Receiving Wings

Well, we received our wings on the...I think it was the 12th of November of 1943 and I came home on what we call ‘embarkation leave'. In fact, I was not blowing my own horn, but I was in the top 10 in my course and I could have had a commission, but to take a commission meant that I was to stay in Canada for at least a year instructing. I must have been a fairly proficient trainee, I guess. Anyway, that wasn't for me. I wanted to get overseas as quickly as possible, so I declined.
Interviewer: You indicated, of course, that you received your wing at the completion of that course and it's represented on the left breast of your uniform...
That's right. I can still wear it now.
Interviewer: ... which is with ‘AG' in the middle which is air gunner.
AG. Air gunner. Yeah. There's humorous stories of that, too. About five years ago, as a...no, I'm sorry. Fifteen years ago - I'm getting old - I was ministering in a small community on the northeast coast and we had a remembrance service and I invited, as the host minister, the Veteran of the day, they gave me the task of corelating things, coordinating things, and I asked the bishop who was visiting in the area at the time if he were prepared to take part in the service. He graciously consented and I asked him if he would do the benediction, the closing prayer. As we were coming to that point, in fact, he had moved to the microphone, there was a little lad standing with his dad next to me and he said "Dad, what does AG stand for? " And just at that time, the Bishop intoned his prayer: "Almighty God..." I stayed in ministry for a number of years after that. That's one of the humorous things.