Thursday, December 20, 2007

An Old Soldiers Eyes

I had the honor of attending a Remembrance Day service this past November 11 and I’m glad to note that the attendance of the public this year was larger in number over previous years. In my area it is common that after the service participants and spectators are invited back to the Royal Canadian Legion for some refreshments. I stand in the long line to get a steaming bowl of hot soup; it tasted wonderful after a cold morning. After getting my soup I went in search of an out of the way place where I could quietly sit and enjoy my soup. I finally found a spot and pushed my way through the crowd. When I got to the table there was an older gentleman sitting across from the spot I had chosen.

He was in a wheelchair and back far enough from the table that I could see his hands clasped together and placed lately on his lap. I asked if the spot was taken and if he had any objections to my joining him. He turned to me and at first his face was blank and expressionless, but a second later the muscles in his face reacted and a genuine smile spread across his face. “Of course my boy good company is always welcome” was the response. His smile was returned in kind and I said think you and sat and quietly enjoyed my soup.

The older gentleman turned his attention back to the window he had been looking out, and his smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He was dressed in a heavy coat more like a trench coat neatly tied in the middle. He wore a suit and tie and bright red poppy on his left lapel, his hair was a little windswept but still neat. The rack of medals on his chest caught the light of the sun as it came through the window. He must have been in his mid eighties, his hair white. His face was thin but he still carried the hint of someone not to be trifled with of his younger days. For me the thing that stood out the most about this distinguished looking gentleman was his eyes.

It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul; this statement is no less true for this man. The eyes of a soldier hold the story of his chosen life, the deep wrinkles etched at the corners of his eyes engraved by sun, wind, rain and snow. On the surface you’ll see the time hardened gaze of a trained observer. But if you take the time and look deeper and harder, you will see much more.

If you take the time you will see the silent pride that only a soldier can know, pride in himself, his country and his comrades, you’ll see his duty, respect and honor. You will see the loyalty, confidence and dignity. But you will also see sorrow, regret, horror and pain. You’ll see guilt, sacrifice and fear. All these things can be seen in the eyes of a soldier. The soldier’s eyes can also see the world around him and he doesn’t see it the same way as the rest of the world. A soldier can see the hearts of other man. The soldier can measure a man by the way he walks, by how he carries himself and by how their eyes meet. Memories are created through the eyes, in an old soldier’s distant stare the decades pass to the days of his youth, when the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. His thoughts don’t drift back to politics or to the price of milk or to what the paper cost. It goes back to the lost loves, the towns and villages that he liberated, to the girls he met and the places he passed through. Mostly he goes back to the young friends he lost, the lives cut short. He sees their young faces staring back, their big smiles untouched by time.

For him the years have passed and the world has changed. Through his old warriors eyes he sees the front-page photo of a young man urinating on a monument that was built to commemorate the dead and their sacrifice. He reads in the newspaper how bronze plaques and nameplates of the dead are stolen from war memorials and are sold as scrap metal. He sees how his government haggles over the cost of restoring overseas monuments. He sees the indifference of a modern world, he sees younger veterans of current wars beaten to within an inch of their lives in their own hometowns. He sees that the country he fought for no longer exists.

So here I sit contemplating this old man and all the others sitting around me on this Remembrance Day. What will the world be like when they’re all gone? Soon all of their old weathered eyes will be closed and they will have surrendered the last battle of their lives. They will have taken their rightful place in history; they will have joined their brothers in arms that took the last patrol before them. We as the current generation will have lost what has been referred to as the greatest generation and we will have lost all their history and the memory of all those old soldiers’ eyes.

By Jack Roelof


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Monday, December 03, 2007

A page from Premier Dalton McGuinty's Website

Greetings,

Jack has sent you a copy of a page from the Premier of Ontario's Website along with the following comments: "Its About time !!!"

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ONTARIANS STANDING WITH MILITARY FAMILIES
McGuinty Government Introduces Legislation That Would Ensure Faster Access To OHIP Coverage, Job Protection For Reservists

TORONTO - The McGuinty government is standing with those who serve in the military and the reserves by introducing legislation that would, if passed, provide immediate access to OHIP for eligible military families and protect the jobs of reservists who are called up to duty.

"When asked to make sacrifices on our behalf, our men and women in uniform do not hesitate, so when it comes to accessing government services, they and their families shouldn't have to wait," said Premier Dalton McGuinty.

"Compared to what they do for us, these are modest measures, but it is our hope that they will make military families' lives a little easier, and provide our soldiers with some peace of mind."

The legislation, if passed, would also remove the 90-day waiting period for services insured under OHIP for military families. Military families transferred to Ontario from other provinces or from overseas are sometimes required to pay physician fees up front during the waiting period. The new policy is expected to benefit approximately 8,500 military family members each year.

"People who serve our country should not have to face an additional burden of paying fees up front for publicly funded heath care for their families. This legislation, if passed, would ensure that military families have immediate access to coverage for the full range of provincially funded health care services," said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care George Smitherman.

The proposed legislation would also ensure that military reservists have job protection while on a tour of duty either at home or abroad. There are about 12,000 reservists from Ontario, with several hundred serving abroad at any one time.

"Job-protected leave for reservists would acknowledge the service and sacrifice these citizens render their country and community. Ontarians who put their lives on the line to serve our country should never have to worry that their civilian jobs back home are on the line," said Labour Minister Brad Duguid.

Premier McGuinty met with military families today to outline the changes and thank them for their service and sacrifices.

"Canadian Forces members and reservists do a tough job, often in difficult conditions. They stand ready to protect us - we have to make sure our province stands with them," he said.

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This page is available on the Web at: http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/product.asp?ProductID=1814

For more information, please visit the Premier's Website at: www.premier.gov.on.ca

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