On a warm Friday afternoon back in May of 2013, I sat on a couch in the home of Elbow residents Art & Maridell Knutson. I’d learned that Art had served as a tail gunner for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 434 Bluenose Squadron during World War II, and I was eager to learn his story and hear his thoughts as a veteran living in these troubled times of modern society.
Within maybe 30 seconds of the two of us sitting down together in his living room, Art came out with the following:
“You know, I suppose there were four different times over there that I should’ve been killed.”
A small chill went up my spine, I was instantly hooked on Art’s words, and I was reminded of two very important things in his living room that afternoon; that the toughest people inside and out are the ones from Art’s generation, and that no matter how bad some of us may think we have it, we don’t know the meaning of the word until you’ve seen the kind of things that men like Knutson have.
Art passed away earlier this year at the age of 92, just a month after his beloved wife Maridell. I was sorry to hear of his death; not just because of the loss of a kind and interesting man, but because World War II veterans such as Art are sadly becoming more and more of a rarity as time goes on.
Thanks for giving me your time on that Friday afternoon over four years ago, Art. I’ll never forget our conversation.
Stories such as Art Knutson’s are the ones that need to be told more and more these days as, like I said, veterans from the Second World War are being lost to the sands of time and people are losing out on gaining some very real perspective on life, death, and what it means to fight and represent your country.
As a kid, I’ll admit that I didn’t take Remembrance Day all that seriously. We were herded into the gymnasium, shown some videos, someone read ‘In Flanders Field’, and during the two minutes of silence, inevitably some kid sneezed or coughed and caused a chain reaction of giggling.
I was much less of a brat about it in my teen years, but I have to say that it’s this job I have that has given me a whole new respect and perspective on the meaning behind Remembrance Day. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview people like Art, as well as friends who signed up for military service and continue to serve today, such as my buddies Alex Li, Cory McCutcheon, and Cathan Perry.
On top of that, I’ve attended so many events that speak to the importance of remembrance and never forgetting those who died so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today. Events such as this past June’s incredible ceremony at the Outlook cemetery where metal maple leafs emblazoned with ‘Lest We Forget’ were placed at the gravesites of local veterans.
I’ll tell you one thing - attending something like that would turn even the most obnoxious, self-entitled brat into a quiet, respectful person.
Interviewing the brave men and women who’ve served in times of combat has helped me gain a whole new respect for the courage of those in uniform, and attending Remembrance Day services has become not just another work assignment in recent years.
However, in recent times of senseless violence and tragedy, coupled with the knowledge that November 11 was in fact coming up so soon, I’m personally going to be adding to my list of people I’ll be thinking about during this year’s services.
On October 1, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history took place when a gunman opened fire at a crowd in Las Vegas, killing close to 60 and wounding countless others. Just this week, the deadliest mass shooting in Texas state history occurred when a gunman opened fire inside the First Baptist Church in the community of Sutherland Springs, killing 26 people and ending their innocent lives in violent fashion.
We live in troubled times, which is perhaps a major understatement. The men and women of generations ago also lived in troubled times. The difference between both sides of this generational gap is that at one time in human history, the right people were qualified to use such weapons, and they were used as strictly intended. Today, your average Joe Six-Pack can access automatic assault weapons, and I can only imagine what veterans of our past world wars would think of all the chaos taking over our lives, as well as wiping out countless others.
This Remembrance Day, along with acknowledging the incredible sacrifice that has been made on my behalf by some amazing Canadians who came before me, I will also be pulling the victims of senseless violence into my thoughts when those two minutes of silence begin at 11:00.
I just feel that there’s room to acknowledge all manner of lives who have been lost, even those that have been erased from existence in the timespan of just a few days ago.
For this week's commemorative Remembrance Day section in the print edition of The Outlook, this has been a special Ruttle Report.
