said by shaner:Rememberance Day is special for me in a slightly different viewpoint. My Grandfather was a German soldier who was taken prisoner at Stalingrad. He wasn't released from the Russian POW camp until 1950. He came home to a shattered and destroyed Hamburg. After spending a year or 2 trying to rebuild his family's lives, he got fed up and went down to the docks to catch a boat to Argentina. But, the only boat with space left was one heading for Canada. So he took that one. Canada welcomed him, and 2 years later, my Grandmother, Uncle and Father joined him in Toronto. It wasn't easy for them, but he was always grateful that a former enemy country allowed him to start over again. And for him, Rememberance Day was special because it allowed him to show his respect and gratitude for a country which could have easily sent him packing. Imagine this: my Grandfather, a retired German soldier who fought against and killed Canadians in France (he was there at Dieppe), he was a member of the Canadian Legion.
That's the kind of freedom and acceptance my Grandfather came to appreciate as a new Canadian.
Thanks Shaner, My Father was a Veteran in a similar place. He fought with the Germans against Russia in WW2 to defend Finland from invasion. Different deal different times. They got a good part of Karelia. You know I sometimes feel awkward about it. I'm very proud of my roots. And you should be proud of your family as well they were doing the right thing at the time and it all worked out OK.
