From Huts to Hotel

Heroes Remember

From Huts to Hotel

Transcript

In Rafa, you lived in, first of all we started off in tents and then old metal Quonset huts. Myself and my colleague, Gil, we were in movement control and at the end of our main building, there was the offices, warehouse and at the end was a small room; it would be about maybe 6 foot wide by about 12 foot long, room for two beds and two guys and we slept in that room. That was our quarters. The other guys were in Quonset huts which were hotter than hell because of the steel in the heat during the day, sand floors, which was the desert itself. You don't seen any grass. Any grass that's growing, it's grown for vegetation, to eat; they cultivate it that way, they grow it that way so they can have a salad and it's not bad. But living in Lebanon, it was completely different. I lived in the Omar Khayyam Hotel. I'd get out of bed in the morning, just leave it the way it was and the maid would come in and tidy everything up and they'd take my laundry out and do it for me without being asked. We'd go down to a beautiful restaurant in the hotel for our meals so living in Lebanon and living in Rafa were two different things.

Description

Mr. Floyd compares living conditions in Rafa to hotel life in Lebanon

Murray Floyd

Mr. Floyd was born January 10, 1931 in Toronto, Ontario. After receiving his education, Mr. Floyd became employed with a bus company. He later married and together he and his wife raised 4 daughters. Mainly for financial reasons, Mr. Floyd decided to join the military and enlisted in the Army. He took his basic training in Val Cartier and accepted his first posting to Vancouver with 11 Company having an occupation of Furniture & Effects Clerk. In 1964, Mr. Floyd traveled to Beirut, Egypt where he witnessed a great culture shock. His career would give him 2 tours to Egypt and later on in his career traveled to England to serve as clerk in logistic operations. At the time Mr. Floyd moved his family to England which proved to be a positive experience for all. Mr. Floyd retired from the military and resides in Toronto, Ontario.

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