Uncle Sam and John grew
up together at Winnipeg, Manitoba. They were like brothers. They joined
the same regiment at the start of the First World War and were sent
overseas together. In 1915, during the great Battle of Ypres in
Belgium, Canadian troops were attacked, completely by surprise, with
chlorine gas - the first use of this deadly weapon in warfare. The
Canadian forces suffered heavy casualties. Severely wounded by
machine-gun fire and his respiratory system virtually destroyed by
chlorine gas, Uncle Sam was shipped home to the Veteran's Hospital near
Winnipeg, a living corpse, to die.
I
first met Uncle Sam at Uncle George's farm near Winnipeg when I was a
youngster during the 1930's. My family lived in Alberta and, for
several summers, we vacationed at the farm. Sam was brought to the farm
from hospital to visit one day. Before he arrived, Uncle George
cautioned us children not to be noisy around Sam. He whispered to us
that Uncle Sam was dying - that he would not be with us much longer.
Uncle George was a big, tough, prairie farmer, with the nickname
"Irish." The years passed and Sam eventually outlived Irish.
John
came home to Winnipeg when the war ended having survived many battles.
He married Emma who had waited years for his return. They did not have
any children - they devoted their lives to Uncle Sam. They established
a home in a rural area near the Vet's Hospital and renovated a large
room with equipment to serve Sam's needs. It had a large window which
provided a view of a beautiful park area.
Every
weekend, they would bring Sam home from the hospital to "Sam's Room."
He relaxed much of his time during these visits in his wheelchair in
front of the large window. During the week, John and Emma visited Sam
every day at the hospital, and on many warm, sunny days they took him
for a car ride in the quiet countryside.
Shortly
before my mother died in 1978 at 85 years of age, she and I were
chatting about family and events long past. She mentioned Uncle Sam. I
commented that the remarkable devotion of John and Emma to Sam for over
forty years was an act of charity beyond human understanding. She said,
"Oh, I thought you knew - Sam saved John's life on the battlefield at a
place called Ypres."