In Canada, we call this Remembrance Day, although I know most of you know it as Veteran's Day.

[BobTheSubgenius]

My father never, ever missed what they called Dawn Patrol at the Cenotaph in Victory Square in Vancouver. He flew Spitfires in WW2, and although it was clearly HUGE in his life, he rarely talked about his experiences, except the comical ones, and there were quite a few.

Don't get me wrong. While he had a pretty decent deployment, as these things go, it was still pretty awful, at times. Shot down behind the lines and evading capture for 3 days before happening upon part of a British armoured group. Even that had a comical bent.

It was a lot more grim after DDay, moving from temporary airfield to temporary airfield. Back in Great Britain, Spitfire pilots were the rock stars of the day. France was more or less OK, and hadn't been as devastated as other parts of Europe until after the Allies landed.

In any case, he did his duty, as he saw it, and as is...was...almost universal with his comrades, it was just What Needed Doing. No fuss. Do your job and wait for the next bit of work, punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

Many, far too many never made it home, and we try to remember all of them, survivors (although there are few left) and the fallen. At least we should.

These lyrics bounced around in my head today, and I thought I'd post them, even if it's just for me. Written by Murray McLaughlin, a Canadian singersongwriter.

Thank you, if you read this far.

When the good times come at last
It's only when the bad times rest
Someday they're going to lay you down
Even though you did your best
All the heroes of the wars
Forgotten in the rain
Old soldiers and memories
Make them young again

[Hortensis]

1. I like Canada's name. Each year here a road is lined

with crosses with the names of local heroes of all the wars to be remembered and honored.

[BobTheSubgenius]

3. I like that very much.

[MaryMagdaline]

2. Salute to our Canadian allies.

My grandfather served in the Canadian army in WWI. Several great uncles also served, including a great uncle who was wounded in Battle of Vimy Ridge. Other great uncles served in the American Army.

Canadian cannon fodder for the King. They all survived but some suffered PTSD.

[BobTheSubgenius]

4. Sadly, the "colonials" were often treated exactly as you say.

Cannon fodder. There was a saying that the British were of strong resolve, and ready to fight to the last Canadian.

[MaryMagdaline]

6. Dark but true

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Bryan Adams wrote a song too back in the 1980's as well

At the time I didn’t realize that he was Canadian or that it was a Canadian holiday

[Spazito]

7. My dad, too, served in the Canadian Army during WWII

and he would never talk about it at all, anything I learned about his experiences during that time I learned from my mother.

You're posting about Murray McLaughlin's song reminded me of one of my favorites called A Pittance of Time by Terry Kelly, another Canadian singer songwriter:

A Pittance of Time

[flamin lib]

8. I salute your father.

So he flew a Spitfire. Probably the most beautiful aircraft to come out of WWII. They actually had to be hand made because of the unique aerodynamics of the wingtips. During the rocket attacks with the German V-1 Spitfires were stripped of armaments and dispatched to the channel to intercept the incoming rockets and tip them off course by slipping a wing under the wing of the rocket and flipping it over. The only aircraft fast enough to outrun a rocket.

Pilots said they didn't so much fly the plane but wear it. My admiration for anyone who could fly such a spirited air plane.

[BobTheSubgenius]

16. I read a few books written by former Spitfire pilots when I was young.

Malta Spitfire by George Beurling is the only one that comes to midg now. He said that the defense of Malta seemed so unlikely to succeed, but the RAF-RCAF was determined. Eventually, they considered being outnumbered by less than 12 to 1 was unsporting.

One of the funnier incidents was his induction into the RCAF. He was studying to become an engineer when war broke out, so it seemed like a perfect fit to put him in Communications...especially coupled with his inner ear issue that the doctor that did his physical said should keep him out of a pilot's seat, and even if being transported, to never put him in high-flying aircraft.

So, naturally, they put him in the fastest, highest-flying aircraft of the day that some called "the plane that saved the world" and that has some merit. I didn't know about that construction issue you mentioned, so thanks for that. I can't remember which book it was that talked about flipping the V-bombs with their wingtips, but I do remember that.

[TomSlick]

9. Some years ago, I was in Canada on business on Remembrance Day.

I asked a veteran selling poppies if it was appropriate for a US veteran to wear a poppy. He assured me it was and I wore it proudly for the rest of the day.

It's a fine point but Remembrance Day in Commonwealth nations is more akin to our Memorial Day - a day to remember our heroes that died in war. Our Veterans Day is to recognize all veterans, including those who survived war or, like me, never saw combat.

[BobTheSubgenius]

17. Did you know that the poppy came to be the symbol that it is out of WW1?

A Canadian military doctor was so appalled by the carnage and yet so awestruck by the valour of the men that he wrote a poem that gained wide fame.

"In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row."

There is much more, but grade school is a LONG time in the past.

[TomSlick]

19. I once appeared in uniform at a band concert

and recited "In Flanders Fields" during the performance of a piece written for the purpose. I think I was more moved than the audience.

[Hekate]

10. As our old friends, we thank you. I still know it as Armistice Day, for when my brother was born ...

...on 11-11-1948, it was still called Armistice Day. Our parents explained its significance as we grew up.

[BobTheSubgenius]

18. You are more than welcome!

I think we have been amply repaid by being able to live under your military umbrella for all these years.

Interestingly, Canada has been invaded twice in the last 200 years or so...both times by the US.

[abqtommy]

11. That's ok, most people can multi-task. Some people say potato, some people say spud.

Thanks for sharing the experiences of your father.

[MustLoveBeagles]

12. ...

[roamer65]

13. It's Armistice Day.

It should be put back to its original name.

[GulfCoast66]

14. I think it may be our nation's different experiences in WWI.

Your men were there thru the real slaughter times. The Somme and Ypres were indescribable in the slaughter. So even though a victory it was nothing to celebrate. Too many dead sons. If not mistaken you guys made It harder to send your troops overseas to do battle after that war.

In contrast our boys arrived at the end. And they indeed had a lot to do with that. They raised moral of the allies and made the Germans despondent. No doubt the Americans exceeded the Allies expectations of our fighting ability. No doubt our troops performed. But who is surprised at Americans being good at fighting! Hitler made the same mistake. He thought Americans would be too soft to fight hard.

Plus, except for our African American troops they served in divisions commanded by Americans and they had to approve any large scale use of the men. If I remember my history you Canadians were used as the British desired. That had to stir resentment.

We lost 116,000 men in that war. You guys with a way smaller population lost over half that. Plus it was just over 2 generations after our civil war when we learned what real slaughter was. You did not have that experience.

WWI did not Have the effect one the US it did on the other western allies because it was not as traumatic. On the contrary, it is still seen as an example of American exceptionalism. Which is sad. Few Americans know the sacrifices the people of Western Europe made. Especially the French. They lost what? 1.4 million men. And never lost Paris. Nothing pisses me off more than when dumbass Americans talk the French not being willing to fight.

Sorry for the long post. I have always been intrigued by WWI and the men who fought it. One of my favorite experiences was walking thru a WWI cemetery in Eastern France we came on by chance. British and New Zealanders. I remember my wife asking “why did New Zealand have men here”? It was a long answer!

Have a nice evening.

[UTUSN]

15. Here's the Speaker with her Poppy pin. I have mine & gave one to relatives & friends: