Description
Mr. Reitsma talks about coping with the stresses of war.
Stuart Reitsma
Mr. Stuart Reitsma was born into a military family in Lacombe, Alberta, in 1928. His father served in the Second World War , and two of his brothers also served in Korea. Before joining the service in 1950, Mr. Reitsma worked with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway (CNR). While participating in a CNR strike in Vancouver a fight broke out. Mr. Reitsma and a friend enlisted the next day, deciding if they were going to fight, they'd sooner do it in the Army. Soon after completing training, Mr. Reitsma was shipped overseas to Korea. During his year there Mr. Reitsma survived continued heavy action at the front line, a fact he attributes to the excellent training he had received. Returning to Canada after his tour ended, Mr. Reitsma received his discharge in August of 1952. He returned to work with CNR before accepting a position with Alberta Government Telephone which he held for 26 years before retirement.
Transcript
Interviewer: But how do you keep going on, how do you cope? You had no choice, you stay alive that's... you know fight for survival, I guess that's the best way to put it, that's about what you did. You fight for survival and hope you make it out, and in one piece of course. I think that you know, nothing is worse then seeing your buddy lay there with a hole in his head or you know, blown to pieces, that's pretty tough to take. But about all you can say is, "Well I guess it's you, not me." I know that sounds kind of coarse but that's, that's what I said, like I said before, you know, unless you've been there, it's absolutely impossible to believe it, you just, you just can't, because that's the only way you'd ever know. And for that I'll forever be, you know I saw it and got out in one piece, so for that I'll forever be thankful. But, you got to ask yourself, how did you ever get out of that place.