Grandpa was an American who moved to Canada at a young age. When the Canadian forces wouldn't allow him to enlist as a 17 yr old he went back to the US and joined the navy. He helped operate the USS Boxer aircraft carrier in the Pacific. He told us some stories but it always ended with Grandma stopping him because she could tell how worked up he got. He struggled with alcohol his whole life. After the Pacific, he went on to fight with Canada in the Korean conflict. I laid a wreath for him yesterday at our local service with his dogtags in hand.
These remembrance day services are what makes me proudest to be a Canadian. Our town has recently had 20 Phillipino families move to town and most of them must have been at the service. I watched as they got choked up when the ministers talked about the sacrifice these soldiers endured for our freedom. These immigrants understand how lucky they are to be given a chance to live in this beautiful country like we do. After WW2 ended grandpa and the USS boxer were stationed in the Phillipines for a while as the war wound down. This all came full circle for me yesterday as I thought about how far these brave mens efforts went. Was a good day to reflect on how thankful I am to be able to raise my family here.
These remembrance day services are what makes me proudest to be a Canadian. Our town has recently had 20 Phillipino families move to town and most of them must have been at the service. I watched as they got choked up when the ministers talked about the sacrifice these soldiers endured for our freedom. These immigrants understand how lucky they are to be given a chance to live in this beautiful country like we do. After WW2 ended grandpa and the USS boxer were stationed in the Phillipines for a while as the war wound down. This all came full circle for me yesterday as I thought about how far these brave mens efforts went. Was a good day to reflect on how thankful I am to be able to raise my family here.
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