Veteran Stories

police officers feel:

I didn’t enjoy writing tickets – But you didn’t know

I cried when I found your daughter lying in a ditch, high on meth – But you didn’t know

I was devastated when I found the 32-year-old veteran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound – But you didn’t know

I missed my kids birthdays, school plays and family trips because I had to work – But you didn’t know

I had nightmares about the 2-year old I found crushed under a truck tire while mom was inside buying dope – But you didn’t know

I really struggled with EVERY death notification I made to a family about their loved one – But you didn’t know

I was never comfortable at social gatherings because with the things I’ve seen, I can’t trust anyone – But you didn’t know

I’ve seen things you could never even imagine – But you didn’t know

I really didn’t like putting people in jail – But you didn’t know

My job was hard on my family – But you didn’t know

I had problems, just like everyone else – But you didn’t know

The next time you see an officer or any first responder, remember that they are people first and there is no training in the world that prepares them for the things they see and do on a daily basis.

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I read this article on LinkedIn and decided to share it with my veteran friends.

Published with the permission of

Buck Rogers IPC LL.D D.Crim
Lt General at International Police Commission European Command Headquarters.

Click to read more police officers feel news.

In March 1944, one of the most audacious projects carried out during WW2 occurred. It was the mass escape of Allied soldiers from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III, the story of which was forever immortalised in the 1963 film The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen.

On March 25, 1944, a German soldier patrolling around the camp noticed slushy tracks in the snow outside the camp.

As he got closer, he noticed a prisoner crawling through the snow. Realizing an escape was underway, the soldier fired his weapon in the air and called for help. Alarms went off all around the camp. The floodlights were turned on, and four prisoners were captured at the mouth of a tunnel.

Tragic End

In the hours that followed, the Germans realized the full extent of the escape: 76 men had made it out in the largest escape attempt of the war. Almost all of them, however, wouldn’t make it to freedom.

The German military followed a practice whereby each branch of the military was responsible for the POWs of equivalent branches. Hence the Luftwaffe was normally responsible for any Allied airmen taken prisoner. Stalag Luft III was a German POW camp situated deep within Nazi-occupied Poland, some 100 miles southeast of Berlin. The camp held thousands of captured Allied airmen during WW2 and was considered one of the hardest to escape from. Three design features made tunnelling almost impossible. Firstly, the loose collapsible sandy soil upon which the camp was built. Next, elevated prisoner housing to expose tunnels. Lastly the placement of seismograph microphones around the perimeter of the camp. All of these attempts had not stop allied POW of making escape plans. And Canadian vet Albert Wallace was no exception. (read the story)

Chinese veteran Wang Qi stayed in India after accidentally crossing into Indian territory in 1963.

The resentment of not being able to see his mother one last time has stayed with Wang Qi, 81, a Chinese soldier during the 1962 war with India. He says he accidentally crossed into the Indian territory, and has remained here since.

“I fought for my mother, whom I could not see after the war ended,” Mr. Wang said in broken Hindi. “People on both sides will have no benefit from fighting. Yeh acha baat nahi hai. Samjhauta karo! [This is not a good thing. Come to an agreement]. Why let people die over a piece of land?”

A surveyor in the People’s Liberation Army, Mr. Wang strayed into Arunachal Pradesh while on a stroll from his camp in January 1963. Tired and hungry, he hailed a Red Cross vehicle, only to be blindfolded and handed over to the Indian Army. The next seven years he was jailed in Ajmer, Delhi, Bhopal, Jabalpur and finally in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh before being freed.

On the ongoing border conflict, Mr. Wang, who joined the Army at 21, said: “I am just a former soldier…I have been away from my homeland. This is what conflict brings. People only lose. If border tension escalates, I will never be able go back to China.”

Upon his release, Mr. Wang began working at a flour mill in Tirodi village. “They even named him Bahadur,” recalled his son Vishnu Wang. Soon, he won over the trust of his employer, who arranged his marriage to a local woman in 1975. “Every night, I cried remembering my mother. The war split us forever,” said Mr. Wang.

Finally At Home

However, his heart pined for his homeland. “I told the Indian government that they could keep me here, but at least allow me to visit my home once,” he said, recalling the requests he had made over years. When Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, Mr. Wang sent an air letter to his family members in Shaanxi province, who were relieved to know he was alive. Only in 2017 could he visit them for three months along with Mr. Vishnu, his wife and daughter, on a trip sponsored by the Indian government. At his hometown Xianyang, crowds cheered for the Chinese veteran holding banners that read: “Welcome home soldier, it has been a rough journey”. It was too late by then; his mother died in 2006. (continue reading)

As June 2020 marked the 70^th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, the Love We Share Foundation had plans to remember Korean war veterans across Canada through music with support from the Commemorative Partnership Program for all Canadian veterans. Small concerts were planned from Vancouver to Halifax, and various map dots in-between. COVID-19 put a damper on these plans – but that didn’t stop them from continuing to recognize the service and sacrifice of those who served during the Korean War.

The Love We Share Foundation, based in Edmonton, was founded in April 2014 with the goal of supporting local community needs through music. Sam Seo, the Producer and Artistic Director of the Foundation, wanted to create a project to recognize the Canadian veterans who served during the Korean War. “Remembering those Canadians who participated in the Korean War is very important for Korean-Canadian citizens,” he says.

A Dedicated Project

The original project was set to hit the road in June 2020. The project contains several events, initiatives and concerts scheduled across Canada. When the COVID-19 pandemic restricted public gatherings, Seo had to pivot and re-think his original plan.

The Love We Share Foundation was still determined to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Korean War. “We still wanted to highlight the talent of our musicians. And of course, commemorate the sacrifices of those who served during the Korean War,” says Seo.

Seo decided to create a virtual concert. Recordings were done with various musicians in South Korea, Edmonton, and Ottawa. He was able to secure an introductory greeting from the South Korean Ambassador to Canada, Chang Keung-Ryong. “We all know that music has healing power… and music can help us get through these difficult times,” Ambassador Keung-Ryong states at the beginning of the video message.

(continue reading)