The time around Remembrance Day is tough for Second World War veterans like Hank Jackson, who turns 103 in January.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the only time you really stop and think about all the poor buggers that didnB次元官网网址檛 make it,B次元官网网址� said Jackson, a former tail gunner on a Halifax bomber.

Jackson flew 32 combat missions from the United Kingdom. All members of his crew received Distinguished Flying Crosses from the United States Armed Forces.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e all disappeared. My father and my brother were both in the army overseas B次元官网网址� my father in the First World War B次元官网网址� and all three of us made it back. So we did above average. We gotta remember a lot of those guys that didnB次元官网网址檛.B次元官网网址�

Bill Cook, who is 98 and was also a tail gunner in the Second World War, flew a dozen missions over Europe.

B次元官网网址淢y crew have all passed away. It still haunts me.B次元官网网址�

More than one million Canadians served in the Second World War. More than 45,000 died and another 55,000 were wounded. Another 33,000 fought in the Korean War.

Veterans Affairs Canada says there are 9,267 veterans of the Second World War and Korean War who are still alive in Canada.

But as veterans die, military historians worry about keeping their history alive in the minds of Canadians.

Staff with The Military Museums in Calgary, home to eight separate museums, have interviewed many of the dwindling number of Second World War veterans.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always a huge loss when we lose our veteransB次元官网网址� voices,B次元官网网址� said senior curator Rory Cory.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why itB次元官网网址檚 important for us as a museum and as educators and historians in general to try and keep the public interest alive in those kind of things. ItB次元官网网址檚 up to the next generations to carry the torch forward.B次元官网网址�

Cory said the organization has come up with ways to get more war history into Calgary classrooms. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a program called Explosive Threats related to mining and demining and peacekeeping. And thereB次元官网网址檚 another called Explosive Math, which has students do mathematical calculations to plot the shot fall of an artillery shell.

Karl Kjarsgaard, curator of the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alta., said heB次元官网网址檚 disappointed with how little students are learning in school about CanadaB次元官网网址檚 contribution to the Second World War.

B次元官网网址淲hy should children come to our museum and say, B次元官网网址楥anada was in World War II?B次元官网网址� I am concerned that Canadians are not being told of the excellence of gentlemen like these guys that did their best to give us our freedom.B次元官网网址�

CanadaB次元官网网址檚 involvement in the Second World War is taught in schools, but it often focuses on international conflicts and root causes as opposed to specific battles and exploits.

In British Columbia, for example, the provincial education ministry says social studies for Grade 10 covers the history of Canada and the world from 1914 to present day and requires all students learn about B次元官网网址渋nternational conflicts and co-operation,B次元官网网址� with the world wars a suggested topic.

Jackie Jansen van Doorn, executive director of The Military Museums Foundation, said stories from a source are key to educating the younger generation.

B次元官网网址淗aving someone whoB次元官网网址檚 actually been through a war and tell their first-hand experience is something that really makes memories for students that come through our doors,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淭he education component this is just huge, and having the loss of these veterans impacts on how the next generation remembers things.B次元官网网址�

Cook vividly remembered the first time he was in a firefight.

B次元官网网址淭he instructor would say, B次元官网网址榊ou donB次元官网网址檛 shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.B次元官网网址� This Focke-Wulf (German fighter plane) was coming in on the tail and I was sitting there waiting until he got closer, and all of a sudden he fired and hit the tail fin,B次元官网网址� Cook said.

B次元官网网址淚 was so bloody scared, I didnB次元官网网址檛 know which way to turn. After that, I thought to hell with the hero worship. When a fighter came in and he was 400 or 500 yards away, I would fire a blast off to let him know, B次元官网网址業 see you,B次元官网网址� and they would usually peel off.B次元官网网址�

Jackson said he doesnB次元官网网址檛 remember a lot of the missions, but he does recall facing his own mortality.

B次元官网网址淲hen we were flying, I honestly did not think weB次元官网网址檇 make it. Because, you know, I thought if it happened, itB次元官网网址檚 going to happen, and I just hope it happens quick,B次元官网网址� he said with a laugh.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 want to go down in a flame or something.B次元官网网址�

Jackson said he has shared some of his experiences with young people who have come to visit, but he also understands why some arenB次元官网网址檛 aware of what happened in the past. They may not have had family members who served.

B次元官网网址淎nyone who has had a family member affected, they probably do.B次元官网网址�

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