November 08, 2013

C URAGEC C C C C C URURURURURURURURURURURURURURURremembered

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November 8, 2013

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Take a moment: services across Greater Victoria

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Christine van ReeuwykNews staff

Though deeply entrenched, Major Jim Smith is the army officer in his family and works among the naval personnel at CFB Esquimalt.

“I come from a military family where my grandfather, father and two older brothers have, combined, served almost continu-ously over the last 90-plus years,” he said.

His grandfather, Gunner Daniel Smith, served in the British Army during the First World War as a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He was stationed in India although details are sketchy as his records were destroyed during the Blitz.

His dad, Sgt. Bert Smith joined the RCAF in 1940 and spent the majority of the war in Halifax at Eastern Air Command but then decided to make the air force a career. He proceeded to move around the country until retiring in 1970. Jim Smith’s two older brothers also made the RCAF a career, serv-ing in places such as Trenton, Cold Lake, Moose Jaw, Germany, Egypt and Alert.

“Some of my earliest memories are from living in the base married quarters (PMQs) where everyone’s dad came and went in uniform,” said Smith, who was born in Sum-merside P.E.I. “Like other families, we went to church on base, shopped at the CANEX and when my dad retired he was employed in Cornwallis where I continued to experience growing up in a community with a strong military influence.”

The environment made an impression with Smith, displayed through an interest in mili-tary and military history.

“Making it my career seemed to be a natural choice although when I joined the army instead of the air force, I was made a bit of a target as I was not only the only soldier in the family but I was also the youngest. And if that wasn’t enough, I was also the only offi-cer.”

As an army officer, Smith’s first posting was to Petawawa in 1992 as a Combat Service Support Officer. He spent three years with the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command HQ in Washington, D.C. followed by four years in Ottawa.

“I ran strategic and operational movements planning with the majority of my time focussed on moving troops and equipment in and out of Afghanistan,” he said. “We packed up the family again and moved to Germany in 2008 where I worked in opera-tions with HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps until the entire unit, including us, relocated to Innsworth U.K. in 2010.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Military service a family affair Three generations of the Smith family have served multiple roles during war and peacekeeping

Submitted photo

Gunner Daniel Smith, Jim Smith’s grandfather, served with the British Army, Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War.

VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 8, 2013 COURAGE REMEMBERED • 3


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Christine van ReeuwykNews staff

Though deeply entrenched, Major Jim Smith is the army officer in his family and works among the naval personnel at CFB Esquimalt.

“I come from a military family where my grandfather, father and two older brothers have, combined, served almost continu-ously over the last 90-plus years,” he said.

His grandfather, Gunner Daniel Smith, served in the British Army during the First World War as a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He was stationed in India although details are sketchy as his records were destroyed during the Blitz.

His dad, Sgt. Bert Smith joined the RCAF in 1940 and spent the majority of the war in Halifax at Eastern Air Command but then decided to make the air force a career. He proceeded to move around the country until retiring in 1970. Jim Smith’s two older brothers also made the RCAF a career, serv-ing in places such as Trenton, Cold Lake, Moose Jaw, Germany, Egypt and Alert.

“Some of my earliest memories are from living in the base married quarters (PMQs) where everyone’s dad came and went in uniform,” said Smith, who was born in Sum-merside P.E.I. “Like other families, we went to church on base, shopped at the CANEX and when my dad retired he was employed in Cornwallis where I continued to experience growing up in a community with a strong military influence.”

The environment made an impression with Smith, displayed through an interest in mili-tary and military history.

“Making it my career seemed to be a natural choice although when I joined the army instead of the air force, I was made a bit of a target as I was not only the only soldier in the family but I was also the youngest. And if that wasn’t enough, I was also the only offi-cer.”

As an army officer, Smith’s first posting was to Petawawa in 1992 as a Combat Service Support Officer. He spent three years with the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command HQ in Washington, D.C. followed by four years in Ottawa.

“I ran strategic and operational movements planning with the majority of my time focussed on moving troops and equipment in and out of Afghanistan,” he said. “We packed up the family again and moved to Germany in 2008 where I worked in opera-tions with HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps until the entire unit, including us, relocated to Innsworth U.K. in 2010.


Military service a family affair Three generations of the Smith family have served multiple roles during war and peacekeeping

Submitted photo

Gunner Daniel Smith, Jim Smith’s grandfather, served with the British Army, Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War.


Smith and his family are back in the naval fold, preparing for a second Remembrance Day with the CFB Esquimalt family.

“Remembrance Day was one of the few times my dad spoke about the war,” Smith said. “It wasn’t that his particular role was dangerous or traumatic for him, it was just that he felt that all he did was simply serve his country which was, at that time, expected and the right thing to do.”

He remembers listening, as a child, with fascination as veterans exchanged stories, some thrilling, some funny and the best ones usually left you with the thought “You actually got away with that?”

His mother would chime in with tales of being new bride in Halifax in 1943 and her role as a military wife; tried and true stories such as juggling multiple moves, children and a cat – often in one car and without the benefit of DVDs or iPads in the back seat.

“This tradition carried on long after I grew up and continued whenever possible until they passed away,” Smith said. “Now I try to continue this tradition with my children by retelling some of my parents tales and even introducing some of my own, which at one time were received with wondrous wide eyes but now, as they are getting older, still seem to be received with interest but also with a certain level of good natured scepticism – helps keeps me

honest.” The youngest Smith has completed four

tours including Bosnia, Kosovo in the late ’90s, Kuwait in 2004 and Afghanistan work-ing with ISAF Joint Command in Kabul.

[email protected]


A veteran is a veteran; someone who has served their country regardless of role or location and I have no doubt that absolute respect for them remains. I feel that this is particularly strong in locations such as Esquimalt where the local commu-nities do their best to provide unwavering support to the navy family every time a ship departs on operations.

While most people know something about the military, unless you are living in a military town most information comes from the news and not from personal contact.

The number of those who deploy these days is comparatively small to say the Second World War, resulting in a corresponding level of those who actually know someone in the military and have an understanding of what they and their families experience and at times, are forced to endure.

When I was growing up, most people knew veterans firsthand or had close relatives who served. During Remembrance Day services, the largest section in the marching contingents was often war vets, many living their lives as teachers, Scout leaders and store owners. People we encountered everyday. Looking at them and imagining what it must have been like for them to put their lives on hold to fight for King and Country, seemed to bring the wars closer. Now, as these veterans are steadily become fewer, those wars are in danger of drifting into history and we risk losing the connection.

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

In his words: Smith says we’re losing the personal touch

Submitted

Jim Smith’s father, Sgt. Bert Smith, above, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

“… all (my father) did was simply serve his country which was, at that time, expected and the right thing to do.” – Jim Smith

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Kyle SlavinNews staff

In 1994, Chris Linford was sent to Rwanda as a nursing officer on a humanitarian mission to treat the cholera epidemic with the Canadian military. He returned a changed man.

“In rural Africa you see some of the worst things you will see medically. Everyone was HIV positive, there was lots of AIDS, advanced stages of other diseases as well,” he said. “We saw 44 deaths in our facility in 100 days. Many of the deaths were children under the age of 5. Seeing young children suffering in that fashion, as a dad with three young kids at that time, it impacted me profoundly. We were unprepared for that.”

About 60 days into the mission, Linford began to feel the weight of witnessing such tragedy.

“I felt I had probably walked up to the very edge of my personal and professional confidence. I thought that if I see one more bad thing I might explode,” he said. “Of course bad things continued to happen, and I never once asked to go home – I just had to see it through.”

Linford immediately noticed a difference in his demeanour upon his return home to his wife and kids following that Rwandan deployment.

“I was more angry, I was more anxious, I was more distant,” he said. “I was having difficulty with my short-term memory, I was having difficulty with regular stress.”

Having been in the military for some time, he suspected he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“I didn’t have a formal (post traumatic stress disorder) diagnosis, and frankly I didn’t want a formal diagnosis,” he said. “I had seen what happened to others – they all seemingly left the military. I was very fearful of losing my career, so I went about hiding it to make sure that wouldn’t happen to me.”

Linford used his professional rank and sense of humour to get by without the PTSD impacting his work life. But at home, as a father and a husband, there was nowhere for the symptoms to hide.

In 2004 the internal struggle finally surfaced, and Linford sought professional help from military health services. He was diagnosed with both PTSD and depression.

“That was when my kids learned of my PTSD. That’s when I learned that the relationship I thought I had with my kids had been false, in a sense,” Linford said. “My kids were generally always afraid of what I might do or say. They told me that they would infrequently bring their friends around, afraid of what I might do or say. They essentially spent their life telling me what they thought I would want to hear, trying to keep me calm, trying to keep my anxiety down, trying to keep me from reacting angrily. … That’s been a really hard pill to swallow.”

Undergoing therapy and on medication, Linford was able to continue his military career. As Lieut.-Col. commanding 1 Field Ambulance out of Edmonton, he focused his time preparing his officers for Afghanistan, and was then, himself, deployed to Kandahar in September 2009.

“I felt I had probably walked up to the very edge of my personal and professional con� dence. I thought that if I see one more bad thing I might explode.”

– Chris Linford

Fighting PTSDOne man engages in battle against post traumatic stress disorder, depression by sharing his story




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“It was the nail in the coffin of my career. My PTSD came back with a vengeance. I started seeing the death of young Canadians, young Brits, young Americans,” he said. “I continued to manage with the medications I had. I doubled and tripled my sleep medications so I could get a decent sleep. That carried on through the seven-month tour.”

Despite being diagnosed with PTSD, and having access to therapy and medication, “all hell broke lose” when he returned to Canada.

Linford was reassigned to CFB Esquimalt to command the Health Services Clinic and lasted only four months there.

“I recognized I was not going to be able to do both my job and deal with my personal health. That’s when I started to get real and significant thoughts of suicide,” he said. “That’s when I had to choose myself before the job, or else I was not going to survive.”

Through ups and downs over the last three years, Linford says he’s now “the healthiest I’ve been in 20 years. I was a terrible person at that time, and I’m going about trying to

make reparations for the way I was with my kids and my wife.”

During a session a couple years back, a psychologist suggested Linford write a book chronicling his life story and personal struggle with PTSD and depression.

Now 53, Linford is on a cross-Canada speaking tour promoting his book, Warrior Rising – A Soldier’s Journey to PTSD and Back. He says his goal in writing the book and speaking openly about PTSD is to shed light on a subject that few want to talk about.

“The public and the military need to better understand this injury. There’s a tremendous amount of stigmatization – I was the master of that, I kept myself from asking for help because of the stigma I imposed upon myself. But I regret that, I was wrong,” Linford said. “I want people to understand what happens and how soldiers and other military folks are impacted, and the consequences (of PTSD) paid by the veterans and their families.”

To learn more about Warrior Rising or PTSD, visit AWarriorRising.com.

To purchase a copy of the book, visit friesenpress.com/bookstore.

[email protected]

“It was the nail in the cof� n of my career. My PTSD came back with a vengeance. … I doubled and tripled my sleep medications so I could get a decent sleep. That carried on through the seven-month tour.” – Chris Linford

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Soldier pens personal struggle

Novelist delves into life after combatChristine van ReeuwykNews staff

Katrin Horowitz saw inspiration on the face of a cohort when the woman announced her husband had just volunteered to go to Afghanistan.

“The look on her face was extraordinary. I found I couldn’t get it out of my mind.”

With fear and trepidation of her own, Horowitz approached the woman, in hopes of continuing that inspiration. With her help, and the husband’s, she wrote the Great B.C. Novel finalist The Best Soldier’s Wife.

“I made myself a promise that I would not put a word on paper until he got safely home,” Horowitz said. “It’s a scary time not only for the soldier but for the soldiers family as well.”

Released this month, and based in 2011 at the tail end of Canada’s combat role in Afghanistan,

Amy’s tale is told through her letters to the wife of the Chief of Defense Staff after her husband, a

reservist and helicopter pilot with the Canadian Forces volunteers for tour. Set in Victoria, Amy struggles with her husband, Ian’s time away, and his return home, a portion of the story

that offered Horowitz some personal insight.

“My father and grandfather both fought on the wrong side of World War Two and World War One,” Horowitz said. “As I came to the end of this book I suddenly realized for the first time my father had PTSD … he treated it with booze.”

Amy’s references to real military personnel killed in Afghanistan, and the book launch timing are intentional.

“That was my way of honouring those soldiers that I think we, despite Remembrance Day, forget,” Horowitz said. “One of my intentions was to honour the soldiers but not necessarily the generals and politicians decisions.”

The Best Soldier’s Wife launches in Greater Victoria at the GVPL Saanich Centennial branch, 3110 Tillicum Rd. on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

[email protected]



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Charla HuberNews staff

Missing holidays is just part of the territory when you are in the military.

The Switzer family created a way to make every holiday a celebration, even if it’s months after the fact.

When Chris Switzer returned home after a seven-month deployment in Libya, in February 2012, he wanted to catch up on all the holidays he’d missed with the family.

“We just celebrated everything at once,” he said.

Friday night Chris along with his wife Jennifer and their son Hayden, now 7, decorated the Christmas tree.

“We put Christmas ornaments, Halloween decorations and Valentine’s Day cards on the tree,” Jennifer laughed. They had Christmas Eve ham dinner and each opened a gift before bed.

“We told Hayden we were going to do this because he was so upset that his dad wouldn’t be home for Christmas,” Jennifer said. “Hayden was so excited and asked if we could do it every year.”

Saturday morning they opened the rest of the gifts, ate two birthday cakes and cooked a turkey dinner.

The rest of weekend the family dressed up for Halloween, plus

celebrated an anniversary and Valentine’s Day.

“Doing this just makes it easier, especially with the holidays when you have children,” Jennifer said. Both grew up in military families and have never heard of anyone celebrating quite like this.

During his military career Chris has

missed five of his son’s birthdays, eight of his wife’s birthdays and two Christmases, among other holidays.

When he is not home Chris works as a hull technician on the navy ships. Chris prides himself on the help he provides others, including helping control traffic in and out of Libya and building irrigation for an orphanage in Ecuador.

“That was something they didn’t have and it’s important during the flood season,” said the Petty Officer 2nd Class. “I tell my son that when I am away from the family I am out helping other people.”

This year Chris, attends the fleet school in Esquimalt, plans to honour veterans at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ladysmith with his son’s Beaver Scout troop.

Chris explained it’s hard to relate his work in the military to those who served in the First World War or Second World War.

“No one has been in combat for a few years,” he said, adding he relates to former veterans by the time away from his family.

“I relate by all the birthdays I’ve missed.”

[email protected]

Recreating missed memories Holidays at sea inspire jam-packed return home

Submitted photo

Christopher Switzer and son Hayden celebrate homecoming aboard HMCS Vancouver.

“I tell my son that when I am away from the family I am out helping other people.”

– Chris Switzer



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Charla HuberNews staff

Missing holidays is just part of the territory when you are in the military.

The Switzer family created a way to make every holiday a celebration, even if it’s months after the fact.

When Chris Switzer returned home after a seven-month deployment in Libya, in February 2012, he wanted to catch up on all the holidays he’d missed with the family.

“We just celebrated everything at once,” he said.

Friday night Chris along with his wife Jennifer and their son Hayden, now 7, decorated the Christmas tree.

“We put Christmas ornaments, Halloween decorations and Valentine’s Day cards on the tree,” Jennifer laughed. They had Christmas Eve ham dinner and each opened a gift before bed.

“We told Hayden we were going to do this because he was so upset that his dad wouldn’t be home for Christmas,” Jennifer said. “Hayden was so excited and asked if we could do it every year.”

Saturday morning they opened the rest of the gifts, ate two birthday cakes and cooked a turkey dinner.

The rest of weekend the family dressed up for Halloween, plus

celebrated an anniversary and Valentine’s Day.

“Doing this just makes it easier, especially with the holidays when you have children,” Jennifer said. Both grew up in military families and have never heard of anyone celebrating quite like this.

During his military career Chris has

missed five of his son’s birthdays, eight of his wife’s birthdays and two Christmases, among other holidays.

When he is not home Chris works as a hull technician on the navy ships. Chris prides himself on the help he provides others, including helping control traffic in and out of Libya and building irrigation for an orphanage in Ecuador.

“That was something they didn’t have and it’s important during the flood season,” said the Petty Officer 2nd Class. “I tell my son that when I am away from the family I am out helping other people.”

This year Chris, attends the fleet school in Esquimalt, plans to honour veterans at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ladysmith with his son’s Beaver Scout troop.

Chris explained it’s hard to relate his work in the military to those who served in the First World War or Second World War.

“No one has been in combat for a few years,” he said, adding he relates to former veterans by the time away from his family.

“I relate by all the birthdays I’ve missed.”

[email protected]

Recreating missed memories Holidays at sea inspire jam-packed return home

Submitted photo

Christopher Switzer and son Hayden celebrate homecoming aboard HMCS Vancouver.

“I tell my son that when I am away from the family I am out helping other people.”

– Chris Switzer



Daniel PalmerNews staff

Doug Grant walks past one of two trophy field guns on permanent display in Esquimalt’s Memorial Park, the silence broken only by fallen oak and maple leaves lightly crunching at his feet.

As secretary manager for Legion 172 at the corner of Admirals and Esquimalt roads, Grant spends much of his time listening to veterans kind enough to share their war experiences with him.

“I really believe in what veterans have done,” says the 25-year naval veteran, stopping beside the park’s cenotaph. Esquimalt parks staff are working feverishly to complete major upgrades at the park in time for the township’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony.

Grant has served as master of ceremonies for the last 17 years at the Nov. 11 event. As always, two platoons from CFB Esquimalt, veterans, cadets, scouts and girl guides will march from the legion to the park, where they’ll join sup-porters and family to remember those who died and the service of many others.

“Each year, the cenotaph is getting busier and busier,” Grant says. “I think that the young are now understanding that perhaps we should pay attention to what veterans did, because we’re living this good life (thanks to) what they accomplished for us.”

Established in 1924 to commemorate First World War veterans, the park’s cenotaph now includes plaques that honour soldiers and mer-chant marines of the Second World War, Korean War and peacekeepers.

In his 22 years in his role at the legion, Grant continues to be humbled by the generosity of many of these veterans, who each year quietly donate tens of thousands of dollars to kids in

the community, mostly to help pay for sports.“You won’t find a veteran that sees a child

less fortunate that they wouldn’t help instanta-neously,” he says.

There is a significant change coming to the Esquimalt legion, as a project 13 years in the making is poised to finally get approval from the municipality. The legion envisions a mixed residential-commercial building on their current site with affordable seniors housing that will become a thriving community hub.

“I’ve been working on (the project) for 13 years,” Grant said. Now that work is on the cusp of approval, Grant anticipates the new facility will take about two years to complete. In the meantime, the legion hopes to lease a 5,000-square-foot former liquor store next door that was recently transferred to the Songhees Nation.

“We would like to move in there until our property is finished,” Grant said. “We do have a good relationship with the Songhees.”

The other looming task for Grant and his col-leagues is figuring out how to bring new mem-

bers to the legion. He’s seen membership more than halve in the past two decades, from a high of 2,200 to roughly 900 members today.

“There’s a fallacy somewhere along the line that you have to be a member of the military to be a member of the legion, and that’s not true. Anyone can become a member,” Grant says. “We have our doors open, and we’ve got lots of room. There’s many reasons to join the legion other than just to have a drink.”

[email protected]

Legion looks to future‘There are many reasons to join the legion other than just to have a drink’

William Shepherd/Black Press

Doug Grant, secretary manager of the Esquimalt Legion and a retired naval petty officer, takes a moment to observe a memorial engraving for his son, James, at Esquimalt’s Memorial Park. Grant has spent more than two decades promoting the good work of legion members, which culminates in an annual march to the park for Remembrance Day.

The Royal Canadian Legion is the largest not-for-profit developer in B.C. of affordable, assisted housing for veterans and seniors.

“I think that the young are now understanding that perhaps we should pay attention to what veterans did, because we’re living this good life (thanks to) what they accomplished for us.”



OAK BAY POLICEY1703 MONTEREYO250-592-242492

Lest we forget.

Celebrating 100 Years of Support to our Service Men and Women

We Have Poppies!Stop by Sands

of Victoria where we will matchyour donation to the Legion

Monday November 11th

SANDS OF VICTORIACREMATION AND RECEPTION CENTRE1803 Quadra St., Victoria • www.sandsvictoria.ca250.388.5155(A division of Arbor Memorial Services Inc.)

Monday November 11

NAI Commercial (Victoria) Inc.

250-381-2265

“What we have now is because of what

they gave us.”

West ShoreRCMP

698 Atkins Ave.250-474-2264

With respect and gratitude we reflect on

the sacrifices made by our Forces.

~ Remember ~

School District No. 62 (Sooke)Board of Education

We must remember that one determined person can make a signifi cant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.

~ Sonia Johnson

2200 Oak Bay Ave 250-598-3380

OAK BAY PHARMASAVE

We will be closed for Remembrance Day as we acknowledge those

who fought for our freedom.

Your Residential House-Call Specialistswww.aeroservices.ca

250-479-0090

Call today for a FREE Estimate

In the soil of the land they fought

to free.

Lest we forget.

LEONARD W.RAWLUK C.G.A., INC.

[email protected] Cook St. Victoria

1.250.388.5043

A time to rememberthose who battled for our freedom.

On behalf of the Corporation of the Township of Esquimalt, historic naval and garrison community, home of the Queen’s Navy since 1837, we extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of our country’s veterans, in recognition of their contributions past and present.Mayor Barbara Desjardinsand Members of Council

• SUBMISS IONS FROM OUR READERS •

Alfred (code name “Marc”) and Erminia (Yette) DEHIN joined the Resistance in Liège (Belgium) to fight the Nazis. They helped escaped soldiers, sabotaged Nazi infrastructure, and risked their life every day when the life expectancy of people in the Resistance was a mere 3 months. Resistance (Underground) fighters were not protected by the Hague C o n v e n t i o n , a n d w e re brutally tortured & summarily shot if caught by the Nazis. She was awarded the King’s Medal for Courage.

Alfred & Erminia Dehin

We remember, respect & honour

our veterans.

View Royal Fire Rescue

We Support Our Canadian Forces

VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 8, 2013 COURAGE REMEMBERED • 9VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 8, 2013 COURAGE REMEMBERED • 9


At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, many communities honour the tradition of Remembrance Day. Every year on Nov. 11 Canadians pause in a

silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and those who continue to serve, our country during times of war, conflict and peace. More than 1,500,000 Canadians have served our country in this way, and more than 100,000 have died.

Services abound around Greater Victoria on Nov. 11: • Victoria will see the traditional services from 11 to noon at the cenotaph

on legislative grounds.• In Oak Bay the service will be held at the Oak Bay cenotaph in the 2900

block of Beach Drive at 10:55 a.m.• Royal Roads University Remembrance Day ceremonies start at 10:40 a.m.

in the Italian Gardens, hosted by the Vancouver Island Ex-cadet Club.Royal Roads was operated as a military college from 1940 to 1995. Free parking in P3.

• The District of Saanich annual Remembrance Day ceremony starts at 10:45 a.m. at the cenotaph in front of municipal hall, 770 Vernon Ave.

• Central Saanich holds a short wreath-laying ceremony for the 11th hour at the municipal hall peacekeeping cenotaph, 1903 Mt. Newton X Rd.

• Metchosin welcomes uniformed personnel and residents to gather behind the fire hall, 4440 Happy Valley Rd., at 10:30 a.m. to march to St. Mary the Virgin Church at 10:45 a.m. for the Remembrance Day service. Procession will be led by members of the Victoria Police Pipe Band. Those attending are welcome to return to the Metchosin fire hall for refreshments provided by the 14th Juan de Fuca Scouts.

• Remembrance Day will also be honoured at the traditional time by the cenotaph at the centre of Langford’s Veteran’s Memorial Park near the intersection of the parkway and Goldstream Avenue.

• Esquimalt celebrates with an 11 a.m. service in Memorial Park. The Legion, Branch #172, 622 Admirals Rd. invites everyone back for an open house.

• In Sidney services are held at the cenotaph at municipal hall on Sidney Avenue. Enjoy a warm drink before and after the 11 a.m. service and visit the Memorial Park Remembers display in the Myfanwy Pavelic Gallery at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave.

Take a moment to honour

Eighty-seven-year-old Eric McMorran shows his respect after laying a wreath at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Victoria Cenotaph at the B.C. Legislature last year.

Visit online at VicNews.com for photos from this year’s events or share yours on our individual Facebook pages.


1244 Esquimalt RoadVictoria

250-382-6601

DON LINGEATTORNEY AT LAW

Loved and were loved,

& now we lie InFlanders Fields

Every year we pay special homage to those who died in service to

their country.We remember brave men andwomen for their devotion to ideals.On this occasion we honour them with a special ceremony at our facility.

The Staff and Management of The Wellesley remembers our veterans.

The Wellesley salutes our Veterans

“WE WILL NEVER FORGET OUR BRAVE CANADIAN FORCES”

LEST WE FORGET

GREEK RESTAURANT & SNACK BAR

Fort & Foul Bay #103-1990 Fort St. 250.592.7373 11am - 8pm Monday - Saturday

550 Culduthel RoadVictoria

250.475.6272

1075 Henry Eng PlaceLangford

250.391.3050

May we prove their lives worth the

sacrifi ce

CORPORATION

Call for a personal tour 250-384-3336 www.novapacific.ca

455 Kingston Street Licensed Strata Property Manager

The Camelot The CamelotIndependent Retirement Living with Supportive Services

455 Kingston Street, Victoria, BC 250-384-3336

Call today for a personal tour (250) 384-3336

Affordable • Quiet Neighbourhood • Security

We join in remembrance for those who fought for our freedom.

Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca Conservative Association

We join in remembranceof those who fought for

our freedom.

Teamsters Local Union 213

2-802 Esquimalt Victoria 250-758-2314

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is one of the largest labour unions in the world.

We value our Teamsters and....“We win when we stand as one”

250-758-2314



From the staff at

Those who have fallen and those who will fall for your freedom.

From the sta

Those who have fawho will fall for y

LEST WE FORGET

Serving Cadboro Bay, Oak Bay, UVic& Gordon Head since 1962.

3829 Cadboro Bay Rd. • www.peppers-foods.com • 250-477-6513

The City of Colwood will always remember the sacri� ces of Canada’s Veterans - past, present and future.

It is because of their committed service to Canada that we live in a free and peaceful country.

Remember their courage and honour them by wearing a Poppy and donating generously to the Poppy Fund.

The City of Colwood will always

COURAGE Remembered!

City of Colwood3300 Wishart Road

Let us remember those who fought and gave their lives for us.

MAYOR, COUNCIL AND

STAFF

Respecting our Veterans, past and present.

Colwood Fire Rescue

• SUBMISS IONS FROM OUR READERS •

Lester “Irv” Little and Vera Carew met and started dating before WWII, when the war started they both enlisted in the army to do their part for the cause. Throughout the war they kept in touch by letter. When the war ended and after more than three years of not seeing each other, Irv proposed to Vera and their life as Mr. and Mrs. Little began. They had two wonderful daughters, grandchildren, and 60 years of marriage.Lester “Irv” Little and Vera Carew met in high school in Quebec City, dated but parted. When the war broke out Irv enlisted in the army, barely 17 and took off. Vera who had wanted to become a nurse but was too young, took secretarial courses then joined the air force because she thought the 3 years to train would not help the cause! She worked in Victoria under the now Pescatores restaurant mapping the airplanes going from To� no on reconnaissance and lived with the other Air Force women in a huge house on Foul Bay Road. Irv was with the infantry with the Hastings Prince Edward Regiment and anti tank units in Italy, France, North Africa

Lester & Vera Little Herbert L. (Bert) MatthewsMEDALS:• DFC, Distinguished Flying Cross: Awarded for Bravery.• 1939/45 British Star for service in the United Kingdom.• Atlantic Star for service in the Battle of the Atlantic.• 1939/45 Dominion Defense Medal for service in WWII.• Canadians Volunteer Service Medal for volunteering for Service; Clasp for volunteering to Serve outside of Canada.• 1939/45 Canada War Medal for Serving in WWII.

• Aircrew Badges: Observers (O), Navigators (N).• Quali� ed as Astro Navigator, Bomb Aimer, Group Bombing Leader, Leigh light operator.• Photographer, Air Gunner, Air/Sea Rescue Of� cer, Safety Navigator for New Operational crews.

POSTING:Served just under two war years in RAF 120 Coastal Squadron in Northern Ireland and Iceland � ying VLR (very long range), 4-engine Liberator (B24) bombers. Principle task to close mid Atlantic gap, in Battle of the Atlantic, operations trips 500 hours in operational � ying. Many more hours spent training crews on the Squadron.

BRAVERY:On October 8, 1943 as Navigator and Bomb aimer took part in attack on fully armed U-boat, � ying through concentrated ack ack (antiaircraft) to 110 feet over the U-boat laid a stick of 4 depth charges across the U-boat sinking same in mid Atlantic ocean.

THE SQUADRON STANDARD:Standards for Royal Air Force Squadrons were introduced by King George VI, on April 1, 1943, to mark the Twenty-� fth Anniversary of the Formation of the Service.Squadrons quality for the award of a Standard after Twenty-� ve years continuous service or by earning the Sovereign’s Appreciation for especially outstanding operations. It was for this latter reason that the Standard was awarded to 12 Squadron in recognition of its outstanding anti-submarine operations during the Second World War. This is an honour shared only with N. 617 Squadron - “The Dam Busters”.

UNIVERSITIES:1945 - 1950 U.B.C. - BA & LLB; 1971 - 1975 UVic - Psychology part-time, completed courses Psych. 330 Personality, Psych 335 Developmental, Psych 430 Abnormal, Psych 300 Research Methods & Psych 400 Advanced Research Methods.Practiced Law for 40 years, Retired December 31, 1989, Married for 67 years to Inez May Tame who was at Courtenay High School with Bert. At time of their marriage, she was the Supervisor of Secret Documents for Boeing Aircraft Plant in Vancouver who employed 10,000 people at the same time being a Coloratura Soprano soloist and sang on CBC Radio and local concert stages raising money for War Bonds. They have three children, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

and finally Netherlands, in Arnhem during the Liberation of Hol land. They began writing each other for their 21st birthdays and were engaged before war’s end. They celebrated 66 years of marriage before she died

18 months ago. He has two daughters and a son, and he now has 6 grands and 5 1/2 great grandchildren. Irv’s father was in the infantry in WW1 and wounded at Vimy Ridge and lived to nearly 95 in Quebec.

Royal Roads University remembers and honours the men and women

who stood strong for our country. They will never be forgotten.

The public is invited to attend a Remembrance Day Service at Royal Roads University hosted by the Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club.

November 11 at 10:40 a.m. in the Italian Gardens Free Parking in Lot P3 below the Castle

Remembrance Day Service

12-1530_Ad-Remembrance-Day.indd 1 12-10-16 3:06 PM

Royal Roads University remembers and honours the men and women

who stood strong for our country. They will never be forgotten.

The public is invited to attend a Remembrance Day Service at Royal Roads University hosted by the Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club.

November 11 at 10:40 a.m.in the Italian GardensFree Parking in Lot P3 below the Castle

Remembrance Day Service


C URAGEC U REMEMBEREDC URAGEREMEMBERED

250.721.4062www.berwickretirement.com4062 Shelbourne Street, Victoria BC

Carole James MLAVICTORIA – BEACON HILL

[email protected]

Maurine Karagianis MLAESQUIMALT – ROYAL ROADS

[email protected]

Lana Popham MLASAANICH SOUTH250-479-4154

[email protected]

John Horgan MLAJUAN DE FUCA250-391-2801

[email protected]

Rob Fleming MLA VICTORIA – SWAN LAKE

[email protected]

Gary Holman MLASAANICH NORTH & THE ISLANDS 250-655-5711

[email protected]

Y O U R S O U T H I S L A N D M L A S

Honouring our Veterans

6MLAs-Nov11-1310.indd 1 2013-10-24 10:13 AM

#5-9843 Second St. Sidney250.656.2218

1463 Hampshire Rd.250.370.2833 www.mcneillaudiology.ca

Honouring those who stepped forward to serve and protect

McNeill Audiology

Honouring those who Honouring

forward to serve and

Honouring

forward to serve and

Remembering those,past and present,

who served our country.

Thank You!Lyall Street Service Station

Complete automotive repairs

Victoria • 170-911Yates St250-381-7447

Sidney • 1-2353 Bevan Ave250-656-5441

“At the going down of the sun in the morning we

will remember them”• SUBMISS IONS FROM OUR READERS •

Earle A. Wareham, Sr.

Walter & Margaret SharpeMy father, Walter A. Sharpe, served in the Royal Canadian Navy on the Corvette convoy ships during World War II. My mother, then Margaret Boyle, met my father, Walter A. Sharpe, in Beacon Hill Park. Their love blossomed during the war years, and they were married in St. Paul’s church in Esquimalt on August 25, 1943. Their young love provided the much needed courage to carry on during times of war and separation.

1940: Enlisted at the age of 18, Earle Wareham trained in Esquimalt, BC as a yeoman (Senior Signalman.) 1942: Served on HMCS Dawson from Vancouver-Alaska-Aleutien Islands under USN command, establishing an air� eld on the island of Adale. Also deployed as escorts for oilers and military supply vessels sailing from Dutch harbour to Adak, as the Japanese had occupied the Aleutien Islands of Kiska & Attu.1943: Served aboard HMCS Fairmile (Q082) deployed, from Halifax to Pictou, NS, “towing targets.”1944: Deployed from Quebec City aboard the corvette “Stellarton” sailing to St. John, N� d, then to Ireland to join the “Atlantic Convoy” (Battle of the Atlantic).1945: Discharged in Halifax, returned home to Winnipeg for 5 years.1951: Re-enlisted and trained in Cornwallis. Posted to Esquimalt, BC serving on half a dozen frigettes and destroyers including HMCS Athabasca and HMCS Saskatchewan. Deployed in 1967 (Canada’s Centennial) up the coast of BC to the remote communities of Fort Simpson and Stewart, BC, including “showing the � ag”.1970: Retired, taking pension.

Wedding Day, August 25, 1943


WE SALUTEALL THOSE WHO

HAVE SERVED WITH SUCH COURAGE

AND HONOUR

Graham Kia Victoriawww.grahamkiavictoria.com

Metro Lexus Victoriawww.metrolexusvictoria.com

SG Powerwww.sgpower.com

SAUNDERS SUBARUCampus Honda 506 Finlayson Street, Victoria, BC V8T 5C8250-382-2277 • www.CampusHonda.com

Campus Auto GroupCampusautogroup.com

Saunders Subarusaunders.subarudealer.ca

November 08, 2013

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