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Description
Mr. Thorsen reflects on his arrival home and the effect the war has had on his life.
Transcription
They had the band there to greet us and they had quite a few speeches and stuff. And then they took us to the armouries and we each had a free beer and the whole bit. And then they had to rush us to the railway station to catch the train for Calgary, ‘cause it was due to leave right away. Then we‘d go back to Calgary six o’clock at night, nobody there at all. We marched to the armouries. There was a beer there available. You could buy a bottle if you wanted. Our parents were there to meet us, but nobody else. When I first got home, I had an awful time. I couldn’t stay in one place. My folks had moved to their retirement home in town at the time. I was there for a day or so, and then my brother was on the farm. He had me out there for a year or so. I had another brother in Calgary, go down there. One of the young guys from Korea got wounded, had to go to his place. I had a rough time. It’s something that stays with you. I got disability pension for post-traumatic stress, but it doesn’t leave you completely. Some of them had it so bad, they couldn’t take it. They’d take their own lives. It would drive you crazy if you dwelled on it. You just ignore it, think about something else.