A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM Wolf

by **Kizzer** Sun 03 Jun 2018, 11:24 am

Wolf Wm Solkin

June 02, 2018
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM Wolf 34398144_179546209376476_1890405721913163776_n

It is a fact of my life, as a nonagenarian World War Two Veteran, residing, along with some 180-odd (and some very odd indeed), former comrades-in-arms in Ste. Anne's Hospital, that , having only one workable leg left to stand on, as it were, I am simply unable to walk with you, on this or any other day. However, although, in addition to the other daily deficiencies and disadvantages that come with the territory of being 95, i have lost all my teeth, I still have most of my marbles, so that, on this special occasion, instead of my feet doing the walking, my tongue will do the talking, to commemorate this conclave, and its confluence of Canadian citizens, congregating to celebrate the considerable contribution of those Canadians, soldiers, sailors and airmen, past and present, male and female, young and old, some still living, and others now lying still, who pledged their very lives to their country and their countrymen, as members of our nation's military forces.

My own generation of vestigial Veterans of the Second World War, still alive, albeit barely kicking, is estimated at about 50,000 or so in number, an inevitably but regrettably reduced remnant, of the over one million, one hundred and fifty thousand of the volunteer citizen-soldiers who served in uniform, for the protection and preservation of our free and democratic Canadian way of life, against the totalitarian tyranny of the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan, and their scabrous satellites.

The awful price we Canadians paid for that awesome achievement, fought, in the fires of hell, for some six years, is reported at more than 44, 000 who lost their lives, plus 55,000 wounded, who somehow survived to return home.

For the most part, those of us who, at that time in our history, took up arms at the behest of Canada for a world free of fear and oppression, were but callow kids, plucked straight from the farms, the factories, the fisheries, the mines, the mills, the shops and the schools, living in the countless hamlets, villages, small towns and large cities, throughout our broad and beautiful land.

We were not so much a melange of mature men and women, as merely a burgeoning bunch of boys and girls, across the wide spectrum of religion, race and ethnicity: Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Sikh, and Atheist alike; First Nations, Inuits, French, English, , Scottish, Irish, Italian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Greek, Russian, Romanian, and many more. In fact, the rich tapestry, and the very vital essence of that which is our country....Canada.

We were not trained professionals, consciously committed to carve out a career in the Canadian military, as are our present-day meritorious young(er) brothers and sisters, who have faithfully followed and flown our flag during the Cold War, on a plethora of problematic and particularly painful " Peacekeeping" missions, and, latterly, in our engagement in Afghanistan, all of which resulted in hundreds of heroic,, yet tragic deaths, and thousands more wounded, and severely scarred in mind, body, and soul, and, all too often, undergoing trauma too terrible to envisage.

Yet we are all tied together by the bond of blood we shed, and the sacrifices we suffered and shared .....Veterans, all.

Make no mistake, this is not intended as a long, lugubrious litany of our lamentations, but rather as a realistic report of who, as a singular segment of our citizenry, all of us are, what we have accomplished, what we need to get to where we are going, and why we deserve the strong support , ready recognition, and unreserved respect from our elected Government, and , even more so, from our fellow-Canadians in all walks of life......including and starting with the very first annual CANADIAN WALK FOR VETERANS .

As you now salute us, so do we, with full reciprocal regard, in our turn, return your salute, in open and fulsome acknowledgement of our common bond of pride and patriotism, at being Canadians, one and all.

NE-KAH-NE-TAH

Lieut. (Ret'd) Wolf William Solkin
(formerly of) The Algonquin Regiment
10th Canadian Infantry Brigade
4th (Armoured) Division
Canadian Army
[N.W. Europe Theatre of Operations]

by pinger Tue 05 Jun 2018, 9:07 pm

Fairest Winds...

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM Wolf

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM Wolf

Re: A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM Wolf