Captain Eddie Strauss, my uncle, was a tail gunner on a Lancaster bomber with the RCAF’s 426 Thunderbird Squadron during the Second World War. He was shot at many times, dropped bombs on German cities and leaflets on Nazi-occupied territory, and took part in D-Day. Uncle Eddie didn’t like to talk about the war, but when he did, his memories led him to recall how many comrades and men his squadron had lost! He remembers flying over the beach on D-Day and says the hardest part was being so high in the air and not being able to help his comrades killed on the beach on the ground! He dreaded reading the daily orders from the RCAF, as they listed the crews who hadn’t returned! My uncle would come home, but unlike many of his friends, that’s when the tears would flow. My uncle Eddie passed away last year at the age of 98! I’m very proud of my uncle and miss him very much, especially on Remembrance Day, when we celebrate together and he remembers us!