Okay, last blog of the trip, considering I am on the plane
home.
I’ll get to the lacrosse in a minute, but I just want to
throw out what I’ve been up to since the tournament ended on Saturday. Well
first of all, we played our last game on Friday so we had two nights (our
closing ceremonies on Friday and the tournament closing party on Saturday) to
do whatever we wanted really. There were excessive amounts of drinking and if
you want to hear some of the stories, come talk to me and I’ll fill you in.
Lets just say, I have many things to cross of my
things-to-do-whilst-wearing-a-kilt- list. Anyways, my dad and uncle picked me
up on Sunday morning at about 9 am, after getting back to the hotel around
730…. Apparently I smelled something wonderful when getting into the rental car
despite showering and putting on fresh clothes. We then drove through Belgium
to Caen, France which for those non-history buffs, is the city where the
Normandy beaches are located. Of those beaches, we had a tour guide show us
some of the Canadian sites mainly the centre at Juno beach, the beach itself,
and the Canadian cemetery. This was done on Monday morning, giving us the
afternoon to show ourselves to Omaha Beach and Point du Hoc. Omaha beach is of
course, one of the two beaches where the Americans landed on D-Day. It’s quite
spectacular, much different and more extravagant than the Canadian sites. Point
du Hoc, is not as well known (and by that, I mean I had never heard of it), but
is an incredible story in it’s own right. It is located at a point on the beach
between Omaha and Utah. It is important because of its geographical makeup:
Bluffs and cliffs. The Germans had fortified the point with the idea that the
allies wouldn’t even try and take it. It’s a suicide mission after all. Wrong.
An elite group of American soldiers landed on the beaches beneath this bluff
and scaled the cliffs to attack the Germans just before the main D-Day assault.
Quite impressive really. If you get a chance, do a little research, because the
story is incredible. They took out many of the main German guns and by far the
most important target of their assault: the largest gun (I can’t remember the
exact size). It had the ability to simply devastate forces landing on the
beaches to either side of the point. The casualties of this force were intense,
but perhaps the sacrifice was worthwhile. Who knows how many lives were saved
by the destruction of this German stronghold.
Tuesday, we drove all morning to Arras, France. Home of Vimy
Ridge: perhaps the most important event in Canada’s military history. I wasn’t sure what to expect at this site, but
there was more than enough to keep my brain interested. We managed to jump on a
tour of the tunnels with an Irish group. In bad taste? I try not to think so.
The tunnels were incredible and they go surprisingly deep. Some, at the time,
were up to 30 metres or so beneath the surface. The ones they preserved are
only about 8 metres deep though. These preserved tunnels were part of the main
assault. They led thousands of troops directly to the front line which was
instrumental in the surprise attack that was to follow. We also saw some of the
trenches both of the allies and of the Germans. It is scary to see just how
close they were to each other. Then there’s the main monument at Vimy. It is
incredible. Breathtaking really.
Wednesday was the drive to Ypres, Belguim. Here, we took a
guided tour of some of the sites: Lieutenant-Colonoal John McCRae’s Site, a
German Cemetery, and Passchendaele, among others. I’ll include some pictures
below with descriptions. I just want to say though, what it feels like to walk
around these sites. France and Belgium are two beautiful countries, and looking
out, it is impossible to even come close to understanding the horrors and the
destruction that took place. Looking down at the trenches, I was just in awe.
Men gave their lives at my very feet. They sacrificed their youth and their
innocence to protect the freedom of peoples such as myself. Maybe that’s why I
am so fascinated by war. A lot of people love studying the World Wars for the
military tactics, the weaponry, etc. For me, it’s the humanitarian standpoint.
Trying to understand the experiences of these men, the reasons behind their
actions, their thoughts and feelings during the course of the war are things I
can never hope to fully grasp. It’s so captivating in the darkest of ways.
Thursday was my trip home…. And on a lighter note.
Germany! We played them for 5th although I think
they are a better team than that. The Netherlands and Sweden managed to sneak
into the semis whilst Germany got bumped down despite being a superior team, in
my humble opinion. They have quite a bit of depth and they sure came out
firing. Scotland had a rough first half and as a result we were down by 10 or
so going into the 3rd quarter. Not exactly, what we had in mind, but
you can’t fault effort. I think guys were just tired, physically and mentally.
Fatigue definitely played a factor, as it was our 8th game in 9 days
on top of two exhibition games and a weekend of training. We did manage to
buckle down though and suck it up for the second half. We came out rejuvenated
and refreshed and although we couldn’t come back we at least made the score
respectable. I can’t remember what the final tally was, but it something along
the lines of 20-12 or so. Considering we only had 3 goals in the entire first
half, that’s pretty good. We did have moments of brilliance though. Jesse was
fantastic, Dan held is own in the scoring column (I mean he did lead the
tourney in goals), our defense stepped up despite being banged up, and we
managed to finish the game in a manner that represented our country and
ourselves as best we could. We kept our heads up right until the end and I know
I personally, had an amazing experience.
If any of the Scotland guys are reading this, I just want to
express my extreme gratitude. You guys included me, made me feel welcome, and
took me in as one of your own. It was such an honour to play with you all and I
cannot thank you enough. I will not soon forget these last couple of weeks and
I owe everyone my express thanks. Thank you to the coaches as well. You gave me
a real shot despite showing up injured to the trials last summer. You gave me
the chance to prove myself and to earn your respect. I can only hope I have
achieved at least some of that. I will
do everything I can to get back for Denver 2014.
I also want to thank everyone who supported me in this
endeavor. Whether it was calming me down about my worries, or giving me the
kick in the right direction, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate everything
you all have done. To my parents, you
have always believed in me, and you have been incredibly supportive and helpful
in getting me here. I played for a national team. I can barely comprehend how
astonishing that is and that is entirely because of you. Without you, I am
nothing and for that, I can only say thank you.
I must also mention my sponsor. Without your aid, this road
would have been incredibly difficult, if not impossible. I am entirely in your
debt.
Again, for all those who are reading this or have read
anything over the last two weeks, you are all wonderful and just downright cool.
Thank you for the support! I hope the entries haven’t been overly boring
despite by sad attempts at humour. I’m funny okay, I’m funny.
This has been just amazing; I cannot find the words to
describe it. Thank you.
Iain
Final Songs of the Trip:
Coming Down (Cover of Anais Mitchell)-Bon Iver
Live at Air Studios: Hinnom, Tx, Wash, I Can’t Make You Love
Me, Babys, Beth/Rest
Grey Room- Damien Rice
Costa Rica- Vince Vaccaro
Cough Syrup (Young the Giant)
I’m Sexy and I Know it (Cover)- Noahhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsvlsuLau5c&feature=related
I Grieve- Peter Gabriel
Photos of the Trip:
Normandy- Canadian Cemetery. One of the most moving sites
I’ve ever seen.
Normandy- Canadian Cemetery. This stone is at the front of every commonwealth gravesite and cemetery. It gave me chills the first time I read it.
Normandy- Canadian Cemetery. Each headstone carries an inscription as well as the identification information of the soldier. This one is simply beautiful. "To Memory Ever Dear. If Love Could Save, Thou Hadst Not Died. Mom And Dad".
Normandy- Juno Beach. The site where the Canadians landed on June 6th, 1944
Normandy- Omaha Beach Cemetery
Normandy- Omaha Beach
Vimy Ridge- Allied Trenches
Trust the Midas touch (in Arras, France).
Ypres- German Cemetery. In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, each German cemetery was only allowed one piece of artwork. This piece was done by an artist from Munich and depicts four facets of the military: army, navy, air force, medic.
Ypres- German Cemetery. They also used flat headstones in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles. Each plot has at least 2 soldiers, some have many more. There are 20 000 more men buried under these headstones.
Ypres- German Cemetery. It is a lot different than the Commonwealth cemeteries. They use mass graves. In that centre plot, there are 25 000 soldiers.
Ypres- Passchendaele Headstone. "Sacrificed To The Fallacy That War Can End War".
Ypres- John McCrae Site- In Flanders Fields
Ypres- John McCrae Site
Ypres- Passchendaele Memorial- the tens of thousands of names on this wall are those of the missing.
Ypres- Passchendaele Memorial. Of 20 000 men, 15 500 were casualties.
Ypres- Shells. To this day, farmers still find shells in their fields, some empty and some still undetonated.
Ypres- St. Julien Monument. The location of the first gas attack in Ypres. The Canadians held off the Germans despite massive allied casualties.
Ypres- St. Julien Monument Statue. This statue represents the position a soldier takes when laying a friend to rest. Head down with hands clasped palms down over the butt of the rifle pointing to the ground.
Ypres- St. Julien Monument. The location of the first gas attack in Ypres. The Canadians held off the Germans despite massive allied casualties.
Ypres- Trench System. The boardwalk marks the original trenches. The trenches behind are the improved trenches using the frame technology. Built after the allies realized they would be there a while and they should probably keep their feet dry.
Ypres- Tunnels. At this site, they also found tunnels that go down to about 30 metres.
Ypres- The gravel marks the location of the underground
rooms branching off the tunnels.
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