Juno News - How brave Canadians changed history on D-Day (ft. D-Day veteran Jim Parks)

00:00:00.000 Exactly 78 years ago today, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in what is now known as D-Day.

00:00:06.340 Today, I have the distinct honor and privilege of speaking to somebody who was there,

00:00:10.360 somebody who fought and defended our freedom in Canada.

00:00:13.720 I'm Candice Malcolm, and welcome to a very special edition of The Candice Malcolm Show.

00:00:16.740 Hi everyone, thank you so much for tuning in.

00:00:31.700 So today, June 6th, is D-Day, also known as the Day of Courage.

00:00:35.420 On June 6th, 1944, after months of planning, the Allied forces launched what was called Operation Overlord,

00:00:41.740 the invasion of Western Europe, which had suffered under Nazi occupation for four years.

00:00:47.060 At the time, the Allied forces were fighting across Italy, but with one foul swoop,

00:00:51.500 the Allied armies created a new Western Front against Hitler's forces,

00:00:55.840 designed to ease pressure from the Eastern Front and weaken the Nazi war efforts.

00:01:01.200 Operation Overlord, which was launched on D-Day, June 6th,

00:01:04.400 was a coordinated attack against the Nazis along the beaches of Normandy,

00:01:08.780 a 100-kilometer stretch of the French coastline across the English Canal from Great Britain.

00:01:13.900 At the time, it was the largest seaborne invasion in military history.

00:01:18.320 Allied infantry and armored divisions from Canada, the U.S., and Great Britain

00:01:21.660 began landing on the coast of France at 6.30 a.m.

00:01:25.280 The Normandy coast was divided into five sectors, Utah and Omaha, where the Americans landed,

00:01:30.660 gold and sword, where the British landed,

00:01:32.740 and Juneau, where our Canadian troops launched and were landed.

00:01:36.340 As you might imagine, the young men who landed there were under heavy fire from gun emplacements

00:01:41.100 overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes,

00:01:46.020 metal tripods, and barbed wires, making the work of the beach-clearing teams difficult and dangerous.

00:01:52.380 Canada suffered some 961 casualties on that one morning while disembarking at Juneau Beach.

00:01:59.020 The Normandy landings marked an unprecedented war effort, unmatched at the time.

00:02:04.120 There were nearly 5,000 landing and assault craft vessels,

00:02:07.360 carrying approximately 160,000 troops who crossed the English Channel on D-Day,

00:02:12.940 with 875,000 men disembarking by the end of June, including 14,000 Canadians.

00:02:19.760 Allied casualties on the first day alone were 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

00:02:26.400 Now, of course, this turned out to be a major turning point in the war,

00:02:30.680 and by the end of August 1944, the Allies had reached the Seine River,

00:02:35.460 Paris was liberated, and the Germans began retreating and were removed from northwest France,

00:02:40.560 effectively concluding the Battle of Normandy.

00:02:43.140 The Allied forces then prepared to enter Germany,

00:02:45.560 where they would meet up with Soviet troops entering from the east.

00:02:48.960 Again, the Normandy invasion began to turn the tide against the Nazis,

00:02:52.860 a significant psychological blow.

00:02:54.740 It prevented Hitler from sending troops from France to build up his eastern front 0.61

00:02:59.260 against the advancing Soviets.

00:03:01.480 The following spring, on May 8, 1945, the Allied forces accepted the unconditional surrender

00:03:07.540 of Nazi Germany, and the efforts of the Canadians and the Allied forces

00:03:11.380 on the beaches of Normandy were a clear turning point in the war

00:03:16.620 and in the effort against fascism in Italy.

00:03:19.840 Now, today, for this very special edition of the Candace Malcolm Show,

00:03:23.040 I am just so delighted to be joined by someone who was there,

00:03:26.620 someone who fought and nearly died,

00:03:28.820 someone who saw it all with their own eyes to defend Canada.

00:03:32.000 I'm speaking with Mr. Jim Parks.

00:03:33.860 He is a true Canadian hero.

00:03:35.920 Mr. Parks enlisted in the Canadian military at the age of 10.

00:03:39.880 He joined the cadets, and then at the age of 16,

00:03:42.140 two years before he was eligible to enlist,

00:03:44.500 Parks joined the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.

00:03:47.040 After enlisting, Mr. Parks began his training,

00:03:50.000 first in Canada and then in the UK, which would last more than two years.

00:03:53.620 Jim had five brothers who served in the Second World War,

00:03:56.600 and his father and his uncle both served in the First World War.

00:04:00.380 So there he was on June 6, 1944, exactly 78 years ago.

00:04:05.140 Today, he was part of the very first wave of Canadian soldiers

00:04:08.100 to land on Juneau Beach in Normandy, France, and heroically beat the Germans.

00:04:12.760 Mr. Parks and his fellow soldiers would eventually push the Germans town by town, 1.00

00:04:16.300 over the months, with intense fighting that would result in significant Canadian casualties.

00:04:21.620 By the war's end, Mr. Parks would find himself in Germany,

00:04:24.460 having successfully liberated the Netherlands and pushing the Nazis into total defeat.

00:04:29.780 After the war, Jim and other soldiers spent time in the Netherlands and England

00:04:33.060 before heading back home to Canada.

00:04:35.360 He would continue to serve his country and his community after the war,

00:04:38.960 first as a fireman in Winnipeg,

00:04:40.600 and then he worked in various roles for the federal government

00:04:43.720 in administrative and managerial positions.

00:04:46.300 Jim retired from the military after 15 years in the reserves,

00:04:49.740 and he made his way up to the rank of major.

00:04:52.920 He now asks people to commit good deeds in support of the memory of the men who served alongside him.

00:04:58.200 He wants people to participate in virtual walks to raise money for veterans' causes

00:05:02.340 and organizations like the Juneau Beach Centre.

00:05:05.300 Jim now lives in Mount Albert, Ontario, with his wife Genevieve.

00:05:08.000 There are very few Canadians who deserve the recognition and honor as a true Canadian hero,

00:05:12.920 more so than Mr. Jim Parks, my guest today.

00:05:16.260 We are extremely lucky to have him on the show.

00:05:19.140 So, Mr. Parks, thank you so much for joining our podcast.

00:05:22.080 Thank you for being with us today.

00:05:23.740 How are you doing?

00:05:24.980 Pretty good.

00:05:26.460 Great.

00:05:26.780 So, why don't you tell us a little bit about what your experiences were like 78 years ago

00:05:32.240 on D-Day when you were part of the invasion storming the beaches of Normandy?

00:05:37.620 Well, we had a lot of preparation for the D-Day itself,

00:05:42.960 and I recall leading up to that,

00:05:46.840 we were put on boats at Portsmouth, which is the southern part of England,

00:05:52.500 and I was in a landing craft tank, which is a bigger one,

00:05:56.760 because I was with the mortar platoon,

00:05:58.920 and we had two mortar carriers,

00:06:00.740 and we were lined up behind two armored bulldozers on the landing craft tank,

00:06:07.140 and we were supposed to go into the beach two minutes ahead of the infantry assault boat

00:06:13.420 because the armored bulldozers had big ropes on them with hooks,

00:06:18.220 and when they could come off the landing craft,

00:06:20.300 they were to pull off all the obstacles in the water,

00:06:23.660 which would allow the landing craft that come in wouldn't be hitting the obstacle.

00:06:29.920 However, that's the way it was.

00:06:33.280 We were supposed to be two minutes ahead of them,

00:06:35.020 but the way things worked out, we all got mixed up,

00:06:40.220 and we were mixed up with the landing craft coming in,

00:06:44.980 and the bulldozers, they were a little late getting those obstacles out of the water,

00:06:53.580 but when they went off the landing craft,

00:06:57.640 the landing craft got fouled up,

00:07:01.220 and our carriers, when we went off the landing craft,

00:07:05.820 the water was too deep,

00:07:06.960 when we sank,

00:07:09.280 the water was about eight feet deep,

00:07:11.220 and there was about six to eight feet when you figure out the waves,

00:07:15.840 and when you get close to the shore, it's rougher,

00:07:20.020 and so we ended up,

00:07:21.900 instead of coming on the shore with two mortar carriers,

00:07:26.300 we ended up swimming in instead,

00:07:28.120 the mortar carriers were under the water.

00:07:29.900 So I ended up going on the beach,

00:07:32.240 and the first thing I got to the beach,

00:07:34.600 I plopped beside this,

00:07:37.020 I knew this corporal,

00:07:38.740 corporal scape,

00:07:39.640 he'd been mortally mooted,

00:07:41.220 so I picked up the Sten gun from him,

00:07:44.400 because I lost all my equipment going in,

00:07:47.440 and then I headed for the sand dunes,

00:07:49.680 and waited for the rest of our crew to come in.

00:07:53.220 It took a little while,

00:07:54.680 because there's a lot of noise,

00:07:57.560 and a lot of firing going on,

00:08:00.300 and a lot of machine gun fire being put down,

00:08:05.420 there's a lot of mortar bombs still landing,

00:08:07.560 the enemy had mortars further inland,

00:08:11.020 and they were popping the bombs onto the beach,

00:08:13.880 we had to take cover quite a bit,

00:08:16.140 otherwise we were kind of lucky too,

00:08:19.220 because the sand would absorb quite a bit of the shock,

00:08:23.400 the bombs landing,

00:08:24.860 take up a bit of the shrapnel,

00:08:26.140 but it was still pretty dangerous.

00:08:29.520 We got to the sand dune itself,

00:08:32.160 and the rest of the platoon come in,

00:08:35.280 they were okay,

00:08:36.100 because they got further in,

00:08:38.100 and they still had their carriers,

00:08:39.720 we'd lost hard,

00:08:41.520 so we scooted in past about,

00:08:46.380 once you got past the sand dunes,

00:08:48.840 it was a little bit quieter,

00:08:49.820 because the enemy had their positions a little bit further inland,

00:08:57.440 to take care of the beach,

00:08:58.840 the beach party itself were overwhelmed pretty quickly,

00:09:03.340 when I say beach party,

00:09:04.920 the beach party of the enemy,

00:09:07.260 but they had a little bit further back,

00:09:10.200 so the first part we got in was a little bit quieter,

00:09:13.800 when I say quieter,

00:09:15.620 there was a little less machine gun fire,

00:09:17.880 and mortar fire,

00:09:19.280 and we made our way,

00:09:21.220 the first day was a little quieter,

00:09:23.880 a little bit quieter,

00:09:24.960 because of the snipers,

00:09:26.460 except for snipers,

00:09:27.960 and we got to a village,

00:09:29.920 called Ootot,

00:09:31.180 Ootot,

00:09:32.180 Ootot,

00:09:33.180 Oototot,

00:09:34.180 and that was a small village,

00:09:37.860 so we got in around there,

00:09:39.080 and we were dug in,

00:09:41.580 and we prepared for,

00:09:43.860 we said prepared for the counter attack,

00:09:46.760 and we had our own troops,

00:09:48.660 they were a little slow getting in behind us,

00:09:50.460 we had reinforcements coming in,

00:09:53.040 but they got held up,

00:09:54.640 the weather was a little bit bad,

00:09:55.960 and the beach a bit rough,

00:09:57.640 but they finally got in,

00:09:59.520 and we were there for the first night,

00:10:02.480 it was fairly quiet,

00:10:03.700 except for snipers,

00:10:05.160 and the 8th of June,

00:10:06.000 the enemy launched a counter attack,

00:10:08.460 it was the 12th SS,

00:10:10.880 Panzer Division,

00:10:12.440 Panzers are tanks,

00:10:14.180 so they had their tanks coming in,

00:10:15.840 and a little bit rough around Ootot,

00:10:19.180 because they were overrun,

00:10:22.620 and we were mixed up with the enemy,

00:10:26.660 you go around one corner,

00:10:27.920 you spot them,

00:10:29.580 and they seemed to be popping up everywhere,

00:10:32.040 because the wheat field was about four feet deep,

00:10:35.460 this is June,

00:10:36.660 and the grain was a bit higher,

00:10:39.060 so they were infiltrating through the wheat field,

00:10:43.100 so it was a little bit rough there for the 7th and 8th,

00:10:47.280 the 8th is when the big counter attack came in,

00:10:49.920 and we got overrun by the SS,

00:10:52.400 like I said,

00:10:52.960 the tanks and the infantry,

00:10:55.720 and it was pretty rough going there for a bit,

00:10:59.020 and until we launched a counter attack,

00:11:02.560 by the Canadian,

00:11:03.580 Scottish,

00:11:04.080 and other units,

00:11:05.220 and helped push them back,

00:11:07.040 so we had to reestablish ourselves,

00:11:09.680 around the village of Ootot,

00:11:12.700 pretty rough that first day or two,

00:11:15.940 so we lost a lot of people on the beach,

00:11:17.780 I think we lost over close to 150 on the beach,

00:11:22.160 killed and wounded,

00:11:23.500 and then we got a few reinforcements in that night,

00:11:27.160 and we didn't get a chance to spread them out,

00:11:29.980 so they ended up dugging in,

00:11:32.200 we were digging in a trench,

00:11:33.560 and they come around,

00:11:34.240 and they said,

00:11:35.180 make room for somebody else,

00:11:36.500 so we had a,

00:11:39.220 instead of being only two in a trench,

00:11:40.920 we had three in a trench,

00:11:41.980 so what we did is,

00:11:43.820 we got out of the trench,

00:11:45.460 and helped them dig their own hole,

00:11:47.460 because it's a little too crowded,

00:11:48.940 when you get two,

00:11:50.040 three in a trench,

00:11:51.100 it's only made for two,

00:11:53.040 so it was pretty rough,

00:11:54.480 because a lot of shell fire coming in,

00:11:57.220 and there's a lot of machine gun fire,

00:11:58.620 so we were hoping that,

00:12:02.440 we'd get some tanks coming in,

00:12:04.480 but the tanks did come in,

00:12:06.780 but not near us,

00:12:08.540 they're in the area surrounding us,

00:12:11.220 but not near us,

00:12:12.740 that was our own tanks,

00:12:14.160 but the enemy had their tanks,

00:12:16.080 they had the,

00:12:16.640 they had the taggers,

00:12:18.380 and they had the Mark 4s,

00:12:20.020 so it was pretty rough,

00:12:22.280 you didn't,

00:12:22.900 sometimes you didn't know around the corner,

00:12:24.720 whether your own people were there,

00:12:26.380 or whether the,

00:12:27.060 the jerries were there, 1.00

00:12:28.900 so you had to be careful,

00:12:30.260 where you go around,

00:12:31.760 so we were told to dig in,

00:12:33.960 and prepare for the major counter attack,

00:12:36.400 which we did,

00:12:37.620 and by that time,

00:12:38.340 we had more troops coming in,

00:12:39.660 which helped out,

00:12:40.360 and we were relieved,

00:12:42.300 because they went forward of us,

00:12:45.000 and then that meant,

00:12:46.000 meant we were reserved,

00:12:47.860 after the first day and a half,

00:12:49.360 we were at the front,

00:12:50.520 and then we become reserved,

00:12:52.460 which is about 100 yards,

00:12:53.860 200 yards behind them,

00:12:55.540 so prepared to,

00:12:57.680 to counter attack them,

00:12:59.500 if they broke through,

00:13:01.340 that's how it was pretty rough,

00:13:02.600 that first,

00:13:03.480 you could say,

00:13:03.940 the first two days.

00:13:04.860 Well,

00:13:06.340 Mr. Parks,

00:13:06.920 it's incredible,

00:13:07.720 your recollection,

00:13:09.000 and your memory,

00:13:09.920 of this event,

00:13:11.060 that happened over 75 years ago,

00:13:13.140 can you tell us,

00:13:14.040 tell the viewers,

00:13:14.780 how old were you at the time?

00:13:16.420 I was 19 at the time,

00:13:19.580 yeah,

00:13:19.800 just,

00:13:20.800 because I joined when I was 15,

00:13:22.500 a lot of the time,

00:13:23.340 at the,

00:13:24.400 you must remember,

00:13:25.380 I was just after the depression years,

00:13:27.000 and there was a lot of people out of work,

00:13:28.340 and so on and so forth,

00:13:30.000 and so as soon as the war broke out,

00:13:33.680 all the young kids,

00:13:34.520 were running down to the recruiting office,

00:13:37.320 saying I'm 18,

00:13:38.360 you're only 15 or 16,

00:13:39.800 but they're saying 18,

00:13:40.780 and they didn't bother checking,

00:13:44.120 they were just glad to have you,

00:13:46.000 so we had to look around,

00:13:47.300 you see pictures of what we look like,

00:13:49.600 you didn't fool anybody,

00:13:51.160 because you look 15 and 16,

00:13:53.340 and you were supposed to be 18 and 19,

00:13:56.240 but the,

00:13:57.200 when you look at it,

00:13:58.780 a lot of the young soldiers,

00:14:00.800 at the time,

00:14:01.440 were underage,

00:14:03.000 in the initial people,

00:14:05.480 initial part of the war,

00:14:06.940 that was the thing to do,

00:14:07.900 to join up,

00:14:09.420 and your parents didn't mind,

00:14:11.180 because one less,

00:14:12.420 one less notes to feed,

00:14:13.900 I guess,

00:14:14.300 because that was depression years,

00:14:16.320 was hard to find jobs,

00:14:18.520 and hard to,

00:14:21.200 you were at school,

00:14:22.480 but it was a little rough at school,

00:14:24.160 because,

00:14:24.700 you didn't have that much at school,

00:14:27.960 you know,

00:14:28.240 you had bare necessities,

00:14:30.200 and so on,

00:14:31.540 but we,

00:14:32.520 we got along,

00:14:34.540 nobody starved,

00:14:35.480 that's great,

00:14:37.500 that's great,

00:14:37.620 well,

00:14:37.860 your daughter sent me your bio,

00:14:39.940 Mr. Parks,

00:14:40.620 and it seems like D-Day,

00:14:42.540 was your very first,

00:14:44.160 taste of the war,

00:14:47.040 it was your first day,

00:14:48.200 in battle,

00:14:49.240 and everything up until then,

00:14:50.880 was more training,

00:14:52.420 so,

00:14:52.920 what was that like,

00:14:54.140 for your very first glimpse,

00:14:55.960 of active battle,

00:14:57.940 being such a monumental,

00:15:00.260 moment,

00:15:00.900 and a turning point,

00:15:02.120 in the war like that,

00:15:03.380 did you realize the scope,

00:15:04.940 and the importance,

00:15:06.060 of D-Day at the time?

00:15:08.200 Well,

00:15:08.460 actually,

00:15:08.900 I remember,

00:15:09.440 I remember there was one sergeant of us,

00:15:11.060 he was a,

00:15:11.940 he was sort of a gung-ho guy,

00:15:14.060 and he,

00:15:15.560 after going into the beach,

00:15:17.120 he was,

00:15:17.820 this is this,

00:15:18.560 he was saying,

00:15:19.140 this is it,

00:15:19.700 this is it,

00:15:20.760 we're gonna go get him,

00:15:21.660 we're gonna go get him,

00:15:22.560 we're gonna go get him,

00:15:23.800 and the rest of us sitting,

00:15:25.660 saying,

00:15:26.040 wondering what the heck's gonna go on,

00:15:27.980 because once they dropped that,

00:15:29.060 that ramp at the front,

00:15:31.000 you had to dash out,

00:15:32.020 you had to move out,

00:15:33.000 with your mortar carriage,

00:15:34.160 and so on,

00:15:35.120 but like I say,

00:15:35.920 our boat was hit,

00:15:38.400 so we ended up swimming in,

00:15:40.600 so,

00:15:41.400 then once we got to the beach,

00:15:43.940 we got picked up that,

00:15:45.440 stand gun off,

00:15:46.320 Corporal Skate,

00:15:47.100 who'd been wounded,

00:15:49.280 badly wounded,

00:15:50.060 he died,

00:15:50.900 he died of his wounds,

00:15:52.580 and I got to the sand dune,

00:15:55.120 and a few minutes later,

00:15:58.060 our platoon commander,

00:15:59.700 they come in with their mortar carriers,

00:16:02.240 and we just jumped on the back of their carriers,

00:16:04.940 to be with them,

00:16:06.940 because we lost everything going in,

00:16:09.220 so we lost our carriers,

00:16:10.500 we lost everything,

00:16:11.380 we all had to swim in,

00:16:12.980 so it was a little bit rougher,

00:16:14.700 so,

00:16:15.380 so for the next,

00:16:16.340 next while,

00:16:17.640 we were extra people on those carriers,

00:16:20.200 and they said we would get,

00:16:21.440 we'd get our new equipment,

00:16:23.220 within a matter of,

00:16:24.760 a couple of days,

00:16:26.100 but we never got up,

00:16:26.960 about three weeks,

00:16:27.860 instead of getting a carrier,

00:16:29.940 to give us a 1500 weight truck,

00:16:32.680 which wasn't very good,

00:16:34.540 to carry your mortars with,

00:16:35.960 but it was better than nothing.

00:16:39.720 And so what happened next,

00:16:41.220 so you made it past,

00:16:43.020 Juneau Beach,

00:16:43.820 and up into the inlands,

00:16:45.800 in Normandy,

00:16:46.740 how long did you stay in Europe,

00:16:48.360 and what did you,

00:16:49.660 what was your next role after that?

00:16:51.160 Well you actually got to Poteau,

00:16:54.080 we end up in a place called Carpeke,

00:16:56.100 which is a,

00:16:57.080 which is a,

00:16:57.840 an airport,

00:16:59.520 it was an airport,

00:17:00.580 with the,

00:17:01.320 the Germans had used it,

00:17:02.640 prior to the invasion,

00:17:04.740 they used it as a,

00:17:05.820 as a staging point,

00:17:07.020 they'd pop in there,

00:17:08.500 on the way to,

00:17:09.440 to bombing,

00:17:10.620 when they'd stop in,

00:17:11.500 get gas,

00:17:12.100 and so on,

00:17:12.860 and they'd fly over to England,

00:17:14.680 and so we,

00:17:15.840 we got past that part,

00:17:17.600 we got into a place called Kahn,

00:17:20.000 the city of Kahn,

00:17:21.400 but that wasn't easy,

00:17:22.800 because we spent about,

00:17:24.840 oh,

00:17:26.040 a few weeks,

00:17:26.760 before we got into Kahn,

00:17:28.820 in fact the,

00:17:30.060 the Germans have put up,

00:17:31.860 a pretty good defensive perimeter,

00:17:33.740 and they had all kinds of,

00:17:36.140 they had their,

00:17:37.160 they had the SS tanks,

00:17:39.120 and they had the,

00:17:39.780 had the guns,

00:17:42.080 and they had very well equipped,

00:17:44.000 and we had to,

00:17:45.340 they had to mount a major defensive,

00:17:47.960 offensive to get,

00:17:49.160 that,

00:17:50.140 get past Kahn,

00:17:51.400 I think it took about,

00:17:52.420 eight or nine weeks,

00:17:53.200 before we got out of Kahn,

00:17:55.040 Kahn is only about,

00:17:56.240 12 miles inland,

00:17:57.360 from,

00:17:57.680 from the beach,

00:17:58.900 right,

00:17:59.860 because then,

00:18:00.720 but in the meantime,

00:18:02.900 all of Normandy,

00:18:04.020 was just getting stacked up,

00:18:05.280 with all kinds of,

00:18:06.340 of army equipment,

00:18:08.520 and guns,

00:18:09.560 and tanks,

00:18:10.440 and everything else,

00:18:12.640 and set for the major offensive,

00:18:14.000 and the,

00:18:15.280 we did a stage,

00:18:16.420 two or three major offensive,

00:18:17.800 before they,

00:18:18.480 before they broke through,

00:18:20.060 the,

00:18:20.240 broke down the German, 0.96

00:18:22.180 the German defensive line,

00:18:25.440 and then we got past Kahn,

00:18:27.400 up to a place called Fale,

00:18:29.220 and the,

00:18:30.060 Fale was at the breaking point,

00:18:32.340 and they finally,

00:18:33.340 the Germans after Fale,

00:18:35.280 they,

00:18:35.520 they sort of,

00:18:36.420 on the run,

00:18:37.120 they made their way back,

00:18:38.340 to,

00:18:38.580 to the,

00:18:39.500 the big river,

00:18:41.520 the big river,

00:18:42.260 they call the Rhine,

00:18:43.220 not the Rhine,

00:18:43.980 but the,

00:18:44.820 I forgot what river,

00:18:45.880 called the Rhine,

00:18:47.600 that's,

00:18:48.020 it was quite a,

00:18:49.960 quite a deal,

00:18:51.300 but that first,

00:18:52.180 eight to nine weeks,

00:18:53.120 was,

00:18:53.380 was rough,

00:18:53.960 rough going,

00:18:55.280 everybody had,

00:18:55.980 a lot of casualties,

00:18:56.720 we had,

00:18:57.100 a lot of equipment,

00:18:57.980 was lost,

00:18:58.500 and so on,

00:18:59.740 they,

00:19:00.020 they put up a pretty,

00:19:00.800 brave,

00:19:01.160 pretty brave front there,

00:19:02.840 they had a lot of equipment,

00:19:04.380 but what wore them down,

00:19:05.620 was our,

00:19:06.340 our air force,

00:19:07.200 the air force come over,

00:19:08.300 and they were,

00:19:08.540 did a lot of bombing,

00:19:10.020 you know,

00:19:10.200 and the,

00:19:10.620 the fighter,

00:19:11.420 fighter planes had rockets,

00:19:12.820 and they did a lot of rocket firing,

00:19:14.740 so it's,

00:19:15.320 it's amazing,

00:19:16.180 that they held out so long,

00:19:17.540 with all that,

00:19:18.520 that contingent of firing,

00:19:19.880 that they had against them,

00:19:21.120 they couldn't move at all,

00:19:22.840 in fact,

00:19:23.280 one,

00:19:23.680 one of their generals was,

00:19:25.100 he was driving back,

00:19:26.840 in his car,

00:19:27.580 in a,

00:19:27.740 in a,

00:19:28.500 a fighter plane,

00:19:29.520 come over,

00:19:30.480 and it's,

00:19:30.980 by firing it,

00:19:33.300 the car took a base of action,

00:19:35.300 end up in a ditch,

00:19:36.160 and it,

00:19:37.100 one of their major,

00:19:37.860 one of the major generals,

00:19:39.140 was,

00:19:39.440 was badly,

00:19:40.800 badly hurt,

00:19:42.520 and that,

00:19:43.140 you,

00:19:44.160 you take some of their major generals,

00:19:45.980 away from,

00:19:46.620 from an army,

00:19:47.840 you have nobody to lead them,

00:19:49.520 so the leaders weren't as good,

00:19:51.460 so that helped,

00:19:52.200 that helped us quite a bit,

00:19:54.180 just,

00:19:54.420 that's looking back,

00:19:55.440 at,

00:19:55.700 at what they said later,

00:19:57.380 be able to read up,

00:19:59.640 why it makes such a difference.

00:20:02.960 So what,

00:20:03.740 what kept you going then,

00:20:05.120 Mr. Parks,

00:20:05.740 and what motivated you,

00:20:06.840 to continue,

00:20:08.920 the fight,

00:20:09.740 during some of the darkest days,

00:20:10.980 of those battles?

00:20:12.700 Well,

00:20:12.940 you're,

00:20:13.360 you're working as a group,

00:20:15.780 and you,

00:20:16.520 everybody works as a team,

00:20:18.420 and you look to the other guy,

00:20:20.180 and he looks to you,

00:20:21.280 and as long as he keeps going,

00:20:23.020 you're going to keep going.

00:20:24.500 Like I say,

00:20:25.080 this one guy that we had,

00:20:26.400 Tommy Plum,

00:20:27.040 was quite a character.

00:20:28.640 He was,

00:20:29.040 he was always,

00:20:30.680 gung-ho,

00:20:32.100 and he was,

00:20:32.800 he was,

00:20:34.060 he was one of our sergeants,

00:20:35.360 and Jimmy Stewart,

00:20:36.200 another good sergeant.

00:20:37.580 We have pretty good NCOs,

00:20:39.140 and they,

00:20:39.480 they,

00:20:40.420 they provide,

00:20:41.440 provide good incentive,

00:20:44.040 and we were lucky,

00:20:44.700 because we had,

00:20:45.480 the leaders they picked,

00:20:47.840 prior to going in,

00:20:49.600 to prove that there were good leaders,

00:20:50.920 when we hit the battle,

00:20:52.380 because it all turned out pretty good,

00:20:54.540 and we lost quite a few,

00:20:56.140 the first,

00:20:56.720 first few weeks,

00:20:58.120 we killed and wounded,

00:21:00.100 so,

00:21:00.500 we had to have a good backup,

00:21:03.380 so,

00:21:03.860 that meant the,

00:21:04.460 the,

00:21:05.320 the junior NCOs,

00:21:06.780 would move over,

00:21:07.400 and take over the senior NCOs job,

00:21:10.180 when they got wounded,

00:21:11.620 or killed in action.

00:21:13.460 We lost quite a few,

00:21:14.500 that first,

00:21:15.180 that first while,

00:21:16.980 because,

00:21:17.460 when I,

00:21:18.640 when I go over there,

00:21:19.680 to visit cemeteries,

00:21:21.560 most of the people I know,

00:21:22.700 are buried in,

00:21:23.520 are buried in Normandy,

00:21:25.160 when you go further back,

00:21:27.160 to Grosbeek in Germany,

00:21:28.300 I don't know as many,

00:21:29.700 but most of the people I do know,

00:21:31.480 if I go by the graves,

00:21:32.700 in Normandy itself,

00:21:34.520 I recognize more people,

00:21:36.440 because they were with us,

00:21:37.540 quite a few,

00:21:38.300 quite a few years in Canada,

00:21:40.020 and in England,

00:21:41.440 we lost quite a few,

00:21:43.020 in that first,

00:21:43.680 first few weeks in Normandy.

00:21:46.540 What was,

00:21:47.100 what was life like for you,

00:21:48.480 after you returned,

00:21:49.920 from the war,

00:21:51.040 and what was it like,

00:21:51.980 to,

00:21:52.340 to come back to Canada,

00:21:53.300 after all this?

00:21:54.980 When you come back to Canada,

00:21:56.140 I always call,

00:21:57.120 I look back afterwards,

00:21:58.420 and I,

00:21:59.320 I call that,

00:22:00.280 the year of the lost souls,

00:22:02.280 because you don't,

00:22:03.300 you come back,

00:22:04.080 you're being so used,

00:22:04.860 to being active,

00:22:05.580 and being involved,

00:22:09.160 and so much,

00:22:10.040 and here you are,

00:22:11.180 you're coming into,

00:22:12.260 into civilian life,

00:22:14.920 and everything's quieter,

00:22:16.460 and it's pretty hard,

00:22:17.420 to get adjusted,

00:22:19.260 and some people,

00:22:20.700 it's easy to get adjusted,

00:22:21.780 but if you're at the front,

00:22:23.200 and being in action,

00:22:24.380 all the time,

00:22:24.880 but there's a little difference,

00:22:26.420 from somebody,

00:22:27.380 that being,

00:22:27.880 say, stationed in Canada,

00:22:29.120 and being in a base,

00:22:31.680 they could adjust easier,

00:22:33.740 where a person,

00:22:34.460 being in Europe,

00:22:35.960 being in action,

00:22:37.340 being at the front,

00:22:38.220 or being,

00:22:39.180 say the air force too,

00:22:40.420 being in fighting,

00:22:41.240 in the aircraft,

00:22:42.560 and so on,

00:22:43.620 it'd be kind of hard,

00:22:44.620 for the,

00:22:45.420 all those type of people,

00:22:46.860 to readjust,

00:22:48.380 to,

00:22:48.800 to the momentum,

00:22:50.100 was so different,

00:22:51.620 like I said,

00:22:52.800 I call it,

00:22:53.280 the year of the lost souls,

00:22:54.860 the year of trying,

00:22:55.920 to get readjusted,

00:22:57.080 in life,

00:22:57.460 was kind of difficult,

00:23:01.060 and I remember,

00:23:02.480 the first year,

00:23:03.760 you'd go down,

00:23:04.440 in Winnipeg,

00:23:05.800 that Winnipeg,

00:23:06.940 at that time,

00:23:08.140 if you go to a bar,

00:23:10.300 it was only for men only,

00:23:11.540 and no ladies were allowed, 0.88

00:23:13.200 and the place,

00:23:13.820 was just jammed,

00:23:14.660 full of ex-servicemen,

00:23:18.400 drinking one glass,

00:23:19.960 of beer after another,

00:23:21.400 and refighting the battle,

00:23:22.740 you know,

00:23:23.480 a lot of them were lies,

00:23:24.400 a lot of them were good stories too,

00:23:25.980 but it was,

00:23:27.460 quite a bit of adjusting to do,

00:23:30.840 and they had all kinds,

00:23:31.860 of systems set up,

00:23:33.380 but it wasn't that easy,

00:23:35.080 it took me a while,

00:23:36.400 to get,

00:23:37.620 they had all these programs,

00:23:39.160 set up,

00:23:39.500 but I couldn't take advantage,

00:23:41.340 of them at the time,

00:23:42.040 because I wasn't ready to be,

00:23:44.020 I ended up about,

00:23:45.700 four years later,

00:23:46.600 decided to,

00:23:48.240 to start to do things,

00:23:50.060 on my own,

00:23:50.720 you know,

00:23:50.860 taking night courses,

00:23:52.620 and so on,

00:23:53.400 and so forth,

00:23:54.700 and I was,

00:23:55.060 I didn't realize at the time,

00:23:57.220 because I had a,

00:23:58.440 because I had a disability,

00:23:59.560 from the war,

00:24:00.340 I was eligible for,

00:24:02.140 to get courses free,

00:24:03.640 but I was paying for the courses,

00:24:04.840 on my own,

00:24:06.120 four years later,

00:24:07.760 if you did,

00:24:09.180 your first discharge,

00:24:10.580 you're allowed,

00:24:11.160 two years,

00:24:12.440 to take advantage,

00:24:13.880 of any courses,

00:24:15.260 it was free of charge,

00:24:16.660 but after two years,

00:24:17.680 you had to pay for it,

00:24:19.040 that's how they worked it.

00:24:20.160 Interesting,

00:24:22.580 and so,

00:24:23.200 I see that you're involved,

00:24:24.260 with something called,

00:24:25.280 the Memory Project,

00:24:26.680 can you tell us,

00:24:27.260 a little bit about,

00:24:28.340 what that is,

00:24:29.120 and what your role,

00:24:29.860 has been with this,

00:24:30.640 with this project?

00:24:33.300 Well,

00:24:33.560 you're on call,

00:24:34.820 like people,

00:24:36.320 would like to,

00:24:37.500 like schools,

00:24:38.340 or organizations,

00:24:39.360 they wanted the,

00:24:40.080 people to come forward,

00:24:41.900 and describe their experiences,

00:24:44.140 in World War II,

00:24:46.060 and so,

00:24:47.200 I,

00:24:47.760 with a friend of mine,

00:24:48.600 we got a power,

00:24:50.580 we put a power point,

00:24:51.720 together after a while,

00:24:53.080 and he did a very good job,

00:24:54.300 of putting up,

00:24:55.140 some,

00:24:56.260 some shots,

00:24:57.600 of World War II,

00:24:59.080 and I incorporated,

00:25:00.280 my own discussions,

00:25:01.820 with it,

00:25:02.780 and I'd go to the school,

00:25:03.880 go to the school,

00:25:04.700 or organizations,

00:25:06.360 and I'd play this,

00:25:07.280 and I was able,

00:25:07.680 to talk with it,

00:25:09.220 and I had this,

00:25:10.640 you know,

00:25:11.000 how you have this,

00:25:11.940 little light,

00:25:12.600 you point at the,

00:25:14.000 the screen,

00:25:15.300 and so on,

00:25:15.840 and you highlight,

00:25:16.780 the messages,

00:25:18.200 and you're able to describe,

00:25:19.820 the action a lot better,

00:25:22.460 than just,

00:25:23.480 pulling out from the memory,

00:25:25.000 just to incite your memory,

00:25:27.020 because my memory,

00:25:27.700 got pretty good after a while,

00:25:29.120 because I,

00:25:30.020 you got to recollect,

00:25:31.340 quite a few things,

00:25:32.660 you know,

00:25:33.100 you wouldn't,

00:25:33.680 you wouldn't bring in,

00:25:35.100 all the blood and guts,

00:25:36.080 you just bring in,

00:25:36.780 the generalizations,

00:25:38.420 and you'd describe,

00:25:39.500 all the actions,

00:25:40.800 and the,

00:25:41.720 whatever you could do.

00:25:42.660 And so,

00:25:46.360 what is the message,

00:25:47.580 that you have,

00:25:48.080 when you speak to schools,

00:25:49.520 you speak to students,

00:25:50.400 you speak to young Canadians,

00:25:52.180 what is it,

00:25:52.840 that you think is important,

00:25:53.720 that they know,

00:25:54.760 about what you lived through,

00:25:56.360 what the second world war,

00:25:57.940 was fought for,

00:25:59.260 and what Canada,

00:26:00.760 means to you?

00:26:02.940 Well,

00:26:03.380 what it means,

00:26:04.120 is that,

00:26:04.480 just cherish what they have,

00:26:07.180 look around what they've got,

00:26:08.280 they're able to walk,

00:26:09.700 be able to get a job,

00:26:10.880 where they want,

00:26:11.440 be able to travel,

00:26:12.380 where they want,

00:26:13.020 they can do what they want each day,

00:26:15.540 get up,

00:26:16.140 they take what job they want,

00:26:17.960 but they have,

00:26:18.620 they have the freedom of choice,

00:26:20.740 it's a matter of preparing themselves,

00:26:22.160 for that choice,

00:26:23.560 and they stick at the advantage of that,

00:26:26.040 don't take it for granted,

00:26:28.360 just,

00:26:28.840 just,

00:26:29.460 just realize what you have,

00:26:32.020 and utilize every,

00:26:34.120 every aspect you can,

00:26:35.320 of your energy,

00:26:36.500 and your education,

00:26:37.920 to do the best you can,

00:26:39.120 to make a living,

00:26:40.360 because what,

00:26:40.980 you've got your whole life ahead of you,

00:26:42.880 you've got to prepare for it,

00:26:44.640 you've got to make sure,

00:26:45.660 you've got to get a good foundation,

00:26:47.900 and you've got to look ahead,

00:26:49.640 prepare yourself,

00:26:51.040 for not only the next year,

00:26:53.100 but look ahead a bit,

00:26:54.480 and say,

00:26:54.920 well,

00:26:55.520 how am I preparing today,

00:26:58.360 so I'm better off next year,

00:27:00.620 and the year after,

00:27:02.020 like if you,

00:27:03.020 you're looking forward to,

00:27:04.200 when you first get started,

00:27:05.920 you get married,

00:27:06.500 or you want to get a,

00:27:07.480 you want to get a house,

00:27:08.560 how are you going to,

00:27:08.980 you have to plan,

00:27:10.280 ahead of time,

00:27:11.060 how are you going to plan to get that,

00:27:12.980 where are you going to go,

00:27:14.460 and in the meantime,

00:27:15.380 you've got your own job,

00:27:16.500 you're preparing,

00:27:17.280 you're preparing yourself,

00:27:18.560 and your own job,

00:27:19.300 and you're,

00:27:19.880 you're improving yourself,

00:27:22.000 in your education,

00:27:23.300 and work habits,

00:27:24.920 so you get ahead of your job,

00:27:26.280 and earn more money,

00:27:27.160 because without earning the money,

00:27:29.400 you're not going to go anywhere,

00:27:31.040 you've got to get a good foundation,

00:27:32.560 of work habits,

00:27:34.080 and education.

00:27:36.260 Well,

00:27:36.760 that's such a wonderful message,

00:27:38.560 Mr. Parks,

00:27:39.040 we really appreciate your time,

00:27:41.060 thank you so much,

00:27:42.300 for everything you've done,

00:27:43.560 for Canada,

00:27:44.640 it's really incredible,

00:27:45.720 to get to talk to you,

00:27:47.700 knowing,

00:27:48.380 you know,

00:27:48.660 the sacrifices that you made,

00:27:50.240 where you were,

00:27:51.060 the importance,

00:27:51.600 of your role,

00:27:53.080 in shaping the country,

00:27:54.780 that we now enjoy,

00:27:55.820 and that we're so privileged,

00:27:56.580 to live in,

00:27:57.220 so thank you so much,

00:27:58.560 for joining the podcast,

00:27:59.800 God bless you,

00:28:00.880 and thank you again,

00:28:02.420 for everything.

00:28:03.620 Well thank you very much,

00:28:04.640 it'd be nice talking to you.

00:28:06.360 All right,

00:28:06.800 have a great day,

00:28:07.680 thank you so much sir.

00:28:09.100 Yeah,

00:28:09.320 bye.

00:28:10.140 It's an incredible story,

00:28:11.420 and we appreciate Mr. Parks' time,

00:28:13.800 thank you so much,

00:28:14.500 for tuning in,

00:28:15.800 I'm Candice Malcolm,

00:28:16.560 this has been a very special edition,

00:28:18.380 of the Candice Malcolm Show.

00:28:21.600 The Candice Malcolm Show.

Juno News - June 06, 2022

How brave Canadians changed history on D-Day (ft. D-Day veteran Jim Parks)

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