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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 9, 2015 | 4 Veteran returns to Italy 70 years after Italian Campaign by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff Edward Stafford had told his family stories about the Second World War. One of his favourites was about how he and three fellow soldiers were taken in by an Italian family for a Christmas dinner, providing an alltoo-brief respite from the war. The family that had very little, served them pasta and then offered up seconds. The grateful soldiers accepted and when they were finished, out came dishes of meat. "They somehow came up with all this fabulous food," Stafford said. The family's kindness was never forgotten. Likewise, as Stafford recently discovered, the people of Italy still remember what he and other Canadian soldiers did for the country during a trip arranged by Veterans Affairs Canada. Stafford and 27 other Canadian veterans returned to Italy at the end of November 2014 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Italian Campaign. Through the campaign, Italy, which was aligned with Germany, was used as a platform for the Allies to attack enemy territory in Europe and help divert German resources from the Eastern Front. For the 93-year Oakville resident and many of his fellow veterans, it marked their first return to Italy since the war. Visiting the towns and cities where many Oakville's Edward Stafford, right, a Canadian Veteran of the Italian Campaign, and Julian Fantino, former Veterans Affairs minister, during a day of commemorative events in Ortona, Italy. | photo courtesy Veterans Affairs Canada of their battles were waged, the veterans were honoured at ceremonies. In Ortona, on the west coast of Italy, the veterans marched up the street the Canadians took during a week-long battle in 1943. Services were also held at the cemeteries where Canadian soldiers were buried. For Stafford's daughter Jackie, who made the trip with him, it gave her a window into what the war was like for her father. "All of us, the kids, grandkids and caregivers (who accompanied the veterans), spent a lot of time listening," she said. "My dad would talk to (other veterans) in a way they wouldn't talk to us about the war. In Cassino, they talked about there being nothing more than a metre tall (left standing) and that it smelled of dead bodies." Stafford, who drove an armoured car for the Governor General's Horse Guards, said when his daughter mentioned the trip he was "excited, but I didn't know what to expect." The cities and towns, bombed-out shells and rubble when he first set foot in them as a 23-yearold, had been rebuilt, leaving little trace of the wars once fought in the streets. Stafford said it made him feel good to see the cities restored. Though the cities may have looked much different, the country was still easily recognizable for the veterans after all these years. "The geography hasn't changed," Jackie said. "They would look down into a valley and say, `Remember when we came up over that hill.' They knew Italy like not many people do." And while the veterans remembered the country, the country also remembered them. "There was one person, he was probably around 80, but he was 10 years-old at the time (of the war). Soldiers had looked after him after the rest of his family had been killed in Ortona," Stafford said. "He thanked us for looking after him." "To watch (Edward) get the level of respect that he did, it was moving," Jackie said. Though the tributes and appreciation shown to the veterans were well-received, there were still very painful reminders of war that surfaced. As he visited Canadian cemeteries, Stafford noticed the dates on a couple of the gravestones. "I found out that two guys were killed on Christmas Day, the day we were enjoying our dinner," he said. "That happens, I suppose." Sign up Online Visit WagJag.com DIAMOND Buy Online: 96% off 100% NATURAL INGREDIENTS M a D e to $11.00 KISSING BRIDGE COUPON BOOKLETS OVER $300 IN SAVINGS ON LIFT TICKETS, TUBING, DINING AND MORE! FRESH & MaDe DELICIOUS NaChoS FreSh orDer BURRITOS 289-837-0111 thehabanero.ca Offer expires January 31st, 2015. Must bring in this ad. Located Across the Street from Sheridan College on Trafalgar Rd. 1289 Marlborough Court, oakville Spray Tans - $25 voTed #1 Salon Buy Online: 70% off www.TanWild.com # $15.00 Buy Online: 42% off $25.00 UP TO 70% OFF PLAY PASSES OR BIRTHDAY PARTIES FROM BUSY BODIES INDOOR PLAYGROUND $25 FOR A 2 HOUR PAINT PARTY AT COCKTAILS `N CANVAS A $43 VALUE Brought to you by 511 Maple Grove Drive, Oakville 905.338.2700