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That’s War

Heroes Remember

That’s War

Transcript
I was one of the lucky ones. Some are lucky, some are not. Oh yes, in front line troops that happens, someone is killed beside you, somebody is wounded here, machine gun bullet goes this way and you hear it go this way and then it goes this way and you say, "That stupid gunner if he'd only made it a little shorter he would have gone here," but no, he had to go too fast. So he got the guy beside you. Oh no, you quickly learn to live with that. That's war. Oh yes you, if somebody is wounded you can't stop to help them, you know there's a, you know the first aid people are behind and that you might give him a shot of morphine or something but you're fighting a battle and got to keep moving. So pat him on the shoulder and say, "I'll see you back there you lucky fella, your probably going to be in a hospital," and you know damn well he's gonna die. So you know, you got to jolly him up a bit and learn to live with it, as they say.
Description

Mr. Gilday talks about casualties in the field and how one handles it.

Tom Gilday

In Ottawa he ended up volunteering for parachuting and hazardous duties. He then was part of a group that became the first Special Force; half Canadian and half American. He was then appointed as Battalion Commander. His crew fought and took over many mountain ranges that the Germans were protecting. They attacked at night and painted their faces black, they were known to the Germans as the ‘Devil's Brigade'. After being on the line for eight months during the Italian Campaign it was decided he would run a Recruit Training School. He then opened and ran the first Canadian Army Leave Transit Camp in Oyster Work. The camp was later moved to a larger camp in Nijmegen. In 1945 Mr Gilday was appointed General Staff Officer and placed in charge of the city of Amsterdam. He stayed there for six months and then returned home.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
01:22
Person Interviewed:
Tom Gilday
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Battle/Campaign:
Italian
Branch:
Army
Occupation:
Battallion Commander

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