington bomber tail gunner on submarine hunting duty.
Old friend - Cdn Army demolitions (got nightmares about blowing bridges with dozens of soldiers on them)

This one is interesting. Nextdoor Neighbour - Czech/German - conscripted in Luftwaffe transport. In the final months of the European war, Germany had no command of the sky and was putting unessential Luftwaffe into ground units for defence. His position was over run. A Brit aimed and pulled the trigger but it misfired so he was taken prisoner instead. He ended up in a camp in Scotland. The guards let the POWs form a jazz group, found them instruments and sometimes played together so he became friendly with a guard who played jazz too.
After the war on any trip to Germany, the former POW always make a side trip to Scotland to visit with this former guard. When our family moved into the same new housing in North York and he discovered my dad was Scottish, he couldn't have been happier. So for the sake of a jammed rifle, we got great neighbours, their son was my age and we were buddies for a long time into adulthood.

Me? In 1970 I was patrolling our militia armory in Toronto with an unloaded rifle during the FLQ crisis. The guy who drove the coffee truck could have passed for French Canadian, that was about it. Even Barney Fife got a bullet for his shirt pocket so WTF? LOL.
 
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Charlie-brm said:
Let's remember they hoped to be the last generation to have to go to war. I get annoyed with the whiners (not here) that come out every year complaining Remembrance Day glorifies war. A few told me it was the best time of their lives and they'd never want to do it again. You people seem to have the right take on it.
OP wanted tales. My family was 100% Scottish -
Grandfather - WWI infantry
Father - Rolls Royce aircraft machinist and Home Guard gunner. Slept so soundly the family frequently had to wake him up to go to the air raid shelter.
Mother - Lt. British Army nurse - survived the London blitz by one night when she was ordered to take a day off after two weeks straight and her replacement was killed. Also nursed Allied and German patients in field hospitals. Ended the war in India. Taught me how to say "shut the door please" in Urdu, lol.
Uncle 1 - Trained snipers in marksmanship (2nd generation professional gamekeeper)
Uncle 2 - Royal Engineers, Africa
Uncle 3 - Commando, various theatres
Uncle 4 - RAF training facility near Meaford
Nextdoor Neighbour 1 - Polish Air Force in Britain - Wellington bomber tail gunner on submarine hunting duty.
Old friend - Cdn Army demolitions (got nightmares about blowing bridges with dozens of soldiers on them)

This one is interesting. Nextdoor Neighbour - Czech/German - conscripted in Luftwaffe transport. In the final months of the European war, Germany had no command of the sky and was putting unessential Luftwaffe into ground units for defence. His position was over run. A Brit aimed and pulled the trigger but it misfired so he was taken prisoner instead. He ended up in a camp in Scotland. The guards let the POWs form a jazz group, found them instruments and sometimes played together so he became friendly with a guard who played jazz too.
After the war on any trip to Germany, the former POW always make a side trip to Scotland to visit with this former guard. When our family moved into the same new housing in North York and he discovered my dad was Scottish, he couldn't have been happier. So for the sake of a jammed rifle, we got great neighbours, their son was my age and we were buddies for a long time into adulthood.

Me? In 1970 I was patrolling our militia armory in Toronto with an unloaded rifle during the FLQ crisis. The guy who drove the coffee truck could have passed for French Canadian, that was about it. Even Barney Fife got a bullet for his shirt pocket so WTF? LOL.
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I guess uncle 2 fought the Desert Fox, lol.

Those are quite some story!
 
Xhumeka said:
Try searching Rememberence or Rememberance instead of Remembrance.

I'm actually impressed this thread has it spelled correctly :)
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Don't blame me if others cannot spell :D
 
I liked the poem, but it must be American.
They don't have honour, instead they have honor.

I had a grandfather who trained others in the airforce, and a cousin who volunteered to go to Korea.
My other grandfather was deaf and had flat feet. I heard some nice stories from the vets at the club that my dad belonged to, including some from WWI. Most of the stories were bittersweet. I believe that club might have been one of the first to allow German veterans to join.
 
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Baggsy said:
I believe that club might have been one of the first to allow German veterans to join.
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Speaking of German Veterans, the landlord of the first apartment I lived in while stationed in Germany was a WWII Wehrmacht soldier. My apartment was on the upper floor, the lower front was the local grocery store and he ran the bakery in the back. I always parked my BSA in the driveway just outside the bakery window and for the first few months he would give me a curt nod in response to my wave. He spoke Parisian French, but no English and I spoke Quebecois French and very little German at that time, so we really never said much to each other.

Then one day I came home from the Remembrance Day service, in full parade dress, and was surprised to see him salute in response to my usual wave. So I went inside... and in German, French and sign languauge he described to me one of the battles he had fought in, clearing off the baking table and outlining the scene in the flour with his fingers. Turns out it was against a Canadian regiment (and I wish I could remember which one) somewhere in France and the Germans got their arses reamed. He managed to escape capture and joined another unit to finish out the war, but said he was thankful he never had to face the Canadians again. He said the Canucks had a reputation as tough fighters and whenever the Germans saw the Canadian colours coming towards them they knew it was going to be a very bad day.

He seemed hesitant, almost apologetic, the whole time we were talking. It was almost like he needed to get it off his chest. When he finished his story, I saluted him and then shook his hand. He was surprised and very thankful. "Time heals all wounds", and all that. Never had to pay for my bread, pretzels or pastries after that day, though.
 
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My Uncle was one of the first Brits to reach belsen. Needless to say it was one of things it was never really spoken about, it seriously messed up with his mind for the rest of his life.

Reading up on Andy Rooney a couple of days ago, he was a pacifist until he saw what had happened in those concentration camps.

Seeing or reading about the poppy thieves of this world, or vandals at Malvern that deface a monument really pisses me off.
 
History Channel showed "D-day to Victory" tonight. Good special effects for a documentary. Love the slow mo
 
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