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WWII - Please meet Parkie, the young kid who made a man out of himself

Hope Jack feels better soon.

Regards   

 
Jack here.thanks all for your support of me.I had some trying times of recent.We will write again.I have spent a few days writing a entry for parkie,this being an important day in his life,

Trial by Fire.

For parkie
May 23 1944
  Having successfully broken the Gustav line. Allied troops now  must breach the Hitler line, The final obstacle lying between the Allies and the Rome.May 23 1944 is the day it will be assaulted. Canadian troops have been given the toughest part to crack; a barricade of steel, concrete and barbed wire 20 feet thick. The roar of 800 Allied guns lasted more than an hour. The Adolf Hitler line was a German fallback position a few kilometres north of the Gustav line. Its strong points were at Aquino and Piedimonte. If attackers got through the minefields and barbed wire, they faced fortified pillbox machine gun emplacements and crossfire from tanks, artillery and mortars. Soldiers from the Canadian First Infantry Division successfully attacked the line on this date, supported by a tremendous artillery barrage. Tanks from the Canadian Fifth Armoured Division then poured through to attack the waiting German Panther tanks.At a cost of 879 casualties.The line fell.
God bless you old man ,you’ve always been there for us.
        Your brothers in arms and in life
                        Jack and Buster

 
Hey

that story sounds familar ...well names I mean
I am going to see if my grandmother knows anything
and i have the proof for my grandfathers file so
I will mail it soon as I can.

Nadine
 
parkie here.
God!
The fight of my life.
I thank you for remembering Jack and buster.
To all the souls left there,who didn't come home,
I salute you my friends.
  A.C.(parkie)
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
1st Canadian Infantry Division
2nd Infantry Brigade
 
Parkie and Company,
I just wanted to let you know how I enjoyed your stories. The things you men have gone through and braved through are astonishing. I would just like to say thanks for fighting for our freedom, I hope to get  chance to fight for it aswell, as I have enlisted, and stories like these are great inspiration. (wish I could say more but I'm at work ;)

Your heros to us all! :salute:

Jamie
 
Hello all.
I just wanted to pass a note along that we haven’t left you.we are just going through a bit of a rough spell,We tried to get a start with telling a bit about what Jack went through in the fields at Normandy,But,it’s been hard for him.Don’t worry though we’ll tell you some more of our stories,we’re just having a bit of a rough spell,we’ll be back
                                                                Parkie,Buster and Jack
 
Take your time gents....we'll still be here waiting    ;)

Regards
 
hello everyone,This is Jack,  I know parkie has been letting on that there is nothing wrong,But.
We have just got back from the hospital ,And we wanted to be sure before we said anything,but,parkie had a stroke,a small one,His thinking is fairly clear and he can talk but he is a bit confused,He is doing really well,but he will be in for awhile so they can keep an eye on him,I know you will all be thinking of him,And he asked me to pass this on to all of you this afternoon.
                                                                                                                                            Jack               
                                     
 
Tell him to get well soon and not to worry. Hell, I'm confused most of the time and I don't even have an excuse. You guys just do what you have to do and don't worry about us. We'll still be here when you get back.
 
Hi everyone
An update for all of you,parkie is doing great.he has the use of his hands back,he can stand ,but he can’t walk yet,His son bought him a brand new motorized scooter,so he’s all over the hospital grounds,(until they locked it up till he goes home).
Late Friday night they brought in a fellow and put him in the bed next to parkie,And would you believe it,the two of them served in Italy together and never knew each other until Friday.The staff had to move them to a section of the hospital where they are away from everybody else,because the war stories were getting to loud and they won’t go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.I have never seen him this happy in years,he has found somebody that was everywhere he was, just a couple of days behind.All for now
                                                                Jack
 
Parkie,

Thank you for " your letters home" - a historical perspective.  I was enrolled 01 June as a padre and your words about mastering fear hit home.  I am sure over the next 6 years I will have opportunity to reflect on their meaning. 

As a minister I am always looking for life stories that I can use for sermons, etc.  &  I would like to ask your permission to use some of your letters.  Get well soon.

The Rev  :salute:
 
cuts said:
parkie is doing great.he has the use of his hands back,he can stand ,but he can’t walk yet,His son bought him a brand new motorized scooter,so he’s all over the hospital grounds,(until they locked it up till he goes home).

Glad to hear it, and nice to hear he has found an old comrade.  :cdn:
 
Hello Everyone
my name is nick.parkie is my father.This is one of the hardest letters I have ever had to write.I am the Author of this story of my father.I have tried to relate to you the story,has it came from the mouth of the man,And I tried to relate to you his anguish and pain,The same pain felt by many during this war,When he started this story,he did it, so that some may be able to find what it was that this country lost.That it could defeat it's enemies of the past. and yet become so divided when we are needed again to help our fellow man.Being A soldier was first and foremost his whole life, he once told me that it's a sad thing that everything good that comes into your life is overshadowed by the memories of this dam war and that nothing in life could ever compare to what they did has young men.
Parkie has had a number of strokes starting yesterday morning. And there is nothing there to remind me of who he was.I have tried to hold this small group of old friends together,but it was too much for Buster,he couldn't take it and had to leave to live with his family.Jack is trying to hold it together,God bless him! But I can imagine it's killing him,watching parkie disappear before his very eyes.
I managed to get a few words out of him on Monday night,i asked him what he wanted me to do about his story.
he told me'Tell them to carry on''
                                          For-A.C.(parkie)
                          Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
                                1st Canadian Infantry division
                                      2ND Infantry Brigade
 
I have no words, this saddens me deeply.  Small comfort, I know, but I too know what it's like to watch someone deteriorate rapidly, in front of your eyes.  Be well, best to Parkie.... :salute:
 
Nick to you and your family and your Dads small band of brothers, my thoughts and prayers. To your Dad, Parkie, Sir I  :salute: you.
 
His posts have been a true gem here. Please keep us up to date with his condition, and our thoughts are with him.
 
Nick, you and your family should take whatever small comfort you can in knowing that your father is a great man.  His tales have served his country at least as well as did his years in uniform and his wounds.

God keep him, you and his friends.

Chris.
 
Hello Everyone
I thank you for your thoughts of parkie(dad), I have A few pages that we were working on when this happened,I will try and make some order out of them and in the days to come I will post them.Some from Jack and some from Parkie.
Jack left also,before I could finish some of his story. I don't blame him.The three of them spent most of their life together.
Within the next day or two,I will get a photo of parkie and some others,that will put faces to the people in the story.
      I thank you all for giving them a home, I can only say,that for myself,to be able to sit in the company of a group such has this It,is something few have the privilege of being able to do.I wish more did.
                                                      For Parkie Jack and Buster
                                                              - Nick
 
                                                      A.C.(parkie)
                                                          1940
 
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