april 08, 2009 12:20am
July 23, 2008 Thoughts of home
July 23, 2008.
Thoughts of home.
I am making this entry tonight sitting in the Blue Bomber outside the Perth-Andover Legion. I have bedded down for the night and have the run of the parking lot since everyone has gone home for the night. Outside there is a beautiful countryside with rolling hills and a crispness to the air. We have been having an unusually mild summer so far this year.
I am listening to the sound of the rope on the flagpole just outside my window gently tapping, tapping on the steel of the pole. The sound is somewhat like a bell making a unique tone and the sound makes me think of a bell tolling for the sacrifices of our Canadian fighting men. Ironically a gunshot is fired in the bush near by, probably a local hunter, just one shot… yes. How many times did a lonely Canadian soldier hear a gunshot or artillery round firing in distant night during WW2 or Korea and thought, what is my family doing right know, are my loved ones thinking of me? During that solitude they must be thinking as I am, I wish I were home. But as I know, the mission I am on is so very necessary and needless to say the little bit of anxiety that I am experiencing does not come close to what they must have been experiencing. Our soldiers past and present that have, or will be going by the wayside, can be comfortable in the thought that I am out here gathering their memories away from my home… alone and making this effort to pass on their stories. The tap tapping of my friend, the flagpole outside, will keep me company this eve and will stand in my memory as an evening to remember.
Well back to the log. This day started slow after getting out of bed late at 8am or so in Edmundston NB. I was worn out from the twelve hour drive from Ottawa and was in a Wal-Mart parking lot, so I decided to go in. I purchased some necessities and some things not so necessary, a lawn ornament in the shape of a pudgy pelican with his eyes looking as if he has just gotten away with something. He is pointing his index feather outward confidently gesturing. A worthy mascot and I have named him Clyde the Glide.
After getting directions from a helpful person I headed for the Edmundston Legion. The directions led me to a building with boards on the windows and the smell of smoke inside. The Legion had had a fire some time before and I did not find a note on the door indicating where they may have relocated. I asked next door if they knew anything of the whereabouts of the Legion, they had no idea. I tried the phone number I had on file and got no answer, that could have been because I was trying to call at eleven o’clock in the morning and they were not open. I am on somewhat of a schedule so I made the decision to come back to Edmundston on my way home and see if I can record some testimonials of local vets for the Online Veterans Video Library.
On my list of legions in NB I determined that the Grand Falls Legion was the next tour stop. As I was entering the town of Grand Falls I went across a bridge that spanned a great gorge with a massive waterfall at both ends, thus the name Grand Falls. I found a parking spot big enough to park the Blue Bomber. After parking, I got my stuff together for filming hoping that there would be some veterans inside that I could interview, after all I am showing up out of the blue. Well… as I am getting out of the RV, out of the corner of my eye I see a cute lady walking toward me with a apprehensive look on her face. It was Lena Levesque, the Legion pres and she was waiting to talk to me about setting up some interviewees, also to tell me that she was following my progress on the internet. That was flattering enough but as we crossed the street another lady had seen the Blue Bomber and ran home to get a copy of a short story that her father had written to give to me. I felt like a celebrity. The word is getting out about our mission, that makes me feel good. I just hope that we start getting some businesses to donate some money for we are going without to accomplish our goal. This mission is very large and we need to start a nation wide advertising campaign. We need to reach into every corner of our country and get our veterans stories, for the kids.
I taped three fantastic testimonials today. The first and most intense interview of the day was with Tom Cote and he was quick to point out that he was a Canadian who served with the Americans at the Aleutians. According to Tom he doesn’t think that many Canadians know of the sacrifices that he and his fellow Canadians made while serving in the Aleutians. I hope that his testimonial will enlighten everyone to the fact that Canadians where in the Aleutians and served honorably. Tom was my first Veteran that started to get very emotional during our interview and I asked him if he wanted to take a break and he said no and wanted to continue. I tried to handle the situation like a pro but it was hard to hold back my own emotions. We continued through it and had one of the most powerful testimonials to date.
The second interview of the day was with Clermont Rioux. Clem was in army from 43 to 45 and rode dispatch, which I did not find out until half way through the interview. Kind of funny considering that as a side project on the tour that I am making a documentary about Dispatch Riders. Clem’s interview was great, he is very sharp and knowledgeable.
The third Interview of the day was with one of our overlooked branches of service to our country, the merchant seamen of WW2. The mans name is Kenneth MacFaraland, Ken was very helpful in assisting me to understand what the job of Merchant Marine and an able bodied seamen was all about.
After giving a T-shirt to the men I interviewed, less one that Clem forgot of which I will get to him, I packed up my stuff and shook hands with a very helpful Sergeant at arms for the Upper Valley District by the name of Lloyd. I was on my way to my next tour stop the third of the day.
Lloyd called ahead and talked with Mavis, the bar manager at the Perth Andover Legion. Mavis made a couple of calls and rounded up four veterans for me to interview, so I headed to next stop. On my way down the highway I was snapping photo’s of the intense scenery and missed the turn off and ended up 45 minutes past where I should have been. I Called Mavis and asked if she could ask the veterans if we could make arrangements to interview them in the morning because by the time I drove back to the Legion it would be closed. She made arrangements for me to meet them at one of the veterans houses in the morning. No harm done.
I decided to drive back anyway with not too much fuel and as you might expect the Blue Bomber is a gas PIG. Anyway after a drive down the old trans Canada Hwy, known to the locals as “The old #2”, I made it to the Legion and I met a couple of Locals and had a couple of beverages. As I am typing this log I am getting weary and must get some sleep.
A great day.
