Dad was asked why he was fighting Japan and he answered something like, “I didn’t sign up to fight you, I signed up to fight Hitler.” On that note, he was given a wry smile and promptly sent from the hut.
An Unlikely Friendship: The German Girl and the Candy Bomber
At Remembrance Day, a story from postwar Berlin that may surprise you, a reminder that small gestures and acts of kindness — a child’s letter, a quick decision, two sticks of gum — can have unexpected, far-reaching results. At this time of year especially, I sometimes wonder how it is possible to get past […]
The Flowers of Sacrifice
Once I saw the hole a bullet made in the human body. He was a Vietnam veteran and he told me I could touch it, stick my finger in the scar-tissued tunnel it left beneath his rib. Forty one years later I still remember my panic…
November 11 – Remembering Those Who Stayed Behind
As a wounded world began the year of 1946, the cloud of destruction and sorrow that had claimed Europe was lifting. Instead of horrific stories and traumatized soldiers, Doris was seeing hopeful faces and happy jubilation everywhere on the streets of England. The excited war brides in particular started Doris thinking about her desperate decision to end her relationship with the man she truly did love. Was it too late?
Why We Should All See a Concentration Camp
As Star Weiss visits the notorious Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany, she is visited by many questions: “Would I have risked my family’s safety by speaking out, or trying to help prisoners escape? Or would I have remained on the sidelines, averting my eyes and convincing myself that those nice SS men who played on our town sports teams and added music to our festivals were really just engaged in training activities behind the walls of a well-run prison?”
Surfacing — Decompressing after Afghanistan
Decompressing after being stationed in Afghanistan is like being a diver coming up from the depths, trying not to get the bends. Civilian helicopter pilot Allan Cram reflects on how to regain balance after being in a war zone.
Welcome to Kabul, Home of the Taliban Swimming Pool: Part Three
As a civilian helicopter pilot in Kabul, Allan Cram tours the city and quickly discovers that even something as innocent as a swimming pool can be put to horrific uses in the hands of people like the Taliban.
A Slightly Immodest Proposal
There is a plague of government workers upon the land and we may have to turn to the 18th century essayist Jonathan Swift and his Modest Proposal for a solution. With apologies to Mr. Swift.
Welcome to Kabul, Home of the Taliban Swimming Pool: Part Two
In the streets of wartime, Kabul, the chaos is remarkably organized despite all appearances. The effect is surreal as Allan Cram discovers while driving through Kabul’s streets amidst reports to beware of a suicide bomber in a yellow Toyota.
Welcome to Kabul, Home of the Taliban Swimming Pool
A Canadian civilian helicopter pilot experiences what it’s like to navigate the streets of wartime Kabul where chaos reigns. How hard can it be to find a swimming pool in a city under threat by the Taliban?