If you travel from Lethbridge to Helena, Montana on Hwy. 4 and I-15, you are taking the First Special Services Force Memorial Highway and following the path taken by more than 700 Canadian soldiers in the summer of 1942 to join another 1,100 American counterparts.
The FSSF, aka the “Devil’s Brigade”, was unique in that for the first time it brought together soldiers from both Canadian and American armies under one unified command. They trained for over a year, becoming a versatile group of elite commandos. They are one of the most remarkable fighting units in modern war history and the predecessor of both American and Canadian Special Forces Units including the Navy SEALs and Canada’s Joint Task Force Two. They also have special connections to our community.
The FSSF first demonstrated the value of their unique skills in the mountains between Rome and Naples. Between December 1943 and January 1944, they immediately earned a reputation for being able to take objectives that no one else could. Then, on Feb. 1, they landed near Anzio, just south of Rome.
One week into this operation, Sgt. Tommy Prince, Canada’s most decorated Indigenous soldier, was spying from an abandoned farmhouse. His only connection to his force was 1,400 metres of telephone wire. He was reporting back enemy artillery when the line was severed by shelling. Unfazed, Prince donned civilian clothing, grabbed a hoe, and, in full view of German soldiers, who were only 200 metres away, acted like a farmer weeding his crops. Inching his way along the line he found where it was damaged, and while pretending to tie his shoelaces, quickly rejoined the wires. In all, four German positions were destroyed.
The FSSF fought at Anzio for 99 days without relief. It was here the Germans dubbed them “the Black Devils” because its members smeared their faces with boot polish for their covert operations in the dark of the night. It was here their presence first became known thanks to trademark stickers they left behind featuring their shoulder patch of a brilliant red spear with USA across the top and Canada down the spine, alongside a slogan written in German that read “the worst is yet to come”. It was here Wetaskiwin lost one of our own, Sgt. George Oliver Godin.
During the night of June 4, 1944, the FSSF was the first unit to enter Rome. Strategically important, it became the first of the three Axis capitals to be retaken. The next morning, one day before the invasion of Normandy, while long columns of American soldiers passed through the Eternal City to a huge reception by the grateful Romans, the ones who had actually liberated it overnight, were already engaged in another fierce combat along the Tiber River.
The person should share it with his partner so that she conceives.In simpler words,the duty of a sperm bank is to gather,filter and dispense out the sperms.They can be just known as the middleman between the two parties, i.e. the donor and the patient.A man who wants to save deeprootsmag.org tadalafil soft tablets sperm for future use,can do so by consulting a specialized sperm bank.One can freeze sperm for many. For more online viagra cialis information, please visit 99eyao website: See aricles like Painful Ejaculation Caused By Prostatitis Can Be extremely uncomfortable. This tadalafil lowest price Check Prices is the most common concern, for which we practice the medicine. You have to generic levitra online check here find with the names of Kamagra, Kamagra oral jelly, Silagra, Forzest etc. you can take any of the component is allergic to you then do not panic as you can just stop the medicine and talk to your health guide about it in detail.The FSSF was a one-of-a-kind military unit that saw heavy casualties. They lost 134 per cent of their original strength in only 251 days of combat. They never failed a mission. They contributed to the liberation of Europe. They saved many Allied soldier’s lives with the information passed back to headquarters, however, many of us have never heard of them. Part of the reason for this is that the FSSF was highly secretive. Another reason is that as we remember, we tend to focus on larger battles. While it is it is absolutely right that we gather to give thanks to the extraordinary bravery and sacrifices of critical turning points in our war-time history, we must also remember the forgotten fronts.
Fifty-seven years after the FSSF was disbanded, Canadian and American Special Force members were united again into a special assignment force for the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The last of these soldiers returned home only five years ago.
One of our own veterans, John Lea-Stoddart, joined the Army in March 2008. He volunteered for infantry and was posted to the 1st Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) out of Edmonton. Deployed as a Platoon signaler for Task Force 3-09, he, like his fellow soldiers, was always a rifleman first. Cpl Lea-Stoddart spent six years in the army, training all over Canada and the United States and helping with natural disasters. Like is fellow soldiers, he willingly went into places most of us would flee from. This past year, he chaired the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 86’s Poppy Campaign. The money he helped raise through your donations, will be held in Trust at the branch level to directly support veterans and their families within our community throughout the year.
Canadian men and women have continued to serve since WWII. They, like Tommy Prince, who became a member of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the PPCLI (the same unit that Lea-Stoddart later served with), and George Godin’s three younger brothers Bud, Dick, and Lawrence served in Korea. They, like many of our communities’ members, including Godin’s nephew Richard, continued to serve in peace time. They, like many under the UN flag, were involved in missions that included combat. Others saw combat in both the Vietnam and Gulf Wars, serving with our American neighbours. They unlike most of us, have all continued to witness great tragedies at home and abroad.
Today there are many veterans continuing to serve their communities in a variety of ways, while many young men and women are waiting for their next deployment. As we continue to remember, I am also going to ask you to not forget the newer generations of Canadian veterans and soldiers. Their bravery and sacrifices are no less extraordinary.
Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, November 21, 2019
