For Love and Country: A Canadian Soldier's Story

ISBN-13: 9780987732101 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 230 str.

Ron And Merla Lawruk

Opis

'For Love and Country' is a compelling story of a Canadian soldier whose contribution to Canadian society made a difference. The biography of Private Ted Patrick, is not just a war story. It's also a love story spanning 63 years, a story of two young people whose lives were interrupted by WW2. It's a love story about a shy, bashful member of the Irish Regiment of Canada and the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. Faced with the decision to fight for his country, he decided to forego marriage until he returned from the war unscathed, 'When I come home, if I have any major physical disabilities, forget about me.' His beloved Eileen waited more than two years for him to return. During that time they exchanged more than 200 love letters, one of which received press coverage in a major Ottawa, Canada newspaper. The book contains more than 60 photographs. Private Patrick, a radio operator/signalman, describes his exploits at the front and referred to his job as 'being like a dog on a leash' as he followed the commanders. On many occasions, he found himself in a foxhole where he spent hours digging, clutching the dirt and hoping the mortars were misguided and the snipers were poor marksmen. The first story he related to the authors brought a torrent of tears and sobbing, their first real exposure to the effects of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Shortly after arriving in southern Italy, Private Patrick witnessed a heart-wrenching incident. The pregnant wife of a member of the Italian resistance (partisans) ran across a field to her husband who had joined up with the allied forces. It was a minefield. She ended up surviving, thanks to a doctor from Private Patrick's unit. Private Patrick describes some of the battles in which his units were engaged, his two trips to Rome and a chance to meet the Pope. When the Canadian forces were shifted to Northwest Europe, he describes life in Belgium and Holland where he witnessed some pitched battles. Following the war, he and Eileen were married in 1946. Throughout the book, he relates his post-war battle with PTSD. He threatened both his father and his wife Eileen. On one occasion, he was sleeping on the floor next to the sofa where his father lay. When a pillow unintentionally fell and hit him, he reacted and began to choke his father. The same outcome occurred while in bed with Eileen. He suffered anxiety, and he didn't feel safe in places he wasn't familiar with. Because of the PTSD he couldn't watch the comedy M*A*S*H on television. He also had a bad reaction to the movie, 'Saving Private Ryan'. Despite the author's urging to have him write about his life experiences, Private Patrick wouldn't talk about his life during the war. It was too painful. After Eileen's death in 2007, things changed and he said, 'Let's do it " As a civilian, Ted Patrick was employed with the Canadian Department of National Defence. He became involved with the Boy Scouts Association of Canada and was active for 25 years at every level of the organization. In 1991, Ted became a volunteer briefer/greeter with the Canadian War Museum. He spent 20 years meeting and greeting visitors at the Museum and was prominent at many military ceremonies in the city. In 1995, 2000 and 2005 he joined other Canadian ex-servicemen at celebrations in Holland where he was honored by local Mayors and citizens. As of November 2011, the five foot one, 91 year old 'Irish leprechaun with a twinkle in his eye' resides at the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Centre in Ottawa, Canada.