Lt. (ret'd) Neil "Dusty" Rhodes and Major (ret'd) Murray Edwards were amongst some of the most colorful Korean veterans whom I have interviewed to date. Dusty and Murray each spent over two hours recounting their military experiences.

Dusty formerly served in Italy with the PPCLI on the Gothic Line that they would get their colours for, and then would serve as a reinforcement officer in Korea in 1952.

Murray Edwards is of exceptional character and has a memory capable of recounting the most detailed accounts from his time in Korea. Murray Edwards knew the infamous Colonel Stone very closely and didn't spare any words in making his opinion of the famous and often storied war veteran known.

Murray Edwards will be serving on our Korean advisory committee along with Herb Pitts and others. I am sad to say that his story about preferring the UK Bully Beef over our Canadian rations may not miss the cutting room floor; however, his tragic tale about the Canned Heat Tragedy will not go without mention. Great stuff guys and thanks for your time!

We are sorry that Duke Sherritt and Bob Stewart were not able to make it... plus the PAO Mike McWhinnie and Anthony Walsh who we keep missing.

We tried to get into a few other museums in Victoria for this leg of the tour. There was the little museum in downtown Victoria plus a few others. We did get out to see them but did not get to film any segments this time. More photos will follow.

Don Thomas is our go to guy in Esquimalt. (more to follow, downloading pictures and posting from the Ferry en route to Chilliwack...)

(more to follow, downloading pictures and posting from the Ferry en route to Chilliwack...)

I was invited to write an update on what we had been doing to date with the movie series and thanks to Grant Cree and Rachelle Voss of The Western Sentinel, this month's newspaper edition features a page dedicated to bringing the soldiers and veterans up to speed with the path that we have been on.

I just met a truly gifted new artist that goes by the name of CaraSeen. She is a mixed media artist that paints the kind of stuff that young-at-heart creative types like myself are into. I just wanted to invite you all to check out her work as I was quite impressed, her website is http://www.CaraSeen.com.

This job puts me in front of all sorts of people. And if you are like me, a guy that likes to know his neighbors and really enjoys talking with people, and communicating with all sorts of types, you get to really learn along the path. And for me, the path really IS the goal. So along this path, I met the owners of Nakiska Inn and discovered two para qualified veterans living in the area. So, with my card earnestly in hand, the next morning I would visit Mr. Steve Murray in his hand made log home (saddle fit) and find in him, a well opinioned and hardened woodsman and hunter who served his country for the third tour through Cyprus in '69, who teaches firefighting safety and trains people how to use guns and basically shoot stuff. He was pretty cool and I hope to get back to see him shortly and do an interview. (photos will follow)

As I sit here watching the water roar outside my balcony at the Sidney Waterfront Inn, I am aware of the impact that this traquility has on me. I am getting tons of great inspiration with exciting new ideas. The City of Victoria has all been shut down due to the snowfall; they are ill equipped to deal with much snow as all of the tires everywhere are designed for summer. The base in fact was shut down for the day and it just gave me more time to reflect. We are so blessed in Canada; both for the richness and abundance in Alberta and also for the land of our neighbors out here in BC. We will be producing segments across BC for the new TV series; our goals are to broadcast the series across Western Canada. In order to do this, we have to be in the major centres at least once every two months. (I will post photos from my window here in a bit)

Lars at the Nakiska Inn served in the Danish Navy for 5 years amongst a slew of other rather ambitious entrepreneurial endeavors. His wife Aida and him literally sold their respective farms in England and Denmark to hang their shingle at the Nakiska Inn. The beautiful land their lodge and cabins occupy features over 300 acres of prime BC woodland. I woke to a sight quite unlike anything I have seen anywhere. You can be rest assured that I will be a regular at the Nakiska Lodge and special thanks to our new friends Aida and Lars.(photos will follow)

We've really tried to make the project as transparent as possible, and while doing so, to look at all angles that have impacted both Canada's military experience, and Airborne's past, through thick and thin. Kyle Brown was kind enough to join us at a makeshift studio at Rob Patterson's home and was able to provide some insights into his experience. While we were not able to do an actual interview, it was nice to meet both Kyle Brown and Matt Mackay. Thanks to both.

You may know Robert Bailey from his world famous aviation art. You may also know that Robert was commissioned to do the Eight Minutes After Midnight painting in support of our Paratroopers movie project.

What you may not know is that Robert Bailey has been brushing with greatness. Over the past few years, Bailey has been commissioned by none other than George Lucas of Star Wars fame. Yep, the Stony Plain resident has done a number of paintings for the new Stars Wars art project and then later for the upcoming movie called Red Tails. More on both coming up on our Battle Scars TV Series. Here below is a photo of Robert Bailey holding a copy of the rare VISIONS book that cost $500. The very limited run of 500 books was sold out in a few hours.

Thanks to Rob and Ida and the crew at Supply Sergeant for showing their support and sponsoring the Battle Scars TV Series.

Supply Sergeant is Edmonton's choice for Military Surplus, Military Duty Gear, Law Enforcement Duty Gear, Insignia, Collectables, Camouflage Clothing, Boots, MOLLE Gear, Knives, Swords & Armour and Much More.

Supply Sergeant offers brands like Ka-Bar, CRKT, SOG, Benchmade, ESEE, Spyderco, Buck, Original Swat, Propper, Rothco, Maxpedition, CAS Hanwei, Tru-Spec, Snugpak, Uncle Mike's and many more.

Supply Sergeant is located in Edmonton Alberta's renowned West Edmonton Mall. #2686 Phase II Upper Level by Entrance #9.

We are getting prepped to head out to Victoria again, and again in the middle of winter. This time without the Captain to keep me laughing with hilarious anecdotesand occasional grumpy old man syndrome where at times the latter outweighs the former. Bill took us through the Coquihalla a few times and I admit that I was so freaked out that I had to sleep. Now I've done the trip four times both ways and it really doesn't ever get any easier. Last time I nearly slid off the mountain and I promised myself THAT would be the last time and yet on Monday, I will pack my SUV up with 500 pounds of gear and head off to two weeks of fun and sun in sexy snowy Canada. Oh joy.

Our first segment filmed specificaly for the new Battle Scars TV show in Edmonton was on the blades made by Cold Steel. Gord and his son Cody from from Milarm will be hosting a weekly segment that we have been calling "Family Values". The boys will talk about some of their favorite guns, knives, and tactical gear. Awesome.

Having friends in high places (and low ones too) can have it's benefits. When we started the Battle Scars TV Series, we were able to cull the support of our friends and long term colleagues to help us bring the project to fruition. Tristar has been serving Edmonton automotive repair and collision market since 1986 and are proud supporters of Canadian soldiers and veterans.

Special thanks to our new good friends at RMI Inc. The Calgary based security company has offered security solutions to companies on a global level. We look forward to developing and growing our relationship together.

The Battle Scars TV Series new artwork is here. Thanks to our special group of guys willing to be on film. They are the real reason that we are able to create such realism in our art - the men you see in our art are real soldiers. Present company excluded, of course.

Brent Besh is a former soldier that spent 6 years serving with the PPCLI. He will be helping out in the maritimes to rally the troops out and volunteer on our movies and TV series. Brent is also the inventor of the Besh Wedge, a utilitarian knife innovation that provides a strength and durability rarely found in other blades. Brent makes custom blades and his knives can be found here in Edmonton at Supply Sergeant in WEM. Visit https://www.beshknives.com/ for more info.

We've been well supported by Allan Kerr and his worthy team at Milarm. Allan and I filmed segments today on an interesting morality position that the YMCA took during WWI and WWII as well as having a look at his FSSF collection. Two down and only ten left to film. General Manager Gord McGowan was also on hand to offer suggestions for segments on hot products and rare guns which we plan to film next week.

Sometimes I can scarcely believe that I am this blessed. To be living this life and to be able to be in a world that while being capable of the ugliest inhumanities still manages to let hope brilliantly shine through. Since 1991 the school children of Holten, Netherlands have on December 24th, placed candles on the graves of the Canadian soldiers who died liberating the town of Holten in the 2nd World War. We Will Not Forget.

I am by no means an expert on this matter so watching documentaries and researching is a great means for me to try and best understand the issues that we face in bringing security to Afghanistan; a country with barely a government and only the basics of laws. What's more, as I learned from the documentary below,the same men that you'd be training could also be stealing from your base and calling in the Taliban. What an eye opener - Props go out to our soldiers in Afghanistan, back home we really thank you for your service and I hope you all come home safe.

Time for some fun...
8PM - Tuesday February 7
PPCLI vs. Paratroopers Film Crew and Friends
McKernan Rink - 76 Avenue and 114 Street

Every Tuesday for the past 31 years, a group of hardened Edmontonians play what I later discovered to also be a tradition amongst the PPCLI.

I joined 4 years ago and regularly get my ass kicked every Tuesday night - we play outside on an ice rink in running shoes just like we did when we were kids. Our rules are to play to minus 25 so sometimes your toes freeze up a bit but that's nothing like getting hit with a frozen ball at 50 miles an hour - packs a punch and this morning I have the bruises to prove it!

According to the Answers.com website, "Broomaloo is the Regimental game of the Canadian PPCLI. Played with broomsticks or broomball sticks, a ball and two nets. To score a point the ball must be played off of a stick. No other rules exist." We'd like to invite the PPCLI to get a team together or just come out and play pick up with us. Hopefully I can drag out the Bill's and families to cheer us all on.

Back in 1947or 48, ( I believe) the army command in its wisdom decided that the three infantry battalions, the PPCLI, the RCR and the R22R regiments should all be turned in Para regiments. The Pats were selected to be the first regiment trained and a Major General was sent out from AHQ, Ottawa, to inform the regiment.
 
The regiment was assesembles on the grassy slopes of a sports field at Currie Barracks, Calgary,and were given permission to sit when the Senior Officer explained the plan, the Patricia's would be the first regiment trained as paras, jumpers would receive $30 extra a month pay and would also be awarded wings for their uniform and brown jump boots.
 
The Major General then asked if any body objected to this plan and if so, would he please stand up.  One unfortunate sergeant misunderstood the request in the belief the General had asked para volunteers to stand. He enthusiastically jumped to his feet which produced roars of laughter from all ranks who realized immediately that the sergeant had misunderstood the officer's request.
 
The sergeant immediately realized his mistake, went beet-red and mumbled an apology as he quickly sat down. I won't motion his name.

We have been working on this film segment production since we met Mark Campbell and later more of the boys that were on the ground that fateful night. This intro was written by our new writer Arlene Johnson.

For twelve members of the Third Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, the evening of April 17th, 2002 began as a routine training exercise in an area known as Tarnak (sic. sometimes "Tarnac") Farms, near Kandahar Afghanistan. However, the events of that night would become one of the darkest chapters in Canadian military coalition history.

Overhead, American F-16 pilots mistook the exercise as enemy fire, and USAF Major Harry Schmidt leveled the group of Canadian soldiers with a laser-guided 227 KG bomb. Four Canadians were killed; Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green, and Pte. Nathan Smith. The remaining eight suffered serious injuries, and those who served with them still bear the psychological scarring of that night.

Two years later, Major Harry Schmidt was found guilty of dereliction of duty, fined 2 months wages, and reprimanded. It was a small price compared to that paid by the families and friends who lost loved ones that night.

Here is another worthy cause that we hope to help spread the word about. Written by Arlene Johnson.

In 2009, while battling a chronic illness, Edmonton photographer Tonnika Jackman-Mott realized that in spite of her impressive portfolio, she had very few personal photos to leave to her family should the unthinkable happen. Recognizing that other families might be in similar circumstances, Tonnika created The Maple Leaf Mission, a non-for-profit organization that facilitates photographic sessions for families to capture and preserve memories.

While much of the work that the tireless volunteer team does concerns families dealing with chronic or terminal illnesses, the Maple Leaf Mission is also dedicated to military families, skillfully snapping emotional moments during homecomings and deployments. The Maple Leaf Mission will even arrange to have photos shipped overseas for those who have been deployed shortly after the pictures were taken. These photographic keepsakes cost nothing…the photographers are volunteers too.

Due to the volume of queries, the Maple Leaf Mission asks that you email them for more information @ mapleleafmission@gmail.com

Here is a story that we hope to produce a film segment on for our Battle Scars TV series. Written by Arlene Johnson.

Injuries and illnesses can leave Canadian military personnel and their families with life altering disabilities that may seem insurmountable. Recognizing the need for support to push past physical barriers, WO Andrew McLean and Greg Legacé founded Soldier On in 2006 to promote a better quality of life through sports and recreation.

Debilitating injuries and illnesses can leave personnel feeling isolated and ineffective. Soldier On strives to improve independence and lifestyle for those personnel affected by providing opportunities for new skills, experiences and social interactions which encourage a more positive outlook and productive standard of living.

Access to these resources can be gained through the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services, and funding may be obtained through the Soldier On Fund. For more information, visit the Soldier On website.

Here is another story that we are working on for our Battle Scars TV Series. Written by Arlene Johnson.

In late 2008, three Edmonton area artists came together in an ambitious effort to honor and remember Canadian heroes who fell in Afghanistan. Susan Abma, Shairl Honey, and Cindy Revell, all accomplished painters, began an exhaustive project that seeks to connect the Canadian public to a more intimate portrayal of Canada’s fallen, reminding us all of the human toll behind the statistics.

Portraits have been rendered from personal photo collections, and letters, stories, poems and other personal effects help bring these heroes back to life, if only for a moment. The families of the soldiers have been actively involved in the depictions of their loved ones, and have provided much of the needed background material for this achievement.

 While the exhibition tour has yet to be scheduled, Project Heroes is still in need of volunteers and donations, and always welcomes queries or information from families. To learn more about Project Heroes or become involved, visit their website.

Here's another worthy story that we are working to film a segment on. This was written by our new writer, Arlene Johnson.

The Mural of Honor is a fascinating combination of art, history and digital technology, designed first and foremost as a tribute to fallen veterans as well as the Canadian military’s involvement in various arenas over the last 200 years.

The mural is actually a mosaic, comprised of 240 individual tiles that give a brief snapshot in time. Guest artists, including war artists of WWII, contributed 13 tiles, while the rest were painstakingly rendered by St. Albert muralist Lewis Lavoie. What makes this particular mosaic so unique is that it is interactive; each tile contains a story that may be viewed separately.

Although housed at the Military Museums in Calgary, the Mural of Honor by virtue of its digital background is available to view online. This amazing educational tool may be accessed at the Mural of Honor website.

I do not watch much television despite the fact that I have the whole array of channels. I just find that with so much work to do, it really ends up stealing my time.

Last night, I started watching "The West" by Ken Burns and instead found myself lamenting over, of all things, Heart of Darkness. A documentary by Eleanor Coppola about the Francis Ford Coppola's epic, "Apocalypse Now".

Her husband asked her to record the process to film the entire Vietnam war in five months which wound up taking nearly five years. The process drove both Martin Sheen and Francis Ford Coppola mad. Coppola mortgaged his house and Martin Sheen had a heart attack mid production.

Like the Joseph Conrad book, Heart of Darkness, they simultaneously lived the role of Captain Benjamin L. Willard, slowly going deeper and deeper into the self. Also, Coppola admitted to having far too much access to money and all the indulgences a film maker could dream of.

Initially, back in 2009, we had contracted Martin Sheen to narrate the original paratroopers movie before it became the eight part tome it is now.

If you get a chance to watch this Heart of Darkness documentary, you will see part of the reason why his acting for me has always been stellar.

Now that it has been four years on this project, and with so much work still ahead to assemble the 15 hour movie, I can honestly look back and recollect my own near madness in this process.

Here is Martin Sheen's personal demons exorcised on camera. His truth and the rawest genius of filmmaking at it's very finest. Enjoy! 

Paratroopers - the Canadian Story is looking for composers to score the final documentary movies for our series. We are looking to commission mostly Canadian composers to provide the music. The genre is ambient / orchestral / classical in the vein of Passchendaele. Check out this brilliant trailer for an idea of what we want. We will also be looking for segments to use in our TV series. Thank to the composers that have helped us to date like Joel Goffin, Jonathan Geer, and of course David James Nielsen who composed the beautiful theme that we used in our promo!

I spent three hours today with Allan Kerr of the Canadian Military Museum and the Canadian Militaria Preservation Society. Allan's commitment to preserving militaria is nothing short of astounding. As well as providing moral and financial support to the movie project, Allan has been a font of knowledge. Allan and I planned out a half dozen movie segments that will feature just a few of the great stories and assets featured at his amazing museum.

Thanks to Allan, Sharon and Gordon from the museum and Milarm.

Here are me and the Bill's at our regular haunt, Syrtaki Greek Restaurant on the west side of Edmonton. Here's where we rev each other up for the new year as we all agree we have so much work ahead of us, the least of which is to raise the numbers we need to cover the costs required to finish our project. Bill Johnston always grabs the check before we get a chance to object however It is customary that I generally do all the talking.

I'd like to extend a special thank you to Noralta Lodge. They are a premium lodging facility that serves the oilfield and energy sector in Northern Alberta. Noralta has been a great client for me this year and possibly in the process of producing nearly 60 minutes wortk of safety, recruitment and promotional videos, I may have learned more about the right way to run a company than most of my experiences to date. Thanks to Noralta for being such a great client and for supporting my work. If soldiers are looking to transition from military to private sector, and want a rock solid employer that they can count on when the chips are down, give Cindy at Noralta a call and tell her that Dixon sent you.

Landmark Self Storage is a great place to store your goods and offers many sized bays that are both heated and not. I should know, I've been buddies with the owner Dave Sylvenky and watch him grown his business to over 400 bays during the curse of the past 7 years. Part of my role in directing this work is in asking the tough questions, and generally that includes asking your best friends to support you in what you do. Thanks to Dave Sylvenky and Landmark Self Storage. If there is any way that you can use their services, just give Dave a call!

Special thanks today on this Christmas, the day that Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It's now been more years that I have believed then I didn't so I don't mind sharing the fact that I have a personal relationship with God, and that has helped me through some tough times. On this day, I took some time to reflect on our path to date, on the highs and the frequent lows, and took solace in knowing that we can all look up to our higher power whether he is Peter Kenward, Herb Pitts, Gord Carter, Don Collier, Bill Dickson, Bob Dawe, or my homeboy Jesus. Merry Christmas!

(That's Herb Pitts giving me a hard stare as I try and marble mouth out the new scope of the movie in 5 minutes. Look forward to catching up with them all in BC next month!)

Battle Scars will be a 30 minute tv series to be aired 3 times a week on Shaw TV in Edmonton and surrounding areas. The same producers that are bringing you Paratroopers will be producing 13 episodes that will begin airing in February of 2012. (more to come)

Advanced Trenchless is a highly reputable Edmonton based company that specializes in doing pipe bursting and pipe relining. They've been a supporter of the movie for the past few years and today agreed to be a sponsor of the upcoming TV series.

Rui and I have been talking in depth about the Somalia movie. I really enjoyed his approach in his book, "Eat Your Weakest Man". Rob Prouse from Commando.org also has a great approach; both men have far less issues in telling the story than I seem to and I envy them both for that.

I asked the DND to provide help on this as we are all really just committed to doing it right. So of course we are assembling yet another committee to make sure we tell the story according to our philisophical tenets of integrity, accuracy and respect. It's not always possible as we are all very human, but it is what we strive for anyway.

It reminds me to be careful of what you wish for because if you wish for a national audience for a movie of this scope, in some bizarro world, you might just get it. Then comes the real pressure.

Thanks to Rui and Rob - Your support and direction is really apprecated.

Once in a rare while you meet a guy that you just click with. Many of the Airborne vets and soldiers have become friends and a few have become real buddies. Gord Hockridge has provided regular support for our movie and stuck his neck out to support it with sponsorship that I've agreed not to discuss but sufficing to say that he alone has given more than any single person or company in Canada aside from the Bill's or the Bob. What's more, like Bill and I, he's given like the proverbial widow, from what little we all have these days.

We've all been blessed with gifts like family, children and great friends, but at the end of the day, we are just everyday "salt of the earth" people like Bob says. I live in a small stick built condo with huge mortgage and car payments, the Bills both live in modest homes and Gord also in a home that reminds us all of how we are glad to be a part of the 99%. If I had the wealth of the 1%, I'd gladly spend it making movies about the 99s. I can speak for everyone on our crew to say they would also.

So after talking to the Bills, I'd always call Gord to give him the news about some recent developments with the movie. Gord usually gets the first call and I am always thankful for his no bullshit feedback.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/airborne-apology-overdue/968035307001

I've met some great people on this path. Many of whom have words of wisdom, and others have all sorts of other things from money to collectables to print materials to give. And one special person of course gave me their gold Airborne ring and I hope will be a friend forever...

Once in a very rare while do you have the fortune to meet someone who has a great impact on your life. As people drift in and out of our lives, I've always tried to keep friends for life. I work hard at doing that. The same people who were friends 20 years ago, for example, are still mostly my friends even now. The best friends are the ones who have grown with me and share in my triumphs, and more often, in those defeats that we all face.  So, one remarkable person sent us a gold Panda coin. Gold is a symbol of permanence in this quickly changing world where almost nothing lasts. Planned obsolescence and throwaway consumerism is the norm rather than the exception; nothing is "built to last" anymore.

I just want to say thanks to this special person who has made a permanent impression on me, on us, and on our movie project. Thanks for the act of kindness, but more so in reminding me that what we toil for is also of lasting permanence. We hope to pass the torch fom this generation to the next with our movies, and in doing so, honour and never forget those who sacrificed so much for us. I'd love to keep this beautiful piece as a permanent reminder of why I do what I do, but I already have the Airborne ring and that was a gift with a weight almost more than one person can bear. Airborne!

We all feel quite blessed to have gained the support from all sorts of people across Canada for this project. Now if we had a dollar for each ounce of support, we could start making incredible motion pictures like Paul Gross.

I disgress; one of our supporters is Harry Moon. His re-enactment crew has volunteered their time to come out and do photos and test video with me. The photos and video both turned out amazingly well. Now as we ramp up, we are able to finish the creatives and touch-ups on the shots we did in the summer and use them for new amazing promo art. I will be posting everything here in the blog first one at a time, and then into the Movie Artwork, and will be allowing people to download select photos and art so people can use them to create designs of their own. And pay tribute to our veterans and soldiers.

Riley Davis
Mark Ivins
Thomas Houghton
Harry Moon

According to Ancestry.com, Harry Moon is a direct descendant of Thomas Moone B 1631 who came to America from Bristol with William Penn on the ship Freedom.

Here is a part of this business that would drive a sane man to drink. Some people have nothing better to do with their time than spend all their time trying to hack into our quaint little web community.

It's irritating but for the most part, our technology manager has it all nailed down. This is some of the nuisance stuff that hackers do for fun. So they are always trying to get into our site, or find ways to shut it down. Every day, there will be about 20 - 100 attempts. Since this is a technical matter, it's an ongoing cost that's part of doing business these days. Here's an example:

This is an enquiry e-mail via http://www.paratroopers.ca/ from:
ndepmch <wznway@zvfpvl.com>;

xxoWK7  yrhjtsbiawub, [url=http://rbsmvnezenby.com/]rbsmvnezenby[/url], [link=http://kyjygivbxqbx.com/]kyjygivbxqbx[/link], http://hjikoglbtqum.com/

I was looking around the net for photos of Gord Carter and found this old gunners photo.

This is the art of theprocess that gets cool because out of all these guys, we have interviewed Tom Walton, Bud Britton, Gord Carter, Ron Bragdon and of course Bill Tremain who survived the near-death experience of having a double malfunction.

The more work that we do, the smaller the world seems to get.

You can click on the bottom right hand corner of the image to see it in full size.

Thanks to Pete Brown from his Airborne Gunners page... Check it out by clicking here: http://home.cogeco.ca/~jukeboxpete/Index.htm

A Nation Needs Its Heroes

The Heroes' Hockey Challenge is a great initiative pioneered by the partnership of Mr Cumyn and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Foundation. This event serves as a superb opportunity for the Canadian Forces to strengthen existing bonds with the public which they so faithfully serve. In addition to generating charitable revenues for injured soldiers of the combined arms team that contributed to the success in Afghanistan along with the families of the fallen, this activity will provide for many Canadians through the Amputee Coalition of Canada.

As the Commander of the Army, I have directed my staff to coordinate the Army services that have been requested for the enhancement of events in support of this worthwhile initiative. Whether it is a soldier or any Canadian that has been affected from a loss of limb, their courage and continued contributions to Canadian society is an inspiration to us all. It is through initiatives like this that Canadians can recognize the achievements of these remarkable individuals and enhance the support they receive.

I am grateful to the event organizers, sponsors and participants for their commitment to this important project. For their inspirational and unwavering commitment to the cause of our soldiers, they have my personal gratitude and salute.

P.J. Devlin
Lieutenant-General
Commander Canadian Army

Gord Carter's birthday was this weekend at the Legion in St. Albert. The event was great fun and his whole family turned out to surprise him. Gord has been a great supporter of our movie series and one of our first interviewees.

My girls just love spending time with the veterans so when I introduced them, I told them that Gord was the Captain's Captain. They were impressed.

Movie supporter and partner of our good friend the late Bruce Edey, Lori Hrasci and a very sober Captain Bill Dickson stopped for a photo opp at the birthday party of Gord Carter. I cannot get my daughters to stop asking abut when they will get to see the captain, so I brought them along and in we walked an hour into the event, the 3 daughters all resplendent in pink. That was our 6th Christmas event of the weekend and by the end, the girls were totally hyped up on the goofenthal caused by excessive cake eatery.  The Captain is back to his mostly cheery self and as usual treated the audience to a few of his golden moldy jokes; of course the uncanny resemblance to Walter Mathau's Grumpy Old Man persists. :)

Member of Parliament Laurie Hawn isn't just about shaking hands and kissing babies -he is a dedicated soldier that spent much of his life in the service. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from The Royal Canadian Air Force that was appointed to the role of Parliamentary Secretary to Peter Mackay, the Minister of National defence. On top of providing us with his support, we will be meeting in the new year to talk about the movie. Thanks to Laurie and his team for the support to date and we look forward to our sit down in 2012.  We will keep you posted.

We've started planning to do another session of interviews at the Military Museum down in Calgary near the end of January. More details will follow soon. If you or anyone would you know is para qualified and would like to be interviewed, email Bill (at) Paratroopers.ca for more information.

Paratroopers is pleased to welcome our newest team member - Rui Amaral. Rui was a part of the Canadian Airborne Regiment and wrote the acclaimed book, "Eat Your Weakest Man". He served at Belet Huen in Somalia and his book provides Rui's account of the last days of the Airborne.

Rui dedicated the book to someone we can all agree is a soldier's soldier - Don Collier. It was Don who said, "Amaral, in the Airborne, you eat your weakest man."

Rui will be working on fundraising efforts in Southern Alberta for us.

Thanks Rui!

It's great to be able to meet such wonderful people from all the world. Special thanks to our supporters from down under; Jacqueline bought two prints and shared the following story about her veteran father.

"My dad Alex was 18 when war broke out on 3 September 1939 and albeit apprenticed in an essential trade he managed to slip through the net and signed up with the Royal Air Force on 7 February 1940. He was initially sent to 77 Squadron RAF to work on Halifax bombers until he volunteered as a Commando and was sent to the Combined Operations Training Area in Scotland.   According to the commanding officer (an officer in the Black Watch) his unit (3209 Servicing Commando Unit) were a "rabbly lot" but he pulled them into such good shape that when they graduated with their red and black Commando badges (anchor with wings across the top and a tommy gun in the centre representing the  three combined services) that if someone instructed them to "lift the world" they would have tried.  As the convoy left Scotland they were in such high spirits that they threw a few harmless but noisy flash bombs and were pulled over by the police but nothing dampend their spirits.

He was granted a 72 hour leave pass to marry in 1941 and spent the next few years zig zagging around England where his unit worked on different air bases. In April 1944 they were sent on another training exercise.  This time it involved reversing 3 ton trucks onto Landing Craft Tanks within ten seconds and on 6 June 1944 they landed on D-Day.  Several weeks later he was posted to Burma where he served until the end of the war with Japan.  He then went on to serve with  the occupational forces in Vietnam until 1946.

I recall the day he arrived home and running up the gang plank of the Ark Royal into his arms and he was wearing an Australian slouch hat as he hoisted me up on his shoulders and we made our way back down through the troups to my mother and younger sister Glenys.  From that day on he has been a wonderful father and mentor for his two devoted daughters, his seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren."

Dad turned ninety on 24 October 2011 and lives at home with me his eldest daughter Jacqueline and I am so proud he is my father.

Our Paratroopers production crew has been working on packaging our paratroopers bonus segments into a single TV series and that idea seems to be working for us. We would have a 13 episode series to air on a local channel. It would accomplish two things; first it would help us build an audience for our "products" across Alberta and second would make sure that the words and oral history of our veterans and soldiers are heard. By applyin the same growth principles of line upon line, precept upon precept, we go organicaly grow this concept provincially, then across western Canadaand then Canada. We'd love to hear your feedback and your story ideas! Use the CONTACT US and we will have a look.

Paratroopers Movie Project is Looking for Artists. At least TWO Artists will be commissioned and paid to create original paintings for our movie series. The paintings will be made into prints and those prints will be used to raise funds for the series. Use the "Contact Us" link at the top of the site link to request more information.

 *This cool piece was designed by J. Fowler. Click on the bottom right hand corner to see the full image.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ken Colwill at the team of industry professionals at Elite Lithographers. They have generously offered to sponsor us and fulfill our printing needs. Elite has been serving Edmonton for over 30 years and like our Canadian soldiers have developed a relationship for excellence. We look forward to a long relationship with Elite. They specialize in Offset, Digital and Giclee printing.

Here is a few words abut them:
At Elite you can have it all. Price, Speed and Quality.

Our experienced professionals show pride in their workmanship throughout all stages of production.

Deadlines are important to you, and we excel at meeting demanding timelines.

Learn more at: www.EliteLitho.com

If you are thinking about listing your house, or buying a new house in Edmonton, why not give The Doc a call? He's a veteran whose team has helped over 200 military families buy or sell their homes. Tell him thanks for supporting the Paratroopers movie series!

For the past several years Doc and his Team have been in the Top 1% of sales Canada wide with Royal LePage, as well Top 3% of sales with Realtors Association of Edmonton.

With all the moves I have experienced during my Military career, I know the true meaning of moving, buying and selling of homes.

Give THE DOC TEAM a House call today 984-8887

If you would like to pre order the DVD by phone on VISA or Master Card, feel free to call us now at the number above. It's still possible to get your print out before Christmas of this year and the DVD series before Christmas in 2012!

Here's a shot that we did in Victoria during the re-enactment with Harry Moon and his group. Just so you know that it's not all hard work day in and day out, sometimes we like to have some fun! That's Harry Moon in the back, Thomas Houghton in the middle and the guy in the front is definitely not a soldier, however he has jumped out of a perfectly good plane while in flight.

Thanks to everyone for your kind wishes - the Captain is back at home and says he is feelng better. I look forward to talking to him tomorrow. WIll keep you all posted. December 12 UPDATE - The Captain sounded a lot better on the phone today although he is still waiting for more results. I suggested the cure: Veganism. Evidently, he did not think that was very funny at all. 

Today we will be releasing some exciting new social media opportunities for us here at the movie crew. They will be announced over the next 12 hours as we get them tested and implemented.  UPDATE - Still working on that Social Media business... But if you look at the bottom of the page, you can LIKE us and it will show the like on your FACEBOOK. Feel better? Yes? Awesome. Will keep you posted.

I got this from Gord Hockridge and it reminded me about the reason for the season.

I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone
a Merry Christmas this year ...
My way of saying that I am celebrating
the birth Of Jesus Christ.
So I am asking my email buddies,
if you agree with me,
to please do the same.
And if you'll pass this on to
your email buddies, and so on...
maybe we can prevent one more
Canadian tradition from being lost in the sea of
"Political Correctness".

My partner in crime has been admitted to hospital today and I am anxiously waiting to hear back... I wish Bill the very best and a speedy recovery on behalf on myself, my daughters who adore the Captain and our Paratroopers team. Also wishing a speedy recovery to Bill Johnston - what's with both Bills getting sick at the same time?

When Bill isn't buried in taskings to set up interviews or socializing so I can work, he has an international group of colleagues that buy and trade in militaria. He's pretty good at it so if you need anything, drop Bill@Paratroopers.ca an email. Anyways, so here below is an example of a friend that wants to know how to interview our veterans.

After nearly 300 soldier and veteran interviews, I'd have to say that it's not always easy to say there is any one formula for doing this. Be honest, be patient, and be true to yourself; something that I haven't always been able to do. Start with the basics, "who are you, what do you do, why did you do it, when" and so on..." After talking so much in so many interviews, now I prefer to listen. "How did that make you feel?" People have a tendency to come to interviews with an expectation of some alterior motive, like I want to unseed some dirty secret, and I really don't blame them; people generally want to read and watch the worst in people. So, to overcome this, I try and just listen to the soldiers talk. "We ask the same questions over and over again, and I will be sitting here and likely fidget around and check the cameras, but keep looking at where my eyes were when I do." Bill is never around so he's trusted me to do this alone and now as we transcribe our interviews, to varying levels of success.

"So what initially inspired you to become a Paratrooper?" Sometimes people are not comfortable talking in front of the lights and cameras, so we need to get to know each other in a rather short period of time. Bill will pre-interview to create "crib notes" for me that will also be later used for cross referencing and I will refer to them throughout the process. "Okay, your first tour was in Bosnia, what was happening when you got there?"

This blog post is getting to long otherwise I's share all the questions we ask, there is no miracle to doing it, really anyone could. The real secret is when to pause and really listen. Sometimes after 8 hours of interviews, this also gets bery difficult.

You're not likely to know this but before I made movies, I interviewed rock bands for a rock web tv show and before that, I wrote and interviewed bands and celebrities for newspapers. I've always interviewed people. My first interview was back when I was 15 with a band called "Higher Power" and then later I'd interview The Police, the Scorpions, Sex Pistols, and hundreds, maybe a thousand more. Here is the comment below that motivated my post - I hope that this blog post was of help to Bill's friend from the UK. Bill's friend - if yu email me directly, I will be happy to write the questions for you. :)

"Bill, what a website! I have now book marked it and look forward to having a look at the movies over the coming weekend. What a great way of preserving the stories and experiences. I could do with your help with my granddad! He was Royal Marines in WWII and saw North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany. He's about to turn 88 next month and I'm framing up his medals as a surprise. He tells the odd, great story but it's so hard to get a narrative. I'm sure time has taken it's toll and I'm even more sure that some of things he saw he wished he hadn't, particularly as they pushed the retreating  Germans back across Belgium and Holland. He's told me some amazing "close shave" stories (such as setting up a cooking pot over an anti-tank mine and surviving the subsequent fireworks!), but I would love to get him to talk a little more. I guess I believe that he will tell what he wants to tell and the rest he should keep to himself. Is there any one top tip you can give to interviewing someone?"

As we approach Christmas of 2011, and enter our FOURTH YEAR OF PRODUCTION, I am writing to first thank you for your continued support. Without the support of the nearly 300 veterans and soldiers that we have interviewed, plus all our valued producers, production crew, and volunteers, this movie series just would not be possible.  The response from people wanting to be interviewed has helped us expand the series from one documentary to an EIGHT PART series that will also feature over 20 bonus DVD segments.

LIMITED EDITION PRINT – REDUCED TO $149
The reduced cost of just $149 really makes it affordable and it was signed by TWO 1 Can Para Veterans; Walt Romanow and John Ross. The print was commissioned by world famous aviation artist Robert Bailey and is just outstanding.

DIRECTOR’S EDITION DVD SERIES – PRE ORDER NOW FOR $129
Our 8 part DVD series is now available for PRE ORDER and this set will ONLY be available in the special packaging on the PRE ORDER only. The package will be hand signed by veterans from each of the movies and include bonus items that will make the series highly collectable. Our DVD pre order campaign and print sales are the only way that we can raise the funds we need to finish production and edit the movies this winter. I invite you to tell a friend, order a copy for a museum or cadet corps, or help any way that you feel may help.

FREE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
Our goal has always been to share the words of our veterans and soldiers with as many people as possible. Starting in 2012, all of the (9) bonus segments that we have produced will be made available for free download to educational facilities across Canada. They will also be featured on community programming channels across the country and the 15 top video sites around the world. With the funds we raise from our campaign, we will be editing together a number of new segments on Remembrance Day, Our Wounded Warriors, The 3PPCLI, The 3RCR, the QOR, The Van Doos, plus about 20 others.

Click on the link on the right to order now!

It is my honour and privilege to be able to heartily lend my support and endorsement to this documentary on Canada’s airborne regiment and paratroopers....

I strongly encourage you, if you are able, to lend your support and voice to this project. It is a highly worthwhile effort and if we do not take action to preserve and commemorate important aspects of our military heritage for future generations, we run the risk of a generation of Canadians who are without an essential appreciation of the gravity and enormity of the sacrifice and dedication that those who wear and have worn our nation’s uniform have made. It is always said, ‘Lest we forget’; this project will help ensure that we do not.

Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Official Languages
Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0M5

I commend your worthwhile efforts to educate Canadians about our country’s military history and to commemorate the work of paratroopers in international conflicts since the Second World War. The enthusiasm of the Canadian veterans, soldiers and civilians who have already taken part in your project speaks to the value of this initiative. I am also pleased to learn that the Department of National Defence supports this laudable endeavour. Please accept my best wishes for every success with your project.

Sincerely,

The Honourable James Moore, P.C., M.P.

On December 10/2011 I was given another valuable lesson.

Part of the process in making movies is learning. I am constantly humbled by how little I know and how much I have to learn.

I had a great chat yesterday with Randy Purvis of the "No Stone Left Alone" Memorial Foundation. I really support what they are doing and we were both quite amazed at the Synergism between both of our passions. I invite you to check out their website at www.NoStoneLeftAlone.ca and consider supporting them.

I just wanted to give you an update on the website, and well, on our organization. We are all UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Thanks to the help of our new Volunteer Coordinator, Shiva Sharif and the new Assistant to the Director, Francisco Yu, as well as many new helpers, we are moving ahead with some exciting new plans:

• Website Updates and Upgrades
• Interview Transcribes
• Liaison to Interviewees to Record Bios
• New LIMITED EDITION Print Sales Campaign
• New Sponsorship Drive
• More interviews at the 3PPCLI Lines
• Winter Interviews at Bases Across Canada
  and finally...
• Complete Writing the Movie Script

Thank you for your continued support. We are working hard to bring this project to fruition in 2012.

We held another great interview session out at the base recently. It goes without saying that throughout our entire production has benifitted from the support of the 3PPCLI as well as all 3 para companies in Canada. Special thanks to the CO, Maj K.A.Barry, CD who supported us and allowed us to conduct the interviews in their well appointed meeting room. 



Interviewees Included:
Maj K.A. Barry, CD
Lt. William Cooper
MWO George W. Parrott
MWO Todd B. D'Andrande
WO Brad McKenzie
Maj Quentin M. Innis
WO Gerry B.J. Shaw
CWO Jerome L. Scheidl

I am a huge believer in organic growth. Taking the same approach with the movie has allowed us to save what is a complex part of our story for last; Afghanistan and the Future of Canada's Para Role. Special thanks again to the 3PPCLI and all the men who participated.

I recognize how many people ask why my blog isn't updated more regularly. Unfortunately, since Bill is such a social butterfly, HE is always being asked this question and having to answer on my behalf. I was looking at our web stats to learn that some of these articles have been read eleven thousand times. And as we ramp up to start releasing movies, I am sure that number will increase. Anyways, I wanted to assure you all that I am going to get better at posting more blog entries. I will work to at least post a new blog entry every week. I encourage any or all of you to send me your ideas, feedback or thoughts just to remind me that there are people out there following what we do, and keeping us accountable. Dixon @ Paratroopers.ca Regards, Dixon

We joined a group of Veterans and supporters for the Korean Veteran's Day Memorial Service at CFB Chilliwack. We were there to remember that 60 years ago, on June 25, 1950, North Korea forces crossed the 38th parallel to invade the Nation of South Korea. 516 Canadians lost their lives in the struggle for democracy during the conflict and Korea continues to remember the support we provided.

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Friday, 24 June
0900 hours:  Harry Chatry (WW 11, KOREA, COLD WAR)
1000 hours:  Peter Kenward (COLD WAR, CYPRUS, CAR)
1130 hours:  Ray Ward (WW II / D-DAY)
1300 hours:  Monty Marsden (WW II)
1430 hours:  George Siggs (WW II)
1600 hours:  George Whatley (WW II)
1730 hours:  Grouch Grouette  (WW II and KOREA)

Saturday, 25 June
9000 hours:  Peter Braidwood  (WW II)
1030 hours:  Bud MacLeod  (KOREA and DCO)
1200 hours:  Joe Pringle  (WW II)
1330 hours:  Tom Walton  (COLD WAR, CYPRUS, GULF WAR, CROTIA)
1430 hours:  Bob Frigon  (COLD WAR, CYPRUS, GERMANY, CROTIA)
1530 hours:  Rollie Keith (COLD WAR and CAR)

Paratroopers – The Canadian Story
Eight Part Documentary Series
Production Schedule for Summer 2011 (proposed)

We are hoping to work with the PA in each base to encourage men to come out for the last leg of our production endeavours.  All Para equipped soldiers and veterans are encouraged to come and be let their stories be filmed.

ALBERTA
Friday June 3 – Siffleur Falls, Alberta. 67^th Anniversary Reunion of Airborne D-Day
Saturday June 4 – Siffleur Falls, Alberta. 67^th Anniversary Reunion of Airborne D-Day
Sunday June 5 – Siffleur Falls, Alberta. 67^th Anniversary Reunion of Airborne D-Day
Monday June 6 – Siffleur Falls, Alberta. 67^th Anniversary Reunion of Airborne D-Day. Depart for Edmonton.
Tuesday June 21 – Edmonton, Alberta. Re-enactment Video and Photos.
Wednesday June 22 – Edmonton, Alberta. Re-enactment Video and Photos.

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Thursday June 23 – Arrive in Chilliwack. Set up at war Museum
Friday June 24 – Chilliwack Interviews at the Museum (8). Media Interviews.
Saturday June 25 – Chilliwack Interviews at the Museum (8).
Sunday June 26 – Chilliwack Re-Enactment Video and Photos. WWII. FSSF. KOREA.

DUE TO FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, OUR TRAVEL PLANS WERE LIMITED TO THE ABOVE DATES. WE HOPE TO CONTINUE WITH TRAVEL PLANS IN THE FALL. Thanks for your continued support.

Our friend Gord Hockridge was featured today in an interview with Sun TV reporter Kris Sims and host Charles Adler. They used footage from our promo video in the segment.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/airborne-apology-overdue/968035307001

WO Chuck Cote 3PPCLI
Capt Tony Meier 3PPCLI
Lt-Col JR (Joe) Pollock JPSU
MWO Bill Bolen DRC
Maj Mark Campbell JPSU

And also to: Isobel ALLAN – 1 CPB Veteran’s Huck Allan’s widow

We're happy to announce that the article that ran in Victoria went out across the wire and obviously got picked up by other newspapers including the Western Sentinel here in Alberta. Western Sentinel Editor James Cree has been one of our most supportive "friends in high places" and the exposure is always very well received. Thanks to James and the friends at the Western Sentinel.

See full article - http://www.army.gc.ca/IAOL/143000440000588/143000440000590/HTMLFiles/WS_1-20_Feb17.pdf page 5

I believe that I will never get used to saying goodbye to our veterans and what I consider to be great old heroes. Ted stood up for me with the KVA, and because of him and a few others, the local KVA chose to help sponsor the movie. This sponsorship isn't what I personally remember about Ted but rather that he was willing to treat me like his brother, and was willing to help, rally people and vouch for me. Ted is survived by Betty Newman-Jones who is another sweetheart that's been so helpful and supportive of what we've been doing. I know that Bill and I would like to be able to remember all of the men that we interview with a memorial segment. Ted's will take a bit longer and that's likely a good thing because this "creative type" as Bill says, can only take so much of losing these good men like Ted. Thanks for your passion Ted, we shall not forget.

BASTIAN, Edward (Ted) Lionel, PPCLI.  December 12, 2010.  Ted joined the PPLCI at the age of 16 and served in Korea.  Hew as an active member of the KVA #21, Airborne Social Club (Edmonton), the PPCLI WO’s and Sgt’s Association and the RCL #97 Westlock.  Left behind to cherish his memories are his loving spouse Betty Newman-Jones as well as a large family.

Others members of the Brotherhood who recently passed, unfortunately no specific details at time of printing.