I think we got each other's dads by mistake. My dad was a strict authoritarian with a family history of military service and was a lifelong Tory.
My father was a pacifist in terms of war
Not in terms of hockey, he was a violent hockey player, he was an enforcer
But he could not kill another man, he didn't have it in him
He still loved the regiment, he still loved the troops, he used to walk beside the parades
There is a little plaque at Queen's Park in Toronto kind of hidden away on the side
For the Mackenzie-Papineau in the Spanish Civil War
He would divert away from the army parade, so he could touch the Mac-Paps monument on his way
All my army buddies loved him, because he was the life of the party, he pushed them out of their comfort zone
He was an authoritarian father, his word was law, and I was an uppity barracks room lawyer
We were still best friends tho, so even when we brawled, we always made up after
I think my father saw his time in the army as a chore, something he had no choice about as it was National Service. He didn't talk about it much apart from saying he was never fitter. He didn't really get on that well with the other men because he wasn't a big drinker. They made him a corporal though and sent him to an interview to become an officer. He wasn't really in the correct class though. They did get temporarily excited when he told them his father was a Major but soon calmed down when they found out he was a Quartermaster Major and just one of the hoi polloi.
He was a life long public servant though. First as an electronic engineer working mostly on radar for the army and later on as an officer of Her Majesties Customs and Excise.
For legal reasons, we are not threatening to destroy U.S. government property with our glorious medieval siege engine. But if we wanted to, we could. But we won’t. But we could.
I think my father saw his time in the army as a chore, something he had no choice about as it was National Service. He didn't talk about it much apart from saying he was never fitter. He didn't really get on that well with the other men because he wasn't a big drinker. They made him a corporal though and sent him to an interview to become an officer. He wasn't really in the correct class though. They did get temporarily excited when he told them his father was a Major but soon calmed down when they found out he was a Quartermaster Major and just one of the hoi polloi.
He was a life long public servant though. First as an electronic engineer working mostly on radar for the army and later on as an officer of Her Majesties Customs and Excise.
Yeah, National Service was a whole different army unto itself, conscripts are not professionals
I joined a hand picked praetorian guard, it was an elite, so an honor and a privilege
And also he could hustle chicks with ease, any age, any time, any place, so they thought he was really cool
They definitely had that in common.
For legal reasons, we are not threatening to destroy U.S. government property with our glorious medieval siege engine. But if we wanted to, we could. But we won’t. But we could.
My troops respected me, so they respected my father, he was vetted with the troops, so he loved that
It took a while but I think my father came around to that opinion too.
One of my happiest memories of him is him coming along to my juggling convention in his posh camper van and sitting down to play some poker with us.
We had a few good games of table tennis there too.
For legal reasons, we are not threatening to destroy U.S. government property with our glorious medieval siege engine. But if we wanted to, we could. But we won’t. But we could.
My troops respected me, so they respected my father, he was vetted with the troops, so he loved that
It took a while but I think my father came around to that opinion too.
One of my happiest memories of him is him coming along to my juggling convention in his posh camper van and sitting down to play some poker with us.
We had a few good games of table tennis there too.
So did mine
Before he died he saw it all
My graduation parade as an Infantry Section Commander
The General decorate me on parade for my service
My retirement parade when the whole regiment cheered
