Squadron's 'old man' outlives crew mates

In his 30s during the Second World War, Peter Nabozniak was considered the old man in his crew.

An air gunner with the 429 Bison Squadron, Nabozniak flew 30 missions with his seven-man crew, most in their early 20s. At 99, Nabozniak laid a wreath down at Fort William Gardens Thursday morning, joining thousands of people commemorating Rememberance Day.

"And here he is, one of life’s ironies, the last surviving member of that crew of seven," said Nabozniak’s son Allan Brend.

Nabozniak’s last mission ended when his plane was shot down in the North Sea, becoming one of the largest successful sea rescue operations in the war, Brend said. Seeing his father honoured by a younger generation brought tears to Brend’s eyes.

"I’m very proud of my father, I’m very proud of the service he rendered to this country," Brend said holding back tears. "I consider it a pleasure and an honour to be here with my dad."

And honouring veterans like Nabozniak and hearing their stories is what Rememberance Day is all about said parade commander Lorne Kondreska.

"The younger generation gets a chance to see them and maybe even a chance to talk with them and find out what really happened because in another ten years we won’t have any of that history," Kondreska said.

Kondreska said when he was young, schools didn’t teach children about war the way they do now.

"War is an atrocity and we don’t want it ever to happen again," said Kondreska.

Brend said while generations have been taking their freedom for granted, veterans are getting more recognition because of missions like Afghanistan.

"People are beginning to realize that there was a cost for the freedoms we enjoy," said Brend.
Learning what that freedom cost can be taught by the veterans who were on hand at the Gardens Thursday Kondreska said.

"It’s nice to see that we still have some veterans that can march because they’re getting up there in age," he said. "This year we probably had more sitting than marching but that’s OK, they still came out."