National Post

The medal box mystery

His grandfathe­r always played down his wartime service, writes Erin O’toole. What he has discovered startled him

- Erin O’toole National Post Erin O’toole is leader of the Conservati­ve Party of Canada

SERVICE OF OUR CITIZENS WILL ONLY BE FORGOTTEN IF WE ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN. — ERIN O’TOOLE

Iwas sitting in my home office on Boxing Day trying to relax in the final days of a crazy year when my eyes caught a box on the shelf. It was an empty medal box that my parents had given me. They said it was from the war and belonged to my grandfathe­r, but they knew nothing about it. The old box was empty, but the shape of the insert and the three gold letters on the top told me it had once contained an Air Force Cross.

The Air Force Cross (AFC) is awarded for acts of “valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, but not while in active operations against the enemy.” I found it hard to believe that it belonged to my grandfathe­r because nobody had ever mentioned it to me, even during my time in the Air Force. He didn’t even mention the medal to me when I was asking him about his service when I was applying to attend military college. He always downplayed his service when we spoke. He became a pilot during the war, he told me, but he “only” served at home. He said he was very lucky to have the chance for a family and career after the war that many of his friends did not get. The mystery contained in this empty box led me on a Boxing Day quest to learn more about my grandfathe­r.

My grandfathe­r’s reluctance to talk about his service should come as no surprise. It is very “Canadian” for veterans to downplay their service. When I served as the minister of veterans affairs, I was inspired by the unassuming Canadian heroes I had the honour to meet. From World War II veterans in their nineties to Afghanista­n veterans in their 30s, they would often deflect attention away from their brave acts by claiming “I was just doing my duty.” Perhaps this is why my grandfathe­r never told me about his AFC because he saw it as simply doing his job. The duty I now owed to him was one of remembranc­e. I needed to ensure that our family learned more about his wartime service. If this was my grandfathe­r’s medal box, he would have done some exceptiona­l flying to receive this decoration. After several hours exploring online archives, his service record began to take shape.

George Woods got his wings as a pilot and was posted to 8 ( Bomber Reconnaiss­ance) Squadron flying the Bristol Bolingbrok­e out of Sydney, N. S. His war began with the Battle of the Atlantic defending Allied supply convoys from German U- boat attack, but the events of December 1941 would dramatical­ly change the war for George and his comrades. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong, where the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers fought against insurmount­able odds before surrenderi­ng on Christmas Day. These attacks brought the United States into the war and led Canada to bolster its defences on the Pacific coast. 8 Squadron was sent to British Columbia to fly out of a base that is now part of Vancouver Internatio­nal Airport. Months later, the Japanese invaded Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and with that move the threat of the war coming to our home shores became a reality. The newly minted Permanent Joint Board on Defence between Canada and the U. S. determined that some RCAF squadrons would help in the Aleutian Islands campaign and 8 Squadron was moved again. My grandfathe­r and other Canadians formed part of the historic X Wing operations flying out of remote parts of Alaska.

For a grandfathe­r who said he stayed “home” during the war, I learned that he would have been one of only a small number of aircrew to have flown operationa­l missions over our three oceans during the war. His time in Alaska also means he was part of the first Canadian military presence in the United States that led to the important NORAD defence alliance we rely on today. While he downplayed his wartime service as a pilot, I also learned that the operations out of Alaska were incredibly challengin­g. One military historian described the flying out of Alaska as some of the “harshest conditions ever experience­d by RCAF aircrews.” The 8 Squadron Diary also showed me that on New Year’s Day 1943, Pilot Officer George Woods was awarded the Air Force Cross at Kodiak Island station in Alaska for his role in these operations. He was the first officer from the squadron to be decorated during the war for his 62 missions flown far from home amid harsh conditions. I learned about these exploits almost 78 years to the day the AFC was awarded.

The Aleutian Islands campaign is often referred to as the “Forgotten Battle” even though it was the only one that took place in North America. The service of our citizens will only be forgotten if we allow that to happen. This Christmas I was able to fill in the family story behind an empty box and in the process deepen my love for the country and the citizens who serve it.

 ?? Veterans afai rs cana da/ Submitt ed ?? Clockwise from left, Pilot Officer George Woods, Erin O’toole’s grandfathe­r; the Bristol Bolingbrok­e maritime patrol aircraft, the type of plane Woods flew when he was first posted to Sydney, N. S. in the Second World War, and the Air Force Cross (AFC), first awarded for meritoriou­s service and establishe­d in 1918. Woods was awarded the AFC on New Year’s Day 1943 for his 62 missions flown in Alaska as part of
the 8 Squadron.
Veterans afai rs cana da/ Submitt ed Clockwise from left, Pilot Officer George Woods, Erin O’toole’s grandfathe­r; the Bristol Bolingbrok­e maritime patrol aircraft, the type of plane Woods flew when he was first posted to Sydney, N. S. in the Second World War, and the Air Force Cross (AFC), first awarded for meritoriou­s service and establishe­d in 1918. Woods was awarded the AFC on New Year’s Day 1943 for his 62 missions flown in Alaska as part of the 8 Squadron.
 ?? Library and Archives Cana da Photo, MIKAN No. 3602838 ??
Library and Archives Cana da Photo, MIKAN No. 3602838
 ?? Submitt ed ??
Submitt ed

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