Honouring Remembrance Day – A WWII Veteran Shares his Story

NL Health Services would like to acknowledge Remembrance Day and to thank the many veterans who sacrificed their own freedoms and liberties, and in some cases their lives, to protect the lives of others.  

Their sacrifice is even more significant now as wars and conflicts all over the world bring refugees to this beautiful province seeking safety and peace, carrying with them stories of the realities of war that touch and affect us all.  

At NL Health Services, we take pride in caring for veterans at facilities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. As it was their duty to protect the rights and freedoms of others, it is our duty to care for them here, at home, in a way that honours their sacrifices and their service; what they’ve given to our province, to Canada and to countries all over the world. 

The oldest veterans in our facilities are from WWII, with fewer than 10 left in our care. One of those veterans, Mr. Richard Brinston, a resident at the Corner Brook Long Term Care Home, was a gunner with the 59th heavy artillery unit of the Newfoundland Regiment from 1942 to 1945. 

As we mark Remembrance Day and the beginning of Veteran’s Week, Gunner Brinston shared some of his memories of WWII during a recent conversation with his son, Harvey Brinston, and recreation development specialist, Donna Sheppard.