Sami Sourani was born in Baghdad on April 14, 1934. He was born into a Jewish family in a country where Jews had resided for thousands of years. Sami provides here an overview of Iraqi history, weaving his personal story into the narrative. The time period during and after World War Two was a dark […]
Barry MacDonald was born February 17, 1955 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He grew up in the Eastern Passage area of Nova Scotia, the son of a World War Two veteran. Barry made the decision to enlist in his own right in 1971; as he was underage his parents signed on his behalf, and Barry’s career […]
Ken Lutz was born February 27, 1957 in Souris, Prince Edward Island. He grew up in that small community alongside his three siblings; Ken’s father was a mechanic but Ken spent much of his early years at the farm across the street, and he even attended a one room school at one point. He […]
James Thistle was born February 22, 1933 in Mulmer Township, in Dufferin County, Ontario. He grew up against the backdrop of the Second World War and decided to join the Canadian Forces out of high school. He reported to Petawawa for his basic training, followed by additional training in Fort Wainwright, Alberta. By this time […]
Oliver Brooks was born December 23, 1930 in Sundridge, Ontario. He grew up in that northern Ontario town against the backdrop of the Second World War, and once he had completed school and turned 18 he decided to join the forces. Oliver wanted to be a paratrooper, so he was off to basic training at […]
Oswald Reece – Ozzie – was born March 17, 1951 in Guyana. He came from a military tradition, with a number of relatives having served alongside British troops in the world wars. He came to Canada when he was young, and completed his schooling in Toronto. As Ozzie recalls, he always wanted a kilt, so […]
Chris Snider was born March 19, 1932 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. His parents were Canadian but were living in the U.S. at the time, and as the 1930s unfolded they moved a few more times, eventually landing in Oakville, Ontario. The realities of the Great Depression had kept them on the move, as Chris’s father looked […]
Don Martin was born June 9, 1933 in Toronto, and he attended Danforth Tech in the city’s east end. Don grew up during the war years, and two of his older brothers served in the Second World War. That includes Jack, who stormed Juno Beach on D-day, and whose story also appears in the Crestwood […]
John Regan was born March 22, 1950, in the Channel Islands. His parents were both from there, and had experienced the Second World War firsthand. John’s mother was a teenager, and she endured German occupation during those years; John’s father – a few years older – enlisted in the British military, first as a gunner […]
Don Pennell was born October 16, 1937 in Grimsby, Ontario. He grew up there and in Oakville, first against the backdrop of the Second World War, and the “Fabulous 50s”. Don was young during the war, but he recalls an uncle who served, and he remembers the rationing from the time. His father became a […]
Ken Villiger was born October 19, 1930 in Montreal, Quebec. He joined the Canadian Forces right out of high school, just as the Cold War was heating up. Ken would see service in Korea, and during his long military career he played on just about every sports team the army had. Ken was a paratrooper […]
Randy Price was born May 29, 1953 in the Neutral Hills area of Alberta, and attended school in the small community of Consort. He chose to join the Canadian Forces in the early 1970s, opting for the infantry. During that phase of his career he was deployed to Cyprus as part of the United Nations’ […]
Avraham Peter grew up in the city of Lodz, Poland, where he was born August 12, 1926. His parents had their own factory/business and the family was living a good, observant life, and the young Abe attended a Jewish school, and was raised in part by his grandparents. Anti-Semitism was a reality in 1930s Lodz […]
Kelvin McDonald served in the Canadian Forces from the 1970s to the 1990s. During that time he was deployed as a peacekeeper on multiple occasions, helping to set a high bar for Canadians serving overseas. Kelvin was first deployed to Egypt, maintaining the peace along the Sweetwater Canal during the time of the Egypt-Israel 1973 […]
Major Andrea Keeping grew up in the small farming community Russell, Manitoba and entered the University of Manitoba with the intention of studying to be an architect. Instead, she would end up finishing her education at Kingston’s Royal Military College and embark on a career that has seen her deployed in support roles to Afghanistan, […]
This Remembrance Day, the Crestwood community gathered together to commemorate those who sacrificed their tomorrow for our today. The assembly included moving musical contributions from the senior music classes and the Crestwood Voices Chamber Choir. The Oral History Project shared two documentaries from Canadian veterans who shared their war-time experience. Crestwood students were fortunate enough […]
Alex Eisen was born December 9, 1929 in Vienna, Austria. After the Anschluss in 1938, the Eisen family fled to Hungary. In 1939, Alex’s father was arrested and fled to Palestine, leaving his wife alone with their three children. Alex and the rest of the family endured the hardships of the Budapest Ghetto, but later […]
Leah Segalowitz survived the Nazi invasion and occupation of the Netherlands. She went into hiding, working as a nurse, though she was an active member of the Dutch Resistance. When the war concluded, she emigrated to Palestine, spending a number of years in British detention camps and working in a hospital in Cyprus before arriving […]
Ronald Denham served with the Canadian Forces during the Cold War years. In addition to his in Canada deployments, which included a stay in the Arctic, Ronald was stationed on the frontlines of the European Cold War, where he was part of the British Army on the Rhine. He was able to offer thePolitics 12 […]