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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, November 14, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 905-845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager With Remembrance Day just past, we must continue to reflect on the sacrifices our brave fighting men and women made (and make) for us and future generations. We must never take for granted what our veterans accomplished and the freedoms they won for us. It has been 67 years since the end of the Second World War, and while the two World Wars are but a history lesson for most Canadians today, we should consider it a privilege to pay tribute to our veterans. This year, we witnessed the loss of a very well-known Second World War veteran in Burlington. Garth Webb was a soldier of the Canadian 14th Field Artillery, who landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. However, he will long be remembered for what he accomplished for Canada's veterans years after D-Day. Considered the father of the Juno Beach Centre, it was Webb and his partner, Lise Cooper, who lobbied the Canadian government and raised $10 million to build a combination monument/education centre honouring Canada's role in D-Day in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. Today, Oakville's newest high school, Garth Webb Secondary School, bears his name and students hosted a Remembrance Day service. There aren't too many veterans of the Second World War still living. We're glad to see the messages of respect, history, peace and freedom that so many veterans wished to pass on to future generations have hit their mark. St. Dominic's School students honoured the family of fallen heroes Cpl. Robert Mitchell of Owen Sound and Oakville's Col. Geoff Parker -- both lost in Afghanistan. The front page of last Wednesday's Oakville Beaver bore a photo of young William Booth sitting next to veteran Ken Roberts, both in quiet repose at the Bronte Legion Remembrance Day ceremony. Today's Beaver carries a front-page photo of young Ava Codispodi thanking veteran William Holbrook after the Oakville Legion's service -- a moment so touching it inspired Holbrook's daughter Cindy to pen a letter to the editor printed on this page. A similar moment that escaped the Beaver's camera, but not its letters, came in the chance meeting of young Joey Bagaco and veteran Harry Barker at Bronte Legion. Soldiers who fought and died in battles, along with countless others, left a legacy of security that we enjoy today. Our veterans made difficult personal sacrifices and put their lives on the line -- all in the name of freedom. We owe our veterans a debt that we can never repay. It's very possible the closest we'll ever come to doing so is when those few remaining veterans glimpse into a future that values peace and freedom and respect for their efforts long ago -- through the smile, handshake or thank-you from the youngest members of our community. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Thanking veterans Thank you, Harry Barker Letter to the editor Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. A moment etched in time Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, Remembrance Day unfolded into a beautiful, warm and sunny Sunday morning. Our dear dad William Holbrook, now 94 years old, a Second World War veteran (who left for overseas from Oakville with the Lorne Scots) had decided to attend the Remembrance Day service at church as he had been asked to participate in the laying of the wreath during the Sunday service. Dad entered church wearing his medals he bravely earned during his five years of service overseas. He and fellow veterans took part that Sunday on the 11th of November and it was a touching, proud moment for all. After church, my husband asked Dad if he would like to go to the Cenotaph at George's Square where every year many veterans and family members, including Dad, pay their respects. As we arrived at the Cenotaph we realized the service would have concluded, but Mother and Dad wanted to see the wreaths that had been placed and once again feel at one with those who served and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. There was warmth, not only from the sun, but from the many people who lingered, still wanting to be part of the day. The most wonderful and poignant moment of the day came when a father and his two young children approached us. The father said to my Dad that his daughter had something she wanted to say. This little girl, about seven years old, in a lovely red coat, wearing a poppy, said, "Sir, I want to thank you for all you did for us, and for keeping us free." She put out her hand and shook that of my father's. At that moment, the generations merged, time stood still and she echoed what some people only wished that they could express. She had reached out from the heart and taken the hand of a proud veteran. We knew that handshake from a grateful child, and many like her, now hold the respect of the past and hope for the future. On Nov. 11, there were many people, grateful citizens, who thanked Dad and shook his hand. There were reporters, photographers and journalism students who took the time to ask our dad about his story and to listen and appreciate what he said. See They page 9 On Saturday, Nov. 10, my son Joey and I went to the Legion in Bronte because Joey wanted to get some autographs of servicemen and women that he could share with his classmates. We were told Thursdays were better because there's a veterans' lunch that day and several service people would show up. We decided to return Thursday, and as we walked back to our car, I noticed an elderly gentleman approach us. I asked him if he was a veteran and when he said `yes,' we asked if he could autograph Joey's paper for his project. The paper had a drawing of a poppy on each corner with the words `Veterans to remember' across the top. He agreed and began writing Harry Barker, age 87, World War II, Service Time 1943-1948. For the next hour, Joey and I were taken back in time when Harry was a Royal Canadian Navy Seaman searching for enemy submarines in the North Atlantic. He and his crew did this alongside three other ships, one of which was a Minesweeper. They were stories he must have told a thousand times, but when he mentioned that his mother passed away when he was at sea, you could see Harry holding back his tears. Almost 70 years later and it still felt like yesterday. Harry is the last of his original crewmembers to still be with us and he told Joey and me that he would be part of two Remembrance Day ceremonies the following day. Joey and me have watched several documentaries and have read some great books on the First World War and Second World War, but nothing will compare to speaking to an "absolutely awesome," as Joey put it, and heroic individual who was actually there. At the end of our conversation, Harry shook Joey's hand and said, "Never be afraid to make a difference, even in politics. Always work for peace." Thank you for what you did, Harry. You will always be remembered. George Bagaco, Oakville