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25 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,N ovem ber 11,2021 insidehalton.com On November 11th, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you to the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. Lest We Forget Constituency Office: stephen.crawfordco@pc.ola.org (905) 827-5141 74 Rebecca St. Oakville www.stephencrawfordmpp.ca @SCrawfordforOakville @stcrawford2 @stephen_crawford_for_oakville Stephen Crawford MPP for Oakville 2021RemembranceDAYLEST WE FORGETRemembranceLEST WE FORGETRemembrance roles during this conflict. One unique example was being a "code talker." Men like Charles Checker Tompkins of Alberta translated sensi- tive radio messages into Cree so they could not be understood if they were intercepted by the enemy. Another Cree-speaking "code talker" would then translate the received messages back into English so they could be understood by the intended recipients. Indigenous service members would receive numerous decorations for bravery during the war. Willard Bolduc, an Ojibwa airman from Ontario, earned the distinguished Flying Cross for his brave actions as an air gunner during bombing raids over occupied Europe. Huron Brant, a Mohawk from Ontario, earned the Military Medal for his courage while fighting in Sicily. Indigenous people also contributed to the war effort on the home front. They donated large amounts of money, clothing and food to worthy causes and also granted the use of portions of their reserve lands to allow for the con- struction of new airports, rifle ranges and defence installations. The special efforts of First Nations communities in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia were also rec- ognized with the awarding of the British Empire Medal to acknowledge their great contribu- tions. The Korean War The Korean War erupted in the Far East in 1950 and several hundred Indigenous people would serve Canada in uniform during the conflict. Many of them had seen action in the Second World War which had only come to an end five years earlier. This return to service in Korea would see some of these brave indi- viduals expanding on their previous duties in new ways. Tommy Prince, an Ojibwa from Manitoba, served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Korea. He would draw upon his extensive infantry experience in the Second World War with missions like a "snatch patrol" raid. Prince was second-in-command of a rifle platoon and led a group of men into an enemy camp where they captured two machine guns. He also took part in the bitter Battle of Kapyong in April 1951 which saw his battalion subsequent- ly awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation for its distinguished service--a rare honour for a non-Ameri- can force. Post-War Years Indigenous men and women have continued to proudly serve in uniform in the post-war years, as well. Like so many of those who have pur- sued a life in the military, they have been deployed wherever they have been needed-- from NATO duties in Europe during the Cold War to service with United Nations and other multinational peace support operations in doz- ens of countries around the world. In more recent years, many Indigenous Canadian Armed Forces members saw hazardous duty in Afghanistan during our country's 2001-2014 military efforts in that war-torn land. Closer to home, Indigenous military per- sonnel have filled a wide variety of roles, includ- ing serving with the Canadian Rangers. This group of army reservists is active predominantly in the North, as well as on remote stretches of our east and west coasts. The Rangers use their intimate knowledge of the land there to help maintain a national military presence in these difficult-to-reach areas, monitoring the coast- lines and assisting in local rescue operations. Information and photos courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada www.veterans.gc.ca Tommy Prince during the Korean War. Mary Greyeyes of the Canadian Women's Army Corps during the Second World War.