So, you think you’ve had a tough day, eh?.You just needed to do some simple banking, but the lineup was long … and you waited forever..The bank only had one or two people working during lunch hour, and it seemed to take the length of a Bible to get to you..And then, a hard day’s work with an ungrateful boss, followed by a terrible commute home on the Deerfoot 500..Your SUV’s gas gauge, dipping below half, but you don’t have the money to fill it up, thanks to Mr. Trudeau..Then you check your mailbox, where bills of every shape and size await you..Life as we know it in today’s Canada. Sink or swim, kiddo. Too bad, so sad..But sometimes, we lose sight of things..We are beset by first world problems. And we forget..Oh God, how we forget..And I’m as guilty of it as anyone else..We don’t realize how damn lucky we are. We don’t appreciate the freedom we have, despite life’s troubles..And those who fought for it and died for it..Well let me remind you..Exactly 81 years ago, Jacob Vouza was being tortured by Japanese forces on Guadalcanal during the War in the Pacific..He was beaten, bayoneted and tied to a tree. .He had deep wounds in his throat, chest, arms and stomach. He stopped moving. . Sir Jacob Charles VouzaSir Jacob Charles Vouza, an Island scout in his marine fatigues, wields a captured Japanese sword .The Japanese left him for dead, still tied to the tree..Vouza had been a member of the Solomon Islands Constabulary. When war broke out, he became a coast watcher, reporting on Japanese ship, air and troop movements..Dangerous work behind enemy lines, but Vouza enjoyed it. But there was a price to pay..When the US 1st Marine Division landed on the island, Vouza began working directly for them as a scout. .He knew the terrain well and preferred to operate alone. A lone wolf..Unfortunately, he ran afoul of a Japanese patrol, who found an American flag among his gear. They tied him up and began torturing him. .But all he said in response to their interrogation was, "Better me die plenty than give Solomon Islands to Japan.".His torturers got nothing out of him and soon departed..Vouza, bleeding profusely, barely able to see, began chewing through his ropes..Barely conscious, he freed himself. Dragging himself several kilometres to reach the friendlies..The shocked Marines who found him tried to bring him to their medical aid station, but Vouza refused. .He insisted on first being brought to the Battalion Command post. Do or die, he was going to make a full report..Vouza told the Battalion Commander what he had learned of the size and activities of the Japanese force. .The Marines were unaware that a regimental-sized Japanese element had landed, and Vouza's warning gave them the warning they needed to prepare for what became the Battle of the Tenaru..The Japanese would be defeated in a bloody battle with heavy losses..As soon as he finished his report, Vouza collapsed, and was taken to an aid station where he required 16 pints of blood. .But according to reports, just 12 days later he was back on his feet, and working as a scout with the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion..Vouza proudly wore his Marine Corps tunic until his death on March 15, 1984, and was buried in it on Guadalcanal..If only we had such men today, guarding our walls, protecting our democracy..Today, a rectangular marker overlooking the grave has a brass plaque that reads: "We dedicate to Sergeant Major Jacob Vouza and his Solomon Island scouts for supreme intrepidity and valour in the face of the enemy during the struggle for Guadalcanal 1942-1943 presented by US Marine Raiders Association.".So yeah, crack a beer and remember. Yeah, we got it tough..But we have a responsibility, to maintain the freedom we have been given, for our kids and grandkids. Don’t ever forget that..God save the King.
