Veterans Remember
By Barbra Fairclough
Service, Courage and Sacrifice. At home, around the world and across generations. Canadians have a long and proud tradition of military service.
The storied careers of several local veterans have graced our pages over the years. Here is a snapshot of their stories.
George Landry of Blind Bay joined the Royal Canadian Airforce in in 1959 on the regular Officer Training Programme. With training in radio navigation and five years in anti-submarine warfare in Argus 405 Squadron in Greenville Nova Scotia, George entered pilot training at St Francis Xavier University. Later, he experienced breaking the sound barrier, flying to a speed of 2250 km per hour. After a posting as Chief of Plans and Aid Defense Operations in Germany he retired in 1994.
George’s early memories of war are reflected in the November 2017 issue of the SCOOP.
“…standing in the streets of his childhood hometown watching the soldiers returning home from WW2 with missing limbs and harrowed expressions, a memory that reminds him of the horrors of war to this day.”
As a young student Jack Barker, also of Blind Bay, set the stage for his flying career by working part time for a local snow plane manufacturer. In the long snow filled prairie winters in Bavely Saskatchewan it was the only mode of travel. He received his wings in 1944 and as Pilot Officer he was commissioned overseas to Burma where he flew 60 to 70 sorties a day carrying supplies even during monsoon season.
In Jack’s Memoir he recounts an episode.
” There were close to 56 dials in the DC3 but all were spinning so fast we couldn’t read any of them except for altimeter when it changed from going down to up or the opposite. We could not hear anything for the roar of the hail pounding on the aircraft. Each motor had a ball of fire around it (St Elmo’s fire which occurs when there is a discharge of electricity in stormy weather) a blue streak was speeding back and forth from one motor to the other and appeared to pass right through the cock pit between our eyes and the windscreen) finally after what seems like an eternity, we chucked out at 16,000 feet.”
Alan Cook served three tours in Germany and a tour in Yemen during the Yemen Emergency or the Rad-Fan Uprising. Alan was deployed in 1967 to the strategic reconnaissance port location of Aden next to the Straights of Aden. They were running convoys from Aden to Al Habilayn. They were in a stream bed called a wadi and they had fuel, ammunition, and a water pipeline. A prime target.
In our SCOOP interview with Alan in 2018 he recalls, “the biggest loss I experienced was in Aden because lots of people were killed. Any kind of action was in Aden. It was tough to go around. I am sure there were losses on both sides and I am sure we gave as good as we got…”
Alan Cook retired a Staff Sargent in 1978 and resides in White Lake.
Alan Cook has volunteered his time since 2013 to organize and bring together many moving parts in the planning for Remembrance Day at the cenotaph in front of St. Mary’s Church in Sorrento. In speaking with Alan last year, he noted “I was always amazed at the number of people who came out. “Every year there were about 180 to 200 people and it was just a great occasion.”
“Sometimes what I miss is the problem solving challenges” reflects Jean Luc in a 2019 interview with the SCOOP.
International affairs, project management and system engineering were prominent themes in Jean Luc’s career. He retired as Chief of Staff for all Canadian NORAD military personnel in the US. After his post at Colorado Springs, he took a civilian post to NATO as Chief of Implementations Division at NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Management Agency.
Recently, after watching a television movie about WW11 and after switching to a lead news story on CTV, Jean Luc looked at the scenes of a ravaged Ukraine, he said to himself its 80 years later and the same thing is happening again.” What can I do about what is happening to Ukraine, about what is happening in our world.
After a bit of research looking for someone that was taking initiative and finding nothing, he took the lead he has organized a movement to bring Ukrainian families to the Shuswap. Residents in the South Shuswap have rallied behind this initiative and they have succeeded in surpassing the original fundraising goal of $35,000.
Veterans in our company reflect on their experiences and share an understanding that is hard for those who have not been in a conflict zone to imagine at times.
Express your gratitude and respects to our military veterans this November.
To learn more about and to help with the Ukrainian initiative, go to https://www.shoreikankarateshuswap.ca/ukraine
George -Hawk-Landry, in front of a 434 Squadron CF5, Bagotville, Que 1984
Jack Barker, Pilot Officer, received his wings in 1944, three months short of age 19.
Alan Cook aged 29, in Germany. Now in 10th year leading Sorrento Remembrance Service
Jean-Luc Desgroseilliers at change of Command Parade CFB Bagotville
