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1/17/2010
It's a historic moment for the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. A local documentarian is recording the history of paratrooping dating from 1942 to present.
Sunday afternoon, veteran Paratroopers and director/producer behind the film were at the Edmonton Garrison.
"The Airborne years were the best years. They were hard, but they were some of the greatest times in my life." Captain Retired Bill Dixon, 71, served for 37 years in the Canadian Forces including his own role as an infantryman and a Paratrooper. He's one of the reason's the documentary "Paratroopers - The Canadian Story" began filming last year.
Captain Retired Bill Dixon stands at 3PPCLI at CFB Edmonton.
Originally he asked Director/Producer Dixon Christie to make a short film for the 65th anniversary of D-Day. But Christie said, the more he got to know the veterans, the more he felt their story needed to be told on a greater scale. "The story of Canada's Airborne Veterans is actually the story of Canada's military. Therefore, it's a story on the history of Canada. How we react in war, how our soldiers fight, and how we follows the rules of engagement. How we are compassionate soldiers and fearless warriors at the same time."
Dixon remarks Paratroopers have always played a critical role in our wars and says they need to have their stories told, before they aren't around to tell them. "They're leaving us far too quickly now. A lot of them are in their late 80's and early 90's. Their stories, in many cases, have not been told. The whole scope of this documentary is to tell the story of the history of Paratroopers from 1942 to present."
Currently the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based here in Edmonton has 107 trained Paratroopers. That's one-third of Canada's Paratroopers.
A veteran tells his story for the documentary.
After 14 months and a cross-Canada journey Christie says they're only scratching the surface of the story. The documentary is still being filmed, but will be released on DVD and on the festival circuit when it's completed. (blb)
On The Net:
Paratroopers.ca
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