Legacy of Service

Life has a strange way of closing one door while pushing another wide open. During the emotionally overwhelming task of settling my parents’ estate in California, I came across a large envelope addressed to my mother. It was postmarked 1998 and bore a return address from the National Archives of Canada. Inside, I found a formal letter responding to her request for her father’s service records and photocopies of his military history.

I don’t recall my mother ever mentioning her quest to learn about her father. He had died in combat during World War II. As a veteran myself, I found the records captivating, and my curiosity drove me to research further. The online Canadian archives contained even more details than I could have imagined.

My grandfather’s story emerged in unexpected ways—a wartime affair with an English woman, my grandmother, during his deployment in the United Kingdom. His pay records showed that he provided for her and my infant mother until his death just weeks before my mother’s first birthday. The records even listed his burial location: Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

Last month, my husband, my best friend, and I took a trip to Tuscany, Italy and we decided to spend a few extra days in Brussels. From there, we rented a car and drove three hours north, crossing into the Netherlands, with one purpose in mind: to visit my grandfather’s grave.

Nestled in a quiet forest, we found the cemetery—a beautifully kept resting place for 2,610 Canadians and nine soldiers of other nationalities. My grandfather’s marker lay at the front of the second row, simple yet profound.

Standing before his grave, I felt something I can’t quite put into words. This veteran, whose brief chapter with my family led to another generation of service, somehow brought me here. I wouldn’t have discovered this piece of my family’s past if I hadn’t embarked on this journey after my hero passed away.