The Cambodian People

Heroes Remember

The Cambodian People

Transcript

Interviewer: So tell us about the Cambodian people. Very industrious, that's the best way I could sum it up. Even when they had dirt floors they would always be sweeping them out to make sure the place was kept neat and tidy. So it wasn't that they wanted to live in squalor, it's just that that was what they were stuck with. Anything they could do to better themselves they were trying to do it. The big problem though is that there was a lot of the extended family things that you could learn from your parents and grandparents, that kind of support wasn't in their families anymore because a lot of them had been killed. The country had eight million before the Vietnam War broke out and they were down to about 6 million by the time the UN came in so that's a pretty big loss especially most of your elder people. Anybody that had glasses, anybody that could speak a foreign language was all wiped out.

Description

Mr. Beresford describes the way of life of the locals.

Tony Beresford

Mr. Tony Beresford was born in Windsor, Ontario June 11, 1961. He grew up in a military family where his father served in the Navy and his mother in the Air Force. Military life was a very positive decision for Mr. Beresford who first joined the Navy reserves in Windsor and after serving there for three years, joined the regular force. Mr. Beresford later joined the Canadian Forces where he decided to obtain a trade in electronics technician and ended up advancing as a fire controls technician, a very unique trade to the military. In 1992 Mr. Beresford went overseas on his first tour to Cambodia as part of 92 Transport Company. In addition to in-Canada service, Mr. Beresford was sent on tour to Bosnia in 1999. Military being a big part of his life, Mr. Beresford met and married his wife who also served with the Canadian Forces. After 30 years service, Mr. Beresford retired and resides in Ontario with his family.

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