Singer-songwriter salutes lost Canadian soldiers

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Don Gladue's new CD entitled Spirit of the Wind will be in stores by the end of the new year, but one of the tracks on it is particularly important as we commemorate the Sept, 11, 2001 attack on the United States and the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

It is simply called Private Richard Greene, and it was written by Gladue as a tribute to one of the Canadian soldiers killed in the friendly fire incident while on a military exercise in Kandahar.

"I was really impressed with the military encounter in Afghanistan in which our own Canadian soldiers participated," said Gladue. "And then when the so-called friendly fire killed four of them and injured several others, I felt that I had to speak out in song."

Private Greene was only 21, and his story touched Gladue on many levels.

"He had his whole life before him and he was struck down before he had a chance to live it," Gladue said. The fact that he and his fellow soldiers died in an horrific accidental bombing made it all the more tragic.

"A young life snuffed out in error, and in service to his country, it really touched my heart," he said.

The closeness that Private Greene shared with his grandmother, Joyce Cluny, also resonated with Gladue, as he was especially fond of his own grandmother growing up in northern Alberta.

Cluny, who lives in Bridgewater, N.S., and Gladue speak on the phone often.

"She said her grandson had joined the military for the adventure of a career that included peacekeeping missions in locations around the world. Little did he know he would lose his life," said Gladue.

Gladue played Cluny the tribute to her grandson to ensure the content met with the elderly lady's approval before he laid down the track and distributed it.

"She was touched and immediately shared it with everybody and anybody."

The story caught the public's attention and Cluny was interviewed in local newspapers, and clips were played on CBC and Global Television," Gladue said.

Copies of the song were also appreciated at the military base in Edmonton where the soldiers were based. Gladue's song ensured that all the soldiers and their contributions in this time of war were recognized with the inclusion of lines such as "remember the proud young soldiers" and "raise the flag in glory."

Don Gladue is not new to the music-making business.

As a very small child, he told the world that he wanted to be a singer and he has never strayed from that ambition since.

"I have come up through the ranks, competing and winning in talent shows as a youngster and later singing in lounges and night clubs all over the province with my band Silver Wing," he said. "At times it felt like I was swimming against the tide, but I have never wanted to do anything else so I just kept pushing on."

His agent has been helpful in finding bookings in a variety of locations and Gladue said his name is getting well known among country music fans.

His first album entitled Make Me a Dream has been well received as his outgoing, friendly, caring personality comes across in his music.

Gladue began to write songs when he was very young, inspired by the music he heard as he and his family huddled around a battery-operated radio in their small cabin on the trapline far from their Fort Chipewyan home. By 1985, Gladue was writing most of his own material.

"I grew up listening to CFCW and have always loved the down-to-earth stories that country music tells," he said.

Gladue feels enriched by the experience of being in the entertainment business.

"I've gained a huge network of friends and I've seen this province from one end to the other," he said. "I'm a people person and I love being involved in making music for audiences."

Sister Yvonne Irene Gladue said her brother was, and continues to be, a source of inspiration for her and others.

"He has so much determination. He never stops working toward his goals. I saw how he struggled through the years to be recognized as a singer. I often hought he'd quit and find an easier way to make a living," she said.

But not Don Gladue.

He never showed signs of becoming side-tracked and kept pushing relentlessly on. The singer-songwriter recognized early that a clean and healthy lifestyle would be a key factor in his success, so he quit the use alcohol and avoided any use of drugs.

"After watching Don, I can only say to anyone with a dream that it can be realized if you try hard enough," said Yvonne. "Don is proof of that."