A Message to Youth

I went to the sister high school in Winnipeg about 1986. I was asked to go the day before Remembrance Day and give them a talk about Hong Kong and the battle. One part of it was visiting that cemetery at Sai Wan and I told them that I’m an old man now but when I was over on that pilgrimage (this was ‘86) when I was over on that pilgrimage in 1985, and walked down those steps to the Canadian section, and saw the names of my buddies on those tombstones, and as I told the kids some of them as young or younger than you that died, killed in action and died in prison camp, I said that’s just the way it comes back to me. I said it’s hard for you people to understand how I feel now or whatever but I said those young men were just like you were here today. I wouldn’t want to see another conflict, no way, shape or form, but we do need an armed forces for different safe guards and I would expect as my sons grew up I always told them that, they said, “How would I feel if another war came along? ” I said, “Well I would expect you to do the same thing I did, join and defend your country.” And that’s what I can only tell young people today that if a war did come, the only way our country is going to be continued, to be able to continue on the way it is now is by individuals like you and you and you joining up and defending it, it’s the only way you can do it.