I Tell Them the Horrors of War.

Heroes Remember

I Tell Them the Horrors of War.

Transcript

A teacher friend of mine asked me if I would come to the school and give a little lecture about Second World War. When I went the response I got from the children, the letters I received from them, some written in crayon; it impressed me so much I said well this is the thing I'm going to do. So for the next three years I did it by myself but last year I decided to form a committee and I had five people last November and we covered 12 schools where I used to only cover one. Speaking to the students at the school in the individual class that is, I tell them the horrors of war. I explain to them what a combat soldier goes through. I don't polish it up and make it something, oh that you would love to do. I tell them how rotten it is and how stinking rotten it is when you have to go to the toilet in the place that you're living in and so forth. You can't run down to McDonald's and get a hamburger, go up to the corner and get a bottle of coke and a cigar or a chocolate bar and they seem to realize this then. When they see a soldier in a uniform they don't realize what he's going through. This is what I tell them anyway, I don't know. I tell them the horrors of war and I hope to hell it doesn't happen to them, that's about it.

Description

Mr. Buote discusses how a chance school visitation and the ensuing letters from those children inspired him to continue taking his message to Moncton schools.

Peter Buote

Peter Buote was born in Rustico, Prince Edward Island in 1924, the youngest of 7 children. His early years were spent in an orphanage. After moving to Moncton, New Brunswick he left school at age 14 and went to work in the Minto coal mines. At 16, he went to work at a dry-cleaners. Despite being of age, Mr. Buote was turned down for Naval service because he looked too young. He later joined the Regina Rifles and was involved in the D-Day landing. He served as a sniper in Europe. Mr. Buote also served in Korea, and after returning to Canada, operated a dry-cleaning business.

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