Physically Unfit to Work
Heroes Remember
Physically Unfit to Work
I became so debilitated that I couldn't work at all
but I had to go to work because of the military demands.
My boss in the shipyard gave me jobs that were out of sight -
menial little tasks that an eight year old child could perform.
I just wasn't physically fit, but he would always give me something
he knew I could do rather than have me turned over
as refusing to work or unable to work.
The conditions, you could only survive something like that
when you think that it's not going to be permanent.
When you believe in your cause, when you know
that this is an aberration, that this is not the way it's going to be.
You were fighting for something, you lost out in that battle,
you're going to have to put up with this situation
for as long as you can because at the end of the road,
we will win this war.
We will put an end to these conditions
and we will return to our families.
And with those beliefs it's quite possible to put up
for a long time with the physical difficulties.
If you believe in your cause and you believe that
this is not going to go on forever,
that it's a temporary phenomenon,
and that like on the battlefield you just have to survive it,
but you're never going to give up and never lie down and say,
“This isn't possible. I'd rather die.”
And then you had your comrades to talk to.
Now I always told my men,
“This is all temporary. We're going to be out of here by Christmas.”
You'd be surprised at what you can do
and what you would do given the circumstances.
Most Canadians would perform just as well.
Being in the Canadian Army of course was a great help.
The comradeship and the tradition that we felt
we had to uphold was very important.
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