Product Description

A battle-weary veteran of the Desert War shoots himself in the head with his own revolver rather than face another day. A troop carrier of Canadian soldiers, in transit from one skirmish to another, pauses long enough to wish the bride good luck at a village wedding. The horror and the beauty of war are captured in this battle memoir by one Canadian who lived through it all. Sgt. Charles D. Kipp served with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment on active duty in Europe in the bloody days and weeks following D-Day. From his perseverance to qualify for active service through to his postwar medical problems with a stress-induced heart problem, one comes away with a portrait of a resourceful, principled and practical individual coping during battle by living day to day, moment to moment, surviving by cool-headed wits and blind luck—a true hero.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #369553 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-14
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Amazon.ca
Perhaps the last battle fought by veterans of any conflict is that of understanding. Separating Sgt. Charles D. Kipp's war memoir from those of his fellows is the uniquely empathetic presentation: when he's holding a dying German soldier, a soldier he himself shot, you feel the blood on your hands as acutely as he does. Because We Are Canadians is the first and only written work by Kipp (he died in January of 2000, aged 82), and what a legacy he has left. Wholly engrossing from the outset, Because We Are Canadians briefly traces Kipp's enlisted life through training near his home in southwestern Ontario to his landing on the beaches of France following D-Day to, most specifically, his contribution to the liberation of Northern Europe, a chronological, hour-by-hour account of the daily battles waged by his regiment through the summer and fall of 1944.

Despite the title, which has its own significance, there is nothing in the way of flag-waving or glossed-over glorification in Kipp's recollection. In fact, he is often bluntly critical of the Canadian government--the military in particular--and its handling of many aspects of the war, and he isn't afraid to name names, brushing aside the usual etiquette of anonymity so many war biographers employ when it comes to detailing former comrades' inadequacies on the battlefield. Another distinguishing factor is the storytelling. These are tales that very much tell themselves: unadorned narratives notable for both their great detail and sometimes shocking honesty. Kipp was no saint, and he did and saw things that others wouldn't dare think about, never mind write about (the grisly killing of an unlucky German soldier by phosphorous shell--burned from the inside out--during an outdoor church service comes to mind). But in the end you see the man for the man, and that war in relation to all men. --Jamie O'Meara

Pierre Berton
“Of all the reading I have done on the war in northern Europe, this is the most memorable.”

About the Author
Charles Kipp passed away in January 2000. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; daughter, Peggy Fox; and two grandchildren.

Lynda Sykes is a freelance writer and long-time friend and neighbour of Charles Kipp. She first encouraged him to turn his scrapbook of war- time experiences into a manuscript, and this book is the result of their collaboration.

Customer Reviews

a biased opinion
i guess i am biased on this book becuase i am related to the author but i found this book very enjoyable. I'm usually not one for war stories, when i picked up this book I did not put it down untill i was done reading the whole thing. i was mesmerized, this is an amazing read

An unusually haunting and vividly written account
Because We Are Canadians is a battlefield memoir of Charles D. Kipp, revealing a Canadian soldier's harrowing struggle to survive on the World War II battlefields of Europe after D-Day. Deftly edited by Lunda Sykes, Because We Are Canadians is strongly recommended as being an unusually haunting and vividly written account, with all the visceral feelings of terrible risk and bloodshed, as well as offering one man's view of both the minute details of everyday life and the unfolding battlefield journal of World War II history.