Death is an unwanted guest. It comes in the middle of the night, in the middle of the day or in the early morning hours. It comes into your house and you are never the same. When someone close in your life dies, a part of you breaks, cracks and fragments in the loss. Every …
‘Il Porto’
So, two weeks ago I talked about my adventure to Sicily and how I met two people that changed the entire layout of my trip. Last week I told you about Guiseppe the police officer who took me out for some horrible scotch the night I arrived into Palermo. This week, in the final week …
Trapani
So, this week is going to be a little different. As many know in weeks prior I have been sharing my grandfather's stories from his time in Europe during the Second World War. For the most part I have completed his stories during the war. Actually, I should clarify, I have concluded all the stories …
“just needed to get the stories off my chest”
"I just needed to get the stories off my chest." Today was an inspiring day of . Nahlah Ayed, CBC correspondent, who is back in London after two months in Ukraine, spent an hour speaking to Red River College through the wonderful world of Skype. A few weeks back I wrote about her book, A Thousand Farewells. …
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‘Arbeit Macht Frei’
Last night on the History Channel, I watched the film, 'Schindler's List.' I hadn't planned on watching the film, but turned on the television at 9 p.m. and found the masterpiece playing. It was played straight, with no commercials - a recognition of its importance. I have seen it many times, but every time I …
“Young Follower”
So after two weeks of some CreComm adventures I return this week to my grandfather's story. I left off last time with his participation in the Battle for Bastogne. In early January my Opa was injured and taken back to a military hospital in Wurzburg. There he spent three weeks recovering from the shrapnel he took to the leg …
A Thousand Farewells
This week, I am going to deviate a little bit from my grandfather’s story. Currently, I am studying and reading Winnipeg born, Nahlah Ayed’s book, A Thousand Farewells. Ayed is a journalist for CBC that covers the Middle East. It’s funny when things catch you off guard and have an immediate impact on you. As …
Bastogne
So this week, I return to my grandfather's story. I left off before my history lesson, with my grandfather in what is now Slovakia. It was there that he had his SS boot camp. His training was held at a Castle a top a hill that the Germans revered as sacred. They called it 'Holy …
History Lesson # 2
It is time for another history lesson. This week I am going to once again catch everyone up with what was happening in around the rest of Europe during the time of my grandfather's stories. My last history lesson began with the rise of the Third Reich and saw them advance very quickly through France, …
Holy Mountain
This week in my grandfather's story, I continue by moving to his military training. Last week like I mentioned, I talked about how once he and his family moved to Germany from Poland he was conscripted into the German Army and then transferred to the SS. In March of 1944, he was sent to the former Czechoslovakia for his basic …