November 11, 2014 – My Journey of Remembrance
Today and every day I remember. I remember the sacrifices made by others so that I may have my freedom. I am especially thankful for my Pop – MWO Paul J. Gettas who would have been 93 today. He was an amazing man whom I admire more than he could have ever known. He was a career soldier, serving for more than 20 years. He served in WWII, Korea and several peace-keeping missions in Africa. I am also thankful for my cousin Lieutenant-Colonel Devin P. Conley who is currently serving our country and has been for the last 20 years. My great Poppa Frederick Martin also served in the army and was wounded at Passchendaele in WWI. I am eternally grateful for all the men and women who have served and currently serve in our armed forces.
I moved to Seattle two years ago and noticed that they didn’t celebrate Remembrance (Veterans) Day the same as we do in Canada. I missed the lack of poppies everywhere and wanted to do something to honour our heroes. This year my mom forwarded me a post on Facebook from Canadian Heroes as they were looking for anyone who had contacts in the Azores that could help place flags on the graves of Canadian Soldiers buried there. Since I work in the travel industry this was something easy I could help with. It got me to thinking if there were any Canadian soldiers buried in and around the Seattle area. I contacted CanadianHeroes.com and they sent me a list of five solders that were buried around Seattle.
In honour of our fallen soldiers and our current service men and women I decided that the least I could do was place Canadian flags on the graves of the soldiers here in Seattle. I took the day off work and started out on my journey right in my own backyard – Queen Anne. I headed to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery to visit the grave of Sgt. Pilot Wm J Rees Dikeman, RCAF. He died on February 4, 1942. I took a few moments and whispered ‘thank you’, touched the grave and knelt down and placed the flag in front.
I continued on my journey that would take me to Tacoma, WA about 55km south of Seattle. This stop was at the Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum to pay my respects to Pilot Officer Victor H. Inderbitzin, R.C.A.F who died on March 13, 1944 – he was just 26 years old. I arrived at the cemetery just before 11am. I brushed the leaves and grass from the grave and knelt down and placed the Canadian flag in the ground. I turned my phone on to the Vancouver Remembrance Day service so that I could hear The Last Post, Lament and observe my two minutes of silence in front of the grave of this brave soldier.
Hearing The Last Post always sends shivers up my spine and brings tears to my eyes. I remember.
I left Tacoma and headed back to West Seattle to the Forest Lawn Cemetery and Funeral Home. Here I would pay my respects to Sapper Clarence Hubbard, Canadian Engineers. He died on November 4, 1918. Thank you.
Stop four on my journey of Remembrance took me across Seattle to the U-District and another Calvary Cemetery. Thank you Sapper William J. Casey, Canadian Engineers who died on January 2, 1921 at the age of 34. May you rest in peace.
The final stop on my journey of Remembrance took me 45km North of Seattle to Everett and the Evergreen Funeral Home & Cemetery. I walked around for a long while before having to get help in locating the grave of Sapper Willam Deffries, Canadian Engineers. He died on the 16th of August 1919. It was getting really cold and the day was winding down. I was wondering if perhaps I wouldn’t find the grave. To myself I asked my Pop for help in finding the grave so that I could honour this brave soldier. I turned around and there it was. The strange thing was that the grave was facing the opposite direction to all the others. I knelt down, thanked him for sacrificing his life for my freedom and placed the Canadian flag in front of his grave.
I am and will always be proud to be Canadian and I am thankful for the opportunity to honour these soldiers. All soldiers should be remembered, today and every day.
Lest we forget.
