Juno News - Lest we forget.

00:00:00.000 Brave Canadians fought and died to defend and preserve our freedoms. Let us honour them,

00:00:05.500 let us thank them, and lest we forget. I'm Candice Malcolm and this is The Candice Malcolm Show.

00:00:14.980 Hi everyone, thank you so much for tuning in to a special Remembrance Day edition of The

00:00:19.640 Candice Malcolm Show. Today I want to talk a little bit about some of the greatest moments

00:00:24.860 in Canadian history, some of the proudest individual Canadians who fought, in many cases

00:00:30.940 died, for our freedom. I know that in today's world, Canada is sort of known as like a kinder,

00:00:38.080 gentler, more polite, more reserved version of our American neighbours. We are sort of known as being

00:00:44.540 a little bit more progressive, a little bit more liberal, and sort of just more polite, more reserved

00:00:50.100 for sure. But it wasn't always the case. Canada's reputation globally used to be quite different.

00:00:54.520 We used to be known as sort of rowdy fighters, the kind of people that you would want on your side

00:01:00.200 during a fight. Canadians were known and celebrated and revered as war heroes, as incredibly brave

00:01:07.940 on the battlefield. They were feared by their enemies and, you know, absolutely revered and loved

00:01:14.420 around the world for the risks and the bravery. They were known as being innovative and having

00:01:21.700 ingenuity, really sort of different than what comes to mind today when you think of a Canadian. And I

00:01:27.380 think that the sort of new iteration of like, you know, a Justin Trudeau Canadian is still quite wrong.

00:01:34.720 You know, you go to most parts of the country and that sort of rowdy, independent-spirited,

00:01:40.820 you know, loyal, all of those great qualities. They still exist in many, many Canadians around the country.

00:01:47.700 That might not be the reputation that we sort of get globally, but it still is there. And especially on a day

00:01:53.300 like Members, it's so important to revisit our history, to go back to those moments that really

00:01:57.300 helped define us as a country and recognize the incredible bravery that was needed in order to go off to a foreign land

00:02:04.820 and to fight, risk your life, in many cases, just witness absolutely horrific things in the name of war,

00:02:11.780 all to defend an ideal, the ideal of our freedoms, our Western liberal democracy that we have today,

00:02:19.080 and how fortunate we are, how rare it is in human history to live in a country that is so free,

00:02:23.980 so prosperous, based on the rule of law, that grants so many freedoms. I think that it's incredibly

00:02:28.900 important for us to remember that and revisit it. So I want to first talk a little bit about

00:02:34.080 Remembrance Day, the history of the day, and then I'm going to get into four war heroes that we

00:02:37.880 selected to highlight on the program today. So Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919.

00:02:44.140 It was observed throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called the Armistice Day because

00:02:48.480 it was there to commemorate the Armistice Agreement, the agreement that ended the First World War,

00:02:53.000 and that of course happened on November 11th. The agreement was signed at 11 a.m. This was in 1918.

00:02:58.980 So the 11th hour, the 11th day, the 11th month. Oh, and by the way,

00:03:04.080 you might be wondering why I'm still wearing my poppy, because you're supposed to take your poppy 1.00

00:03:07.740 off after that 11 a.m. ceremony. Well, I record my show earlier in the morning, and then we air it

00:03:13.260 in the afternoon. So right now, as I'm recording it, it's not 11 a.m. yet, and hence why I still

00:03:18.380 am wearing my poppy. But yes, so the 11th hour, 11th day, 11th month, that was the Armistice Day.

00:03:24.040 So from 1921 to 1930, Armistice Day was held on Monday of the week of November 11th,

00:03:30.100 so whenever that was Monday. But then in 1931, a member of Parliament from Comox, Alberni,

00:03:35.700 introduced a bill to observe Armistice Day always on November 11th, passed in the House of Commons,

00:03:41.420 and the day was changed to Remembrance Day. So the first Remembrance Day was observed

00:03:45.160 on November 11th, 1931, and we have been observing Remembrance Day on November 11th ever since.

00:03:51.420 So every year on November 11th, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men

00:03:56.920 and women who have served and who continue to serve Canada throughout times of war, times of conflict,

00:04:02.660 as well as times of peace. We remember the more than 2.3 million Canadians who have served throughout

00:04:09.020 our nation's history, and the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice, who gave their lives

00:04:15.720 to protect Canada, to defend our freedoms and our way of life. And of course, the poppy, we're all very

00:04:21.020 familiar with the poppy. It is a symbol of Remembrance Day. Replica poppies are sold by the Royal

00:04:26.580 Canadian Legion, and the proceeds go to veterans to provide assistance to veterans. The National

00:04:32.820 Ceremony for Remembrance Day is held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The Governor General of Canada

00:04:38.980 presides over the ceremony. It's also attended by the Prime Minister, other government officials,

00:04:43.960 representatives of veterans' organizations, diplomatic representatives, other dignitaries, veterans, as well as

00:04:50.120 the general public. So in advance of the ceremony, we see long columns of veterans, Canadian Armed Forces

00:04:56.760 members, RCMP officers, as well as cadets. They march to the memorial, led by a bagpipe band and a

00:05:04.900 color guard. And at the end of the ceremony, they march away to officially close the ceremony. And so

00:05:10.000 Canada's not the only one to recognize Remembrance Day. Some of the 54 Commonwealth member states, including

00:05:15.880 Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, they all observe the tradition of Remembrance Day, just like

00:05:20.560 Canada, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Other nations observe a solemn day, but at a

00:05:28.500 different time. So for example, Anzac Day is observed in New Zealand on April 25th. In South Africa, Poppy Day

00:05:34.740 is marked on the Sunday that falls closest to November 11th. So lots of countries around the world look at this

00:05:41.540 day as an important day in history, because it ended that First World War. And also many nations

00:05:47.200 that are not members of the Commonwealth also observe Remembrance Day on November 11th, including

00:05:51.880 France, Belgium, and Poland. And interestingly, the United States used to commemorate Armistice Day on

00:05:58.100 November 11th. However, in 1954, they changed the name to Veterans Day. So just a little bit of history

00:06:03.440 about this day, why we honor it, why we commemorate it. And really, it just gives us an opportunity to

00:06:09.500 pause and recognize how incredibly fortunate we are to live in this time of sustained peace,

00:06:16.160 incredible opportunity, freedom, and prosperity. Yes, I know that so many of our freedoms have been

00:06:22.180 taken away, or at least suspended temporarily because of COVID and the crazy last two years

00:06:27.600 that we've had. But really, when you look back and you think about some of the times where people

00:06:32.360 actually went off to war, when the entire world was engulfed in a war, I mean, it's hard to imagine

00:06:38.300 what it would feel like, you know, to be a parent at that time, to have a child, to be in a situation

00:06:45.200 where you were being sent off to a foreign land to defend a place that you've never even been to,

00:06:50.640 people you've never met, as well as to defend, you know, Canada broadly and defend the world against

00:06:57.460 threats. But really, we should all recognize how incredibly fortunate we are to live at this time.

00:07:04.560 And it is because of the sacrifices by people who came before. So I do want to get into

00:07:09.000 honoring some Canadian histories and spotlighting some really, really tremendous Canadians. But

00:07:14.280 before I do that, I just want to say, if you are enjoying the Candace Malcolm show, if you like what

00:07:18.180 we do here at True North, head on over to tnc.news slash donate and consider making a modest donation

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00:08:00.120 And finally, if you are listening to the show in podcast form over on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,

00:08:05.760 or wherever you enjoy your podcast, don't forget to subscribe to The Candace Malcolm Show. And if

00:08:10.240 you like the show, if you enjoy it, please consider leaving us a five-star review. Go over and do it

00:08:15.260 right now. It really helps us out. Okay, moving on. I want to talk about some of these Canadian war

00:08:19.940 heroes because there's so many. As I just mentioned, there's over 2.3 million Canadians who have served in

00:08:26.020 the uniform to defend Canada. And of those, almost 120,000 have given their life to defend our freedom.

00:08:33.720 So first, I want to talk about a World War I war hero by the name of Leo Clark. So Leo Clark was born in

00:08:39.420 Hamilton, Ontario on December 1st, 1882. He was enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 25th, 1915. He

00:08:47.000 served in the Canadian infantry in the Eastern Ontario Regiment. So in 1916, Clark was tasked with clearing out

00:08:53.280 the left flank of a recently attacked German Trent near the village of Poissier, France. So Clark led

00:08:59.780 his men to the trench, but when he got there, they encountered heavy resistance. And suddenly he

00:09:04.800 found that he was the only survivor. He was the only one left alive. So armed with only a pistol,

00:09:10.520 Clark was facing around 20 German infantrymen and two officers. Undaunted, Clark fought tooth and nail

00:09:18.000 with whatever he could find, picking up enemy rifles off the ground. And finally, using this pistol,

00:09:22.800 he killed 18 enemy soldiers, captured one, sent the rest running, and suffered only a bayonet wound

00:09:29.240 in the process. And keep in mind, we're talking about the First World War where guns didn't really

00:09:33.820 work. I mean, half the time they were jam. The whole idea of modern warfare didn't exist. So really,

00:09:39.900 a lot of the times these guys were fighting with their fists, with knives and incredible bravery,

00:09:44.860 incredible story of Leo Clark from Hamilton, Ontario. So next, I want to talk about a World War II veteran

00:09:51.820 by the name of Thomas George Prince. Prince was one of 11 children born to Henry and Arabella Prince

00:09:57.860 of the Broken Head Band in Scantonbury, Manitoba. Prince was enlisted in June 1940 at the age of 24

00:10:05.140 and began his wartime service as a sapper with the Royal Canadian Engineers. After two years with the

00:10:11.800 RCE, he answered a call for paratrooper volunteers. And by late 1942, he was training with the 1st

00:10:17.880 Canadian Special Service Battalion. As the name suggests, the group was one of the first modern

00:10:23.180 special forces units performing highly dangerous missions behind enemy lines. They were arguably

00:10:28.140 the closest real-world counterpart to Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards. Now, as one of

00:10:34.400 Prince's officers recalled, he moved like a shadow. Sometimes instead of killing the Germans, he'd steal

00:10:39.320 something from them. Other times, he'd slit their throats and not make a sound. So Prince served in both

00:10:44.880 World War II, where he survived, as well as the Korean War. On February 8, 1944, in Italy, he managed

00:10:51.680 to repair a 1,400-meter-long telephone wire while under heavy shelling by the enemy. He was alone and

00:10:58.720 he had no help. He then engaged in 24 hours of solo spying that led to four enemy positions being

00:11:05.300 destroyed. Now, sadly, despite surviving both World War II and the Korean War, when he got back to

00:11:11.940 Canada, Prince's life sort of started to deteriorate. His life became increasingly difficult as his job

00:11:17.160 prospects were slim and he continued to struggle with alcoholism. Eventually, he became estranged from

00:11:22.140 his own family. His own children went into foster care and he continued to live in destitute. He lived

00:11:29.020 at a Salvation Army hostel and he died in Canada homeless. So, very, very, very sad story for an

00:11:36.740 incredible war hero. Okay, moving on another World War II veteran, I want to talk a little bit about

00:11:42.100 an individual named Ernest Smokey Smith. So, he was born on May 3, 1914 in New Westminster, British

00:11:47.760 Columbia. So, he enlisted with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in March 1940 and began basic training with

00:11:54.440 the Royal Canadian Regiment in Toronto. He went on to complete his training at Camp Borden before sailing

00:12:01.080 out of Halifax to join the war effort in Europe. During the Second World War, Smokey became the only

00:12:06.180 Canadian private to earn the Victoria Cross after he almost single-handedly fought off German tanks and

00:12:12.220 soldiers during the Italian campaign. So, in October 1944, as the Allies were pushing through northern

00:12:18.940 Italy against fierce German resistance, Smokey and his small platoon were sent across the flooded

00:12:24.700 Savio River to secure an important bench head. After capturing the position, they came under an intense

00:12:30.060 enemy counterattack. The Germans dispatched three Panther tanks, self-propelled artillery guns, and a

00:12:36.480 horde of infantry to retake the position, pinning the Canadians down near the river. So, Smokey didn't

00:12:42.380 waste any time. He grabbed an anti-tank bazooka and sprang into action under intense enemy fire. He walked

00:12:49.280 to about 30 feet of the first Panther tank and took it out with a single shot. So, once the Germans 0.96

00:12:55.380 overcame the surprise of Smokey's audacity, they sent 10 of their own infantrymen to go in and get

00:13:01.900 rid of Smokey unfazed. Smokey grabbed his Tommy gun, stood his ground, killed four enemy soldiers,

00:13:07.980 forcing the remainder to retreat. He continued to hold his position while defending a wounded comrade,

00:13:13.880 forcing additional German forces to withdraw in disorder before carrying his friend to safety.

00:13:19.580 So, this is the kind of thing that Canadians were once known for, being just incredibly,

00:13:23.200 incredibly tough and standing their ground. Okay, now I want to finish off by talking about a Canadian

00:13:28.900 war hero from my own generation. I want to talk about someone who fought in the Afghanistan war,

00:13:34.140 talking about Nicola Goddard, who was the first Canadian soldier to die in combat. So,

00:13:39.960 she was the first of three children for British and Canadian school teachers Tim and Sally Goddard.

00:13:44.720 By the age of 18, she had lived in seven different communities across Canada and attended high school

00:13:49.700 in Anigonish, Nova Scotia. So, after graduating from high school, Nicola flew off to Montreal for a

00:13:56.340 basic officer's training course at the St. Jean Garrison. She then completed four years of Royal

00:14:01.700 Military College in Kingston, Ontario. She graduated as a trained artillery officer and was posted to the

00:14:07.440 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery as a second lieutenant. She then deployed to Afghanistan

00:14:12.860 in January 2006 as a forward observation officer attached to the Princess Patricia's Canadian light

00:14:19.860 infantry. On May 17, 2006, Nicola Goddard and over 200 Canadian and Afghan soldiers were tasked to sweep

00:14:27.020 an area south of Kandahar in the Panjwahi District. The mission was to root out an element of the Taliban

00:14:33.680 that was gathering in this area. So, Nicola and her team were then ambushed by militants as they moved

00:14:39.620 into a mosque in the district. Scrapnel struck Goddard in the back of the head, killing her 0.98

00:14:45.300 instantly. She was 26 years old when she died. So, again, incredible bravery throughout the generations.

00:14:52.340 Still incredible bravery today that we see by Canadian men and women serving in the armed forces.

00:14:57.860 And we should always remember the contributions that they give, the sacrifices they make for us.

00:15:03.300 November 11th is the perfect time to pause, take a moment of silence, and recognize how fortunate

00:15:09.460 we are to be Canadian. I'm Candace Malcolm, and this is The Candace Malcolm Show.

Juno News - November 11, 2018

Lest we forget.

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