Red Friday 24 September, fourth try to get this X$%XC^% Blog to go in neatly with Pictures aaarrrggghhhh as they say. RANT FINISHED.
Red Friday as people show their Support and pride by wearing Red.
Soldiers throughout history have been known to write a letter to a loved one, prior to going into battle. Then is they were struck down the letter would accompany any effects being shipped home. Over the year many love stories, have been written and Films made about a letter. This link is from the BBC. A young Guardsman killed in Afghanistan wrote such a letter to his parents. This link will show you how fellow soldiers recorded his last words as a song.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11393998
Now on the opposite side of the scale. A proud Father Bruce Ellis a hard working Islander whom I first met my first summer here on PEI. I met him and his teenage boy at the military families centre in Charlottetown. He was saying that he was off to sign up. Since that day I have not seen him. He completed his Basic, then his trades training and finally his pre Afghanistan training. He is no longer the young teen . But a proud Canadian Soldier full of pride. These words came from the heart of his father at a Red Rally earlier this year.
“ My name is Bruce Ellis and I have a son in Afghanistan. He went over in the middle of May. He is a Signals Operator in a secure building. He has been in the military 3 ½ years. Recently he was promoted to Cpl. When I heard that I was so Proud.
I stand here to tell you I support my son !! I told Simon !! “Simon I don’t stand behind you, I stand with you. My wife Margaret and I are very supportive of our son, and his wife who is alone at the base in Petatawa.
If I said everything was “rosie” I would be lying. Our Son, Our Soldiers need your support, We need to hold them up as to many people are calling them down.
As a father with a Son over there. The same as many of you with family in the military. We need to be Strong, so that THEY are Strong.
Thank you Bruce for those stirring words. As for Simon’s wife Melissa also an Islander and a member of the Invisible Army of Canada, please utilise your Military Families Centre. The Base Petawawa has a strong support system. God Bless and may you and Simon be back together soon.
The PDF Link at the top of today’s Blog is also about Islanders.
This next link is a set of questions from the Veteran Sean Bruyea whose rights were violated with regard to his Military Medical History.
Veterans will be marching on Parliament Hill on Nov 06. More power to them.
Please show support and wear something Red Today.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
Great story! I am so proud to have Simon as my cousin! What a wonderful service he, and all the other men and women are doing our country. My Uncle Bruce could not have said it better about standing beside our troops. I'm sure all the people who have negative things to say about our military would change their tune very quickly if the war was over here. Wishing all the service men and women a safe return home- God Bless You all:)