Veteran seeks respect

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The dedication of William Erasmus, 73, is one of the reasons Canadians live in freedom. Erasmus has served in two military conflicts as a representative of his homeland.

"What I believe in, I will fight for," said Erasmus.

The veteran was the driving force behind the Kikino Metis Settlement's two new monuments to celebrate the Kikino members who fought for their country and the settlement members who have passed away.

The two monuments were unveiled on Nov. 11 at Kikino.

"It's time that we gave them the recognition," he said.

Erasmus said each year the world takes time to remember the people who gave their lives for their country, but in reality, they should be remembered every day. The monuments will help to keep those memories alive.

Erasmus's own memories of his times in battle are mixed.

One of his memories is of the food dished out during the Second World War to the troops.

"We were given one can of corned beef and hard biscuits for three men for three days," he said.

The lack of nourishment one afternoon led the men in Erasmus's group to take over an evacuated farm house in a small Italian village. Erasmus was part of the front line attack to push the Germans out of Italy. The fighting was fierce in the small village, but the allies managed to push the Germans back. Erasmus and his crew used the farm house as a stronghold. When the fighting stopped, they discovered the farm had chickens and a number of other animals, so they prepared for a feast. After dining well, he said the guys fell asleep.

"The funny thing was that the Germans were only 25 to 30 yards away from us. So there we were, everybody was lying down and sleeping and the Germans could easily have come by and captured every one of us," he said.

Fortunately, one of the men awoke, realized the situation and got everyone out of the building.

That is one of the stories Erasmus tells when he visits schools, relaying his war stories.

He said he tells the kids about the tremendous human toll of war.

"When we were there on the front line and they tell us to go over, I saw guys crying. They just couldn't go. They sat down and cried," he said. "People can only take so much."

He said war and conflict makes a person lose his identity.

That is why Erasmus thinks veterans deserve more. Even if they came back from conflict in one piece physically, many were mentally and emotionally scarred. Those scars don't heal quickly. A little more respect could help to lessen the scars, he said.

"The respect I want for all veterans is all about walking down the street and having people saying, 'Thanks for going to fight for us.' It's that respect that we need," he said.