Love Letters

I can remember a boyfriend of mine that went away on vacation and was going to be gone for several weeks.....I did the same thing - writing a card or letter for every day he was gone....but it had quite the opposite effect!

What I didn't realize, he was seeing someone else - a married woman - on the sly. I can only imagine that he chucked them all in the garbage, unopened.

It was heartwarming to realize that a guy could actually do this for his wife.

What a wonderful thing - to be able to read those letters decades from now! Truly there is something so very personal and romantic about an *actual* handwritten letter, as opposed to a quickie email.

The couple is from Ontario originally, now based out of Victoria on Vancouver Island, B.C. Her husband has been deployed to the Persian Gulf for the next 8 months. See her original posting here.

We wear our Poppies

One of my favorite songs for Remembrance Day was written by a man, Terry Kelly, who wrote it after an experience in a drug store when over the intercom shoppers were asked to observe 2 minutes of silence in memory of our fallen soldiers - on the 11th month at the 11th hour on the 11th day - and the one man who didn't.  Here it is in French.
It is at this time Canadians pause to remember - where ever they happen to be - for 2 minutes....remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Then there is a band "The Trewes" who wrote this song when one of their friends from Nova Scotia died in 2006 in Afghanistan.

In Ontario, when a Canadian soldier dies for his country in Afghanistan they touch Canadian soil at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario. From there, a funeral procession leaves the base and heads to Toronto, taking our departed heroes to the Centre for Forensic Sciences.

 Along the 172km path of Highway 401 -  people spontaneously line the overpasses to show their support, waving Canadian flags and signs or standing at attention,  paying their respect to the fallen and their families.

This portion of Highway is now called the "Highway of Heroes".

All proceeds from this song goes to a fund that awards scholarships for the children of the fallen soldiers:

Remembrance Day Sale

Holiday Sales.

It is something every store chain has every holiday in the USA - at least -  if what I see on every American TV channel is any indication.

But try it in Canada....on a certain holiday.....and all that store gets is bad press.

As the story goes,  Eddie Bauer needed to dump some of it's merchandise in this "recession" market - so this past Friday, they geared up with their newly minted "Remembrance Day Sale".  Now,  I can see how a company that is based in the USA can make an error such as this - assuming that Canadians are similar to Americans - because after all, we do like a good sale just as much as our southern neighbors do!

An immediate outcry ensued - demanding that Remembrance Day should be a day of commemoration, with "admiration, respect and honour for our veteran" and is not meant to be treated as "just a holiday".  Veterans voiced their displeasure and Canadians quickly -  via Twitter and Facebook - took up the hue and cry to preserve this day as sacred and to denounce the intended Eddie Bauer Remembrance Day Sale as "disrespectful".

 As a result:

"Eddie Bauer president Neil Fisk issued a statement saying the Canadian sale was based on a similar promotion held in the USA.
The Remembrance day sale was meant to be the equivalent of the Veteran's Day promotions held in U.S. locations, he said.
We appreciate the sensitivity around this holiday and the feedback we have received.  We have tremendous respect for Veterans across Canada and the U.S. and will adjust our marketing accordingly," Fisk said. "***

 Going to their website, I see that they have withdrawn it's Canadian campaign, but I still see them advertising their "VETERANS DAY SALE".......

Which leads me to deduce -  according to what Mr. Fisk says - the company either only has respect for the Canadian Veterans....or they are really only responding to the pressure from their target shoppers - and there is no *actual* regard for any Veterans - whether they be Canadian or American.

I will let you decide......



$Cha-ching!$





***TheChronicleHerald.ca (Canadian Press)

Our Ten Dollar Bill, In Rememberance, Prelude to November 11

Our paper money is known to be quite colorful. 

One of the most common denominations of our paper currency, the $10 bill is a commemoration of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country.

On the far right you can see Robert Metcalfe - a British soldier during WW2 - pictured standing at attention at an Ottawa Cenotaph.

Amazingly he survived the German Blitzkrieg on the European mainland albeit wounded in the legs with shrapnel.  En route to the hospital, his ambulance was ambushed by a German tank.   He was evacuated via Dunkirk - and out of the 3 ships that sailed, his was the only one that survived a severe hit by the enemy. 

On his recovery, he was sent to fight with the allies in Italy and North Africa.  En route, his ship was chased by the Bismarck.  They made it to North Africa and he served under General Montgomery, fighting against the "Desert Fox" Rommel.  It was there that he met and married a Canadian Physiotherapist.

After the war, they moved to Chatham where he was involved in politics, then retired to Ottawa.

For the next 60 plus years he volunteered - raising money for Veteran's causes, speaking for the Royal Canadian Legion to high school students, and acting as a volunteer guide in the War Museum bringing to life the sacrifices made by the Canadian troops.   He hosted trips (often at his own expense) by veterans and their families to the different cenotaphs, battlefields and cemeteries in Europe.

When he was 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.

"One day Metcalfe received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for, or why they chose him. “He had no idea he would be on the bill,” his daughter said."

A month ago Robert Metcalfe passed away at age 90.

Purple Heart

My husband's father was a Marine.  He passed away a couple years ago and was buried with a military guard.  When we were visiting his mom this last time - I took some photos of some of his medals for my husband.  This is one of the many..... the Purple Heart.

He was very quiet about his experience over in Korea, but apparently there was a lot of action seen.....and it was horrific enough that he refused to talk about it much. 

I can't imagine.

At one point, he wasn't sure that he and his company would get out alive.

Which brings me back to tattoos again.



Here is a man that actually tattoos Marines that go overseas.   "Modern Day Samurai"......that's what he calls them.

CO of the VAW-77 - Happy July 4th!

My cousin's son has been a pilot with the Navy for years - had served in the Gulf war as a pilot off the carrier Kitty Hawk. He now is flying this.... a E-2C Hawkeye...............

Nothing like a Fly-By on July 4th.......

This year my husband celebrated Canada day......today is just another day in Paradise Canada...but my family's American Connection has me posting the above....in respect for our neighbors to the south, half my family.....and my husband's heritage.... :)

Now, put your drugs away.....my cousin's son is on patrol........