At the store which I work the Poppy box was put out early last week. I bought my poppy right away. I am the only one on staff wearing one!

We sold out as of yesterday...hopefully we will get more soon, but of course it all depends when the guys can get to us. It's all volunteer, I believe, so I totally understand delays and such.

What really picks my...well....are the low-lifes who swipe the Poppy Boxes!!

Like most retail outlets, we had ours right on the front counter, right next to the registers and even at that, at least last year, we had them swiped. Absolutely infuriates me!!

Of course staff aren't constantly behind the tills as there is lots to be done out on the floor (changing out coffee, re-stocking, cleaning, etc etc) and so, unfortunately, the boxes are sometimes unattended and these scum take advantage of that and...poof!...out the door they go with it and nobody realizes it until well after the fact.

I had better never catch someone in the act, I can tell ya....I'd be sore-pressed not to bitchslap them all the way across the parking lot and back and then some!

Hi Stephen, sad thing is that that these cretins will sell the poppies and drug up or booze up the money which is for the RBL to help our troops. I guess we should feel sorry for them, because they are probably scamming the system already by claiming for all sorts, and guess what these people are experts at taking the money from others. I say bring back conscript and send them to Afghanistan, get a taste of their own medicine.

Not so much selling the poppies -- people would be highly suspicious of some clearly non-veteran type selling them on a street corner, plus one wouldn't get much for them anyway. But, certainly swiping the donation tub, especially if they hit 2 or 3 or more stores, could prove to be reasonably lucrative, I suppose.

Absolutely the money would be used for drugs or booze...no doubt there!

Part of me does feel sorry for them but part of me absolutely sure as hell doesn't! These are hard times for us all and some of us keep plodding along trying to make the best of it and others choose --choose -- to rip the system off. It's like they have some sort of weird sense of entitlement.

As for bringing back conscription....again, I remember a conversation I had with my Dad about this and in that conversation my Dad, who was a dedicated career soldier and LOVED the Army, outright rejected the idea. Not conscription per se, but getting these losers into the army as some sort of way of smartening them up. As I recall, he said something along the lines of "We don't want them! They're f**k-ups, why would we want to waste time, energy and resources on them?"

As for sending these sorts of petty criminals, who (let's just say for the sake of argument) are now in the army and somehow managed to make it through basic training, to Afghanistan...yikes!!!

Would you want to have some jerkhead like that in your unit? Depending on him to watch your back in a firefight or, for that matter, depending on him to hold up his end in such a fight? I sure as hell wouldn't!!

I went to my local legion last night to try and obtain a few of the metal badges. No they didn't have any on open sale. Barman asked the committee who were meeting at the time and was informed that they were locked away. Said I would come back today.

Went today and they were still locked away and the guy responsible is a "law unto himself and appears when he wants" I was told.

It is no good moaning about people not buying poppies etc if certain people act in this way. I wonder if the person in question ever actually served in the forces?

While I was there, I decided that I would rejoin the RBL having let my old membership lapse when I moved house. It was a bit of a shock to get the application form and not have to give my service details as I did the first time. I know some legions are struggling and take virtually anyone these days but all they had on the form were several tick boxes asking if you served and which branch of the service. This is rather strange in my humble. No service numbers or units were asked for and for some reason I found that a little bit off putting. It was as though "our club" is no longer special to "us" and they are just interested in the money and not if you were in the forces at all!

Perhaps I am just being sensitive and it didn't help that those who did serve were expected to pay the same membership fees as those who would never dream of doing so. Viva cheap ale!

Any thoughts or am I just over reacting?

teabag,felt the same way myself about joining the legion.most members are not ex service and found the commitee to be very clicky..graham.

As Legions face a 'dying off' of members it does appear they are more than willing, as a means of survival, to admit just about anyone as a member...and it does appear, to sound a bit cynical for a moment, to be about the money. Of course it is....

So many of the Old Boys (and Girls) have died off and even those who are still kicking around from Korean War or even Vietnam are getting a bit long in the tooth.

Of course, many of the "Younger vets" are part of the Boomer demographic and, typically, are involved in other enterprises, unlike those who made up the membership of Legions in the generation before theirs/ours.

I know the Legions here in Canada have opened their doors to one and all, pretty much, and I was quite surprised not that many years ago (two or three) when attending a Legion (a woman I was buddies with worked there) to discover the table of regulars while Legion regulars, certainly, only had one ex-military member and she was reserve!

Does this possibly ring any bells in the way all of the Services are treated in times of peace?? by a lot of people, especially where events do not directly affect them?



Paul. (With the greatest respect to the author, and apologies for any infringement of rights)

Just about sums it up Paul

Lets Lift One for Old Friends ..

Len (Ciphers)

Already have Len.

For those, past and present, who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM, NOT JUST TODAY BUT ALWAYS.

Paul.

We'll be having our Nov 11 this Wed. They still have it on the day over here.

Here in Calgary we have, once again, lost one of our own...a young Sapper. And, once again, our esteemed city council messed up.

Last year there was a huge controversy erupted over whether the flags in front of City Hall should be at half-mast following the death of a Calgary-based/raised soldier and when. Apparently, there was no policy in place and the flags stayed at full-mast.

Then the mayor came out with some comment about oh well, we don't lower the flags until the casket is back on Canadian soil, yet in at least one instance the flags went to half-mast while the soldier's remains was still being held overseas (in Kandahar or where ever...). It really seemed to be arbitrary.

Following the death of Sapper Marshall in AF the flags remained at full-mast for a full 3 days! The excuse this time was oh, well, he was based out of Edmonton and we were waiting for confirmation he was, in fact, a Calgarian. Meanwhile, both our daily papers were full of reports about his death and that he was born and raised in Calgary although, yes, the PPCLI are now based in Edmonton (were based for years in Currie Barracks here in Calgary until about 7 years ago)....after that story hit the papers and various columnists expressed outrage the flags were still not being brought to half-mast, presto! -- the flags were lowered....hmmmmm.

On the up side, however, is we have a major east-west artery here along the river called Memorial Drive. Originally, it was planted with elms and other large deciduous trees to memorialize those lost in WWI back in the day.

Elms are not native to this prairie region and many of the trees were now dying off and over the years many were cut down as they had become dangerous. Nobody thought to replace them as each one was cut down, of course...that's a tad too obvious a solution.

Anyway, some one -- a private individual -- took it upon himself to approach various community orgs and businesses and such and erect white wooden crosses along the pathway system bordering the river with the names and life-dates of those lost in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam (not sure about that one as, although many Canadians did sign up to go over there, it was not "officially" a Canadian war), Afghanistan etc. There are also a couple of stone memorials being erected at key points along the route, which is good.

The downside, however, is it all really does smack of political opportunism and as a way of deflecting a variety of controversies this council has found itself embroiled in....but then as I age I become more and more of a cynic....going to end up one Grouchy Old Man, I just know it! LOL Hell, it can be argued I'm already there, and I'm not that old!

I am a member of Matsqui Unit 315 of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada ... was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion since 1966 until last year. Like the rest of Canada we observe the 11 Nov as the Day of Remembrance, in most Provinces it is a statutory holiday.
On Tuesday we have been invited to visit a local High School in our best bib and tucker for their School observance, and on Wednesday we parade at our own Unit for the official ceremonies marking the day. Our unit is only 85 members strong, but on the 11 we expect to host close to 400 members and guests ..

Len (Ciphers)

Stephen,

You are a cynic!!! I have been there for years.

I never served in a major conflict but respect those who have, and still do, no matter where they come from. A lot of us, we have our own ways of remembering.

Those on your side of the water - they are Canadian!! So why the silly politics in that "they were not from here"

I really must stop getting on this horse - it throws me every time!!

Paul.