I have never forgiven myself

Heroes Remember

I have never forgiven myself

Transcript

When I was going to school, over there in Mount Forest, oh I'd be eight or nine I guess. The whole gang of us, were out this here day and we were playing in the corn patch. We were playing hide and go seek or something. And my best friend, one of my best friends, he went, he went to the school the next morning, he told the school teacher that he caught me with a girl in the corn patch. So when I came in, into school in the morning, she said, "Donald," she never called me Taffy. "Donald, get out in the hall." She came out with a strap, give me one hell of a strap. I'd be nine or ten, ten then, and I joined the army at 17, went overseas, was over there four years and the first day I came back, oh my god I'm all dressed up in my outfit and I'm going to the school, never thinking. So I went to the kindergarten class first, then up to, went up to Vera's class and knocked at the door and this kid, kid came and I said, "I would like to speak to the school teacher." Well he said, "Come on in." Vera was up at her desk and as soon she saw me, she just dropped everything, came running over. She threw her arms around me and she was crying and she said, "Donald, I had never forgiven me." I said, "What for?" "Oh," she said, "You haven't..." and then it... "Oh yes, I have." She said, "Many's a night, I go to bed thinking about you fellas over there and what I did to you." I said, "Vera, forget about it." After all them years, she never forgot.

Description

Mr. Macdougall describes a touching reunion with a former school teacher.

Donald J. MacDougall

Mr. MacDougall was born near Harriston, Ontario, in 1923. He was eager to join the Armed Forces, but was turned down three times because of his age. Mr. MacDougall returned home to work in a dairy but was finally accepted into the army in 1941. Once overseas in England, he was trained as an anti-aircraft gunner. He landed in France one week after D-Day and attained the rank of Sergeant while on the battlefield. Mr. Macdougall served in several battles across Northern Europe. He was married in England, and returned home to Harriston after the war ended.

Meta Data