The Icelandic connection - 01.06.2014, Page 15

Vol. 66 #4
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
157
sketches was published in 1990. The
book is titled Veterans of Icelandic
Descent: World War II. It is a sequel
to the book Minningarrit Islenzkra
Hermanna and presents all those
who served their country; men and
women, Canadians and Americans.
Their role in history could well have
been lost without the soldiers’ books
being published. The latter veterans’
book even included a supplement for
UN actions and Vietnam. The work
was done before the digital age when
carbon paper still ruled the world, so
taking on this project was a huge task
for these women. Frank Wilson says: “I still
remember my mother and Dee Dee selling
copies of the book at Islendingadagarinn.”
These two books are priceless pieces
of Icelandic-North American history.
They show us how the first generations of
Icelandic immigrants to North America
proved their loyalty to their new homeland
by offering their lives in service of their
country. The ladies of the IODE have
given us an immeasurable treasure in
compiling these works. The young men and
women who lost their lives will forever be
remembered through these biographical
sketches and photos as will the contributions
of those who did return home after the war.
Families move on; old photos and records
disappear. For many of these young people,
the pictures in the two commemorative
volumes will be the only images we have
and the biographical write-ups the only
real proof that these people were once part
of a larger effort and contributed in such
a significant way to our collective society.
The Royal Canadian Legion credo: ‘Let Us
RememberThem’is forever possible through
these treasures from the Jon Sigurdsson
Chapter of the IODE.
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