Dubbed the bloodiest conflict in history, the Second World War had been fought on every continent and ocean. Seventy-six years ago, on Sept. 2, 1945, Japanese officials signed unconditional terms of surrender to officially end WWII. Over 45,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders were Killed in Action and another 55,000 injured during the six years of WWII.
I remember reading a small book about Hiroshima and Nagasaki and wondered how humans could inflict such horrors on one another, all in the name of peace. Have we learned at all?
We hear about suicide bombs and drone air strikes in Afghanistan last week as the Canadian government and our allies scrambled to evacuate their citizens, Afghan interpreters and their families.
Bruce Julian, the newly-elected Dominion President of the Legion issued a public statement regarding help which is available for affected veterans. “The Royal Canadian Legion stands ready to support our veterans impacted by the ongoing tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan. We know there is great distress right now and we are here to help. Please reach out to our branch or command service officers if you need assistance. [https://www.legion.ca/support-for-veterans/contact-a-service-officer] Our thoughts and prayers remain with you, your families, comrades, and Afghan friends.” Walkerton Branch 102 Veteran Service Officer is Pete McGowan at 519-507-1547.
If you wish to support our veterans by joining the Royal Canadian Legion, application forms are available at the bar or on line at Legion.ca/join-us. Sept 1 is the traditional start of the early bird membership renewal campaign, and members can win one of three free branch memberships for the following year.
Proceeds of our draws go to benefit our community. Our next meat draw will be this Saturday, Sept. 4, doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the first spin of the wheel is at 3 p.m. For just a loonie you get three numbers on the regular draws, or one ticket for the special draws with meat from Walkerton Meat Market plus a “mystery prize”.
Barb Vance won $629 in Catch The Ace, when envelope #14 contained the King of Clubs. Jackpot this week will be around $14,000!
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Jan Briggs-McGowan is a member of the Walkerton Legion. Her column appears here weekly.
