A Coincidental Reunion

Heroes Remember

A Coincidental Reunion

Transcript

I was in Williams Lake visiting my son. There was a big, they were doing celebration. They were, a new church opening in there. And that, my son was, he's school teacher in there, but now he's a inspector of all school teachers in Alberta. So came up there to chat with my son and he said, “This is the pastor of this church,” and he seen I had the legion crest on so he said, “I belong to the legion too,” and he was limping. I said, “Why are you limping?” “Oh, it's a long story.” I said, “Well, say something, maybe I know something.” He was young in Africa, we're getting off the boat and he got shot in the leg by a sniper. And he said, “A young fellow here, he was a, had the first aid band on it, he went and pulled that bullet out of my leg. It was hit right to the bone. So he pulled the bullet out and patched it up and put me in red cross ambulance, on a helicopter, shipped me back to England.” And he said, “And I was telling people here in church you know, about this war and said I wish I could see that young fellow that saved my life and my leg.” I said, “You know pastor, you're talking to him.” If my son wouldn't have stand behind him, he would've fall right on his back. There was 400 people in the church, initiating the new church. Then he start telling that speech, you know. And he said, “The father of the young fellow saved my life in Africa, he's in church today.” And I was sitting way on back bench ready to crawl underneath. So I was there two weeks I spent only one night in my son's place. Every lunch, dinner, supper, they were taking me to different places. He says, “You saved our pastor, you got to save your life too.” Well, something nice to hear that, something like that, you know. And 400 people, I had to shake hands with everyone.

Description

Mr. Zayachkowski describes going to his son’s church and meeting the pastor, a soldier he’d saved during his wartime service in North Africa.

Michael Zayachkowski

Michael Zayachkowski was born in St. Julien, Saskatchewan on September 10, 1923. He was one of ten children. As a youth growing up in the Depression, Mr. Zayachkowski attended school, worked on the farm and helped in the woods. He enlisted in late 1941, and after a stint as a physical training instructor at Shilo, was deployed overseas. During his years abroad, Mr. Zayachkowski served in North Africa, Italy and D-Day through to Holland as a front line medical technician. Following the war, and after farming for a while, he joined the RCMP, where he served twenty-five years.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:15
Person Interviewed:: Michael Zayachkowski
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Royal Canadian Artillery
Rank:: Sergeant-Major

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A Coincidental Reunion

Heroes Remember