Defending Our Principles - A Message to Youth

Heroes Remember

Defending Our Principles - A Message to Youth

Transcript

Interviewer: Is there anything else, any other memory, good or bad that you would like to have recorded that we haven't talked about today yet? I'd just like to, you know, to remind people that I'm not promoting war. I'm not glorifying war and I don't wish to do that but at the same time, I repeat myself, I'd like to say that we need to defend the most beautiful country in the world. The principles that we follow are democratic, the principles that we follow are great because we have human rights and we have dignity of the individuals, that's paramount, and Canada stands foremost in my mind throughout the universe as the best country in which to live. And the Veterans made it that way. And that's what I say, cause young people join the military, it's a good life. As we mentioned to the younger people too that military life is necessary, that we have to defend our country, our nation and the principles that we follow, so you know, the freedoms that we exercise today as came about because of the native people and Aboriginal Veterans who have sacrificed their lives so that you and I continue to carry on the experiences that they fought for. So this is the nice part, I think, that should be mentioned. However, again I have to say, I'm not in a position to promote war because war is not good for any country. But the defence of our country has to be in our minds at all times. Today there is different kinds of warfare now could possibly happen and we have terrorists and we have different other methods and ways today that we have to be able to counter these movements and the Canadian Forces are there for that purpose and I would like to encourage them to continue to do that because we live in a beautiful country. We exercise freedom and privileges and we have human rights that other countries do not have, but Canada has. And for that reason I would like to say that Canada is a beautiful country in which to live. It's the best in the world.

Description

Mr. Knockwood discusses the messages he would like to send to the youth of our country.

Noel Knockwood

Mr. Knockwood was born in the Indian Brook First Nations in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, July 17, 1932. He received his early education at the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School. He joined the Canadian Army in 1951 and at the suggestion of his older brother, a Second World War Veteran, signed up for the artillery. He spent six years in the service serving in Canada, the United States, Japan and Korea. He received his basic training in Shilo, Manitoba. During this training he received courses on atomic, biological and chemical warfare. He was just 18 years old when he went overseas to fight in Korea and was there for 413 days. After returning from Korea, Mr. Knockwood taught small arms artillery and became a drill Sergeant. After leaving the military, Mr. Knockwood furthered his education graduating with a major in Sociology from St. Mary’s University. He went on to teach at Dalhousie University and St. Mary’s University and was a guest lecturer at several other universities in the Maritimes. He received the National Aboriginal Achievement Reward for Heritage and Spirituality in 2002. At the time of this interview Mr. Knockwood was the Sergeant at Arms for the province of Nova Scotia.

Meta Data