I remember the day Canada had declared war on September 9th, 1939. I wasn't really motivated at first to join the war. For one, we had just been through a slow, severe, Great Depression! However, as a young adult, I did wanted to do something else other than stay in my home country. Also, it seemed that Canada was tired and mentally did not want to fight in the war. As a result, our country made a mass number of propaganda and every single block in my city was filled with propaganda to join the war. One day, I found a poster that intrigued me to join the Air Force. Although I was a bit frightened, I wanted to try something new. Due to my love for freedom and the sky, I joined the RCAF, or Royal Canadian Air Force. After 72 hours of ground training and 50 hours practicing in flight, I was ready to go to war. Happily, I was placed in the No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group. In 1940, I was the lowest rank in the RCAF, a flight officer. As the years went by however, I became a squadron leader by 1941 and a group captain in 1944, 4 ranks up a flight officer. By the end of the war, I was an air commodore. You can call me a bit naive at the time because I was not that worried about dying. However, I had a different perspective of the war by the time it was over. Have you veterans joined the war motivated by boredom at home or were you forced to enlist? Was there another motive for you to enlist in the war?
Funny you should mention "another motive". I admired my father for as long as I could remember. He told me many stories about the first World War, as a Troop-Sergeant Major (he belonged to the army well before that War, so he had time to rise through the ranks). I told him, "I want to be just like you, showing my love for Canada by fighting for the country!" Sure enough, I joined the military as soon as I turned 18 years of age, and swiftly rose through the ranks. To be honest, however, like you, I was not too keen about the thought of going to war right after the end of our economic depression. Unfortunately, I had troops to lead into battle, and thus, I simply focused on doing my job rather than the war as a whole.
ReplyDeleteWell, Glendon, all decisions in life are rarely motivated by only one motive, as in my case. When the Second World War began, I was a bored lad of eighteen for whom the most ambitious future on the horizon was a career in the logging industry (which my family had been in for three generations already). Like Michael’s father, my father had been around for the First World War but he permanently broke his leg during a logging accident. And despite his efforts to convince the recruitment officers otherwise, he was rejected for duty. He always jokingly told me that, should “another Great War” occur again, I must join and bring the honour to our family that he had failed to bring. What a naïve little child of eighteen I was!
ReplyDeleteWell Glendon, there were a few contributing factors towards me joining the Naval Forces. I was compelled by my family to help raise money to get out of the terrible state left by the Great Depression on my family. Without me there, it would mean less money for food, clothing, and electricity usage. Mind you, they still took the time to write so it was not bad out on the ocean, but we rarely got the letters. Only when we docked back into Halifax. But, I am happy that I joined. It got me through the years that otherwise would have been filled with shame and factory work. The other way that I was convinced was a call to the ocean. I simply could not ignore it and my skills as a tactician shone through, as i was placed as a Naval Commander on a Merchant ship. What acts would follow in the years to come!
ReplyDelete(Major Rey Hypolito T.)
ReplyDeleteReally?? Well for me I was just getting board with mopping around all day so I decided to join the navy. My parents pulled a few strings over the course of only a few months and well that’s how I ended up as Major Rey Hypolito Tuason. Working with you and your men was an honor.