Sid Proudly Displayed His Veteran’s Plates
I sadly removed the veterans plates from my Ford Escape last month when I renewed my insurance. Veteran’s widows are not allowed to keep them on the car. But I only had to turn in one of them, so I have the other as a souvenir of Sid’s three years in the Canadian army.
Signing Up; A Life-Changing Commitment
In the late ’60s Sid and his brother worked on their cousin’s ranch in the Chilcotin Valley, a vast scenic plain between mountains in mid BC. Taking a break to sit on the fence and chat, their cousin noticed and came over to scold them.
“What are you doing sitting on the fence when you should be working?” he said.
Without thinking, Sid responded, “I’ve decided to join the army.”
His brother went along with it. “Yeah, me too.”
They shoved their few clothes into bags and off they went, south to Vancouver, to enlist; a life-changing commitment made on the spur of the moment. At the enlistment office, next to a beautiful beach, they went in separately for their individual interviews.
The officer scanned Sid’s application. Noticing his unstable, rather wild history, he looked dubiously at Sid. “What makes you think you want to join the army?”
Again Sid surprised himself by replying, “Because I need to learn discipline.”
That was just the right answer, and the officer signed him up on the spot.
Discipline; Physical Training as a Gym Instructor
Sid told me lots of stories of his army days. I suppose he learned some discipline (haha), but some of it was learned in the detention centre. Yes, my Sidney was about as wild as the horses that roam the Chilcotin.
They discovered that he had an interest and aptitude for learning about the physical body, and started him on training in medicine. He enjoyed learning all about muscles and bones, but beyond that he lacked academic discipline to study books.
So they put him in the tank division. He had very good aim for firing tanks and enjoyed that until he got bored of it.
One day he complained a little to the right person, who told him they needed someone to be a gym instructor. This was perfect for Sid. He proudly trained soldiers who subsequently fought in Viet Nam. He thrived on it, and was respected and well liked.
Sid loved to demonstrate to me how he ordered those guys around in exercise routines. He definitely had a knack for it. “Don’t ask the dog if he wants to go out! Tell him. Out, Bear, you little maggot!” he said when I asked the dog, “Do you want to go outside, Bear?”
They offered Sid the opportunity to go to Cypress, but he liked being a gym instructor and he liked Canada, so he passed up on that adventure. Later a friend who went to Cypress told him how he got bored there and shot at sheep on a hillside for something to do.
It was a Significant Phase of Sid’s Life
Just as suddenly as he joined up, three years later Sid quit the army. There was no apparent reason other than that it was time to move on. He returned to his cousin’s ranch. His three years in the army was a significant phase of Sid’s life; an integral part of him. His brother stayed in the army and had a lifetime career in refrigeration, which served him well.
On a sad note, Agent Orange, a deadly chemical, was released at the army base in Ontario when they were there. Many soldiers contracted various types of cancers as a result, which showed up later in life. His brother has suffered several types of cancer, but has had them removed and still lives. Sid was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2019, and passed away from it July 28, 2020.
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