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Description
Mr. Letendre, at one time, the leader of Canada's Aboriginal Veterans Association reflects on how his wartime experience affected him during his life following his service.
Hugh Victor Letendre
M. Letendre est né le 4 mars 1925 dans le petit village de Lac Ste-Anne (Alberta). Comme Métis, il a appris à parler cri, français et anglais. Il faisait partie d’une grande famille : il avait un frère et huit soeurs. Son père était trappeur et faisait une pêche commerciale importante. M. Letendre a appris à chasser et à pêcher de son père. <br><br> À l’âge de 11 ans, il est devenu concierge de l’école à classe unique où il était également élève. Il balayait les planchers, préparait le feu le matin et transportait l’eau et le charbon. Pour tous ses efforts, on le payait quatre dollars par mois, qu’il remettait à ses parents puisqu’ils avaient très peu d’argent à l’époque. <br><br> Il s’enrôla à l’âge de 18 ans et il servit pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale comme carabinier dans les Calgary Highlanders. Pendant son déploiement outre-mer, il a servi dans la campagne de Normandie après le jour J. Après la guerre, il devint le chef de l’Association nationale des anciens combattants autochtones.
Transcription
It gave me a lot of self-esteem for myself. Cause I know I was capable of doing things on my own or whatever I was doing. I was more sure of myself about everything. The only thing that I found from time to time was, I experienced some discrimination against my nationality sometimes. The odd ball of it was you know that, that discrimination I got it two ways sometimes. The Indian didn't want me, he says I was a white man. The white man didn't want me, he says I was an Indian. So here I was in between. And I can't help my heritage, whatever it is. That's what God gave me. And I am a person and I am proud of myself. And I was taught that, to be proud of who I am. So with coming back home you know, you even experience some of these things, not that much really because I was a very competitive person. If you worked hard, I worked twice as hard as you. And if you wanted my job, you'd have to work your ass off. That's the way it was. So I didn't change jobs because they didn't want me, I only changed jobs to better myself. But I had to earn it, just like anything else. It's like being a soldier you know, you want to win, there comes a time you have to fight to win. And life is always a struggle, nothing ever comes easy.