Enlisted in 1942

Heroes Remember

Enlisted in 1942

I didn't have, bother with enlisting until 1942. So I went down to enlist and I wanted to join the Air Force. My brother had joined the the tank corps and was in Ontario when they called for Special Forces and he became a paratrooper. And he came home I came home one weekend to see Mother and Dad, and here's my brother standing there with all his regalia on, an American parachute, parachutist, and he was a Sergeant and I was green all over, you know, I thought boy that's really something. And I thought well if he can do it, I can do it. So before I left town I went, and I, went to the Air Force and I enlisted, I, they, they took me too. There were two of us. Well right off, right away they took the other fella who I thought would be the last guy I would have taken for the services, but they took him and he was gone. I never saw him again. But they put me on a waiting list, and I waited and I waited. Then I'd go home and Dad would look at me, "You still in civies?", I said, "I can't help it, I'm waiting". He said "waiting for what", I said "I'm waiting for my call", he said "What call?", "the Air Force". Oh boy, my dad being an Infantryman, an original Patricia, oh we we didn't get along too well after that, I was a fly boy. Oh I went back to the woods and finally I got, I thought well I mean after seeing my brother, I thought, well I better, I'll go. I think I'll join the Army, join the Forces, join the regiment my dad was in, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Mr. Parker talks about joining his father's old regiment, the PPCLI instead of the Air Force (his first choice), and why he joined when he did.

Richard Allen Parker

Richard Allen Parker was born in Vernon, BC on May 27, 1917 to a First Nations family. He talks about his early years, the prejudice that he faced, and the meaning of being First Nations. He left home at an early age to work in the mines. He talks about joining the PPCLI in 1942, fighting the SS and Hitler Youth and his time in Algiers and Italy.