Friday, November 8, 2024 3 Brooklin Town Crier Brooklin's Community Newspaper Proud to be a Brooklinite Since 2000. Published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com • Circulation 8000 • Delivery via Canada Post Locally owned and operated. A publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, November 22, 2024 Deadline: Friday, November 15, 2024 Brooklin TOWN CRIER.com I knew little about my dad's wartime experiences until well into adulthood. Gradually though he would pry open his memory vault and allow bits to slip out, some to me, some to my brother, Jim. After Dad's death in 2011, Jim and I would share what we knew, joking that each of us had been privy to more than the other. The truth was that Dad let out what he felt comfortable with, even to his two adoring sons. Such was the generation. We both knew that our grandmother, upon her youngest (of four) child's return from overseas, had tossed all his military clothing in the garbage. Dad salvaged his flight boots, canvas flight bag, and flight helmet and mask from his time with the RCAF. There were a few Halloweens when one of us rang neighbourhood doorbells dressed as airmen. Jim often wore the massive boots in winter and used the bag for schoolbooks. Dad once confided in me that for a number of years after moving to Toronto, he'd misled my mom who thought he'd gone out on daytime business appointments. In fact, he'd somehow connected with a few other RCAF veterans and met with them to chat. He gave my brother more exact details of his crash landing on an English beach that only he and two others survived. He spent months in hospital and years later, he explained his love for swimming as being the one sport he could do that didn't hurt his back. I hadn't known why. When my son went to Cologne, Germany, on a student exchange in grade 9, Dad spat out, "Cologne, eh? I bombed that city." He had an affinity for war movies and thought that the American film Memphis Belle (1990) was a fairly accurate depiction of the air war. Band of Brothers was similarly impactful even though it was about an American infantry unit. Over the years, the group he met with began to shrink as men died off. Shortly after he last met with some - I don't know how many - he asked me not to look up his war records while he was alive. He felt that this would somehow "jinx" the health of his sons, daughters- in-law, and future great grandkids. So I didn't - until three years ago. Emotionally invested and determined, I finally got hold of his wartime records as a wireless air gunner (WAG) who flew operational training unit (OTU) flights with the RCAF as well as a brief time with Ferry Command. I inherited from Dad a deep love of history, something shared with my first cousin, David. Our fathers were brothers. David is an eminent historian at the University of Calgary and author of numerous non-fiction works. He told me he was working on a history of the RCAF for its 100th anniversary this year. When I sent him my father's military records, he decided to dedicate the book to his Uncle Bernie and to a family cousin, also named Bernie (which is another story altogether), who was also in the RCAF and was killed on his fist mission. The book was published last month and David assures me a copy is coming my way. This November 11, I will again remember Dad, adding this time a thank you to the RCAF men and women who served and serve. Here is the dedication to Canada's Air Force: The Royal Canadian Air Force at 100 by David J. Bercuson: For Bernard David Bercuson of Montreal, Wireless Air Gunner in the RCAF, badly wounded in the United Kingdom while flying with No. 25 OTU, and Bernard Bercuson of Calgary, Wireless Air Gunner, killed in action, 17 August 1944, while flying with No. 433 Squadron. May their memory be a blessing. Less than half the picture: Honouring the RCAF By Richard Bercuson Community Care Durham (CCD) is looking for local leaders to join its Volunteer Board of Directors. CCD is a multi-service registered charitable organization, providing a broad range of community support services for adults and their caregivers who have needs related to aging, physical or mental health. Helen Brenner, President, CCD Board of Directors, expressed her appreciation for the Board's collective talent and accomplishments during her tenure. "I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done at Community Care Durham. Our team is full of exceptional individuals, and we've achieved significant milestones together. There's a real sense of momentum within the organization, and it's an exciting time to be part of something special," she said. CCD has an established board of talented directors who look forward to working with new colleagues. Board members serve terms of anywhere between two and four years. CCD is looking for directors who have backgrounds in: • Financial Management (Designation Preferred) • Legal Consultation • Specialty Skills/Knowledge CCD Board Directors are provided with ongoing education to advance their professional and governance skills, including membership in the Institute for Corporate Directors. Please forward resumes to: rkeys@ communitycaredurham. on.ca. Community Care Durham seeks new board members