What Was That War All About, Anyway?: The Army Life of Vincent Joseph Barnes

War stories are told from many points of view. Some write the horrors of war, some boastful, others braggarts. I have never been a war enthusiast nor have I ever glorified war. A great Chinese philosopher wrote, 2500 years ago; "The purpose of war is to make peace. Any other reason is unacceptable."

I tell my story truthfully, as I remember these happenings. It was World War Two when our fighting began on the beaches of Normandy, France. I was not a front line fighter, but being part of a second echelon workshop, followed the 4th Armored Brigade of the 4th Division, Canadian Army, very closely. We saw the aftermath of battle before the burial crews arrived.

My Story begins with enli9sting, going through basic and advanced training to make us front line fighters if necessary. This story is about the humorous side of a soldier's life as well as the tragic.

When I finished my instrument course at camp Barryfield, I said my last, tearful goodbye to Lillian, my wife and boarded the Mauritania for England. There I joined the 4th Armored Brigade. We landed in France after D.Day. Our 4th Division engaged the enemy at Caen and Falaise and through Belgium to Holland, into Germany, April 1945 and the Germans surrendered on May 5th 1945. Repatriation took 7 months. I returned home a few days after Christmas, to a Lillia I barely knew. My future was about as uncertain as when I'd left for war.