Just before Remembrance Day, Unity lost another Canadian veteran. Bill Fleming was well known to many for his smile, his sense of humour, his gift of music, his dedication to the museum and Legion as well as many other factions in Unity. When he shook youngsters hands genuinely thanking them for their participation in the annual Legion Remembrance Day contest, children had no idea they were shaking the hand of a live action super hero.
1944 was a long time ago and most of us only know about Juno Beach from history books, the history channel or social studies classes. Bill Fleming lived to tell the tale. Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German occupied France that took place on June 6, 1944. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was responsible for taking this territory and the objectives of this D-Day invasion were many. However the casualties were enormous and the task seemed insurmountable. Soldiers like Bill Fleming forged on and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division succeeded in pushing farther inland than any other landing force on D-Day.
My grandfather was a Second World War veteran. As kids growing up, while learning history in school, we often asked him to retell his tale. He would not and we couldn’t understand why. In his 70s he wrote his memoirs entitled I Remember, I Remember. Here we learned that as a young man, he left behind two little girls and a child on the way to head to a foreign land not knowing what lay ahead of him or what lay within him. We learned from his personal account his experience with the horrors of war.
Not a single one of us can know the horrors of war, and thankfully so. I cannot imagine watching a father, husband, brother or son march off to war. I cannot imagine being a father, husband, brother or son watching my family bravely wave goodbye to me as I head overseas to battle. I cannot imagine being that veteran who every single year on Remembrance Day, respectfully attends each and every Remembrance Day service while likely once again recounting the horrors of war no matter how many years ago it was. The words often heard as recited by the distinct voice of Si Campbell, “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.”
Don’t just let Nov. 11 be your one day of the year to recognize these heroes in our midst. Don’t let your children and grandchildren forget why they have all the privileges and benefits they enjoy without a second thought as to how they got them. Don’t forget these soldiers who carried more than 100 pounds of gear including a 22-pound machine gun and 50 pounds of ammo. Remember the uniform they wear represents the personal, physical and emotional sacrifice they made for a country, not just a self-serving purpose. Show respect by wearing that poppy, attend a Remembrance Day because you want to. Take your kids to a Remembrance Day service to see the old guy in the front row with tears in his eyes remembering the fight, but wishing he didn’t have to. Promise them you’ll vote, as that’s a freedom they fought for. Promise you’ll stand up to bullies as the Second World War was about the biggest bully of them all. Offer a donation to a local legion or the Wounded Warriors program. And whatever you do, never, ever forget what they’ve done. Find a way in your life, in an annual event or in a new tradition to always remember and recognize what a solider or a veteran has given to you. Because freedom is never free.
