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Sgt. George L. Caya, joined the army in 1941 because he didn't have a steady job, so at the young age of sixteen (16) he joined the Army. During the next four (4) years he would fight many Campaigns and Battles.
Military Medal (M.M.) Presented by King George VI, 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defense of Britain, Volunteer and Clasp, Victory Medal.
Sgt. George Caya, landed on the beaches of
Normandy on July 25th, 1944. He fought in the Battle of Veen,
Germany, March 7th, 1945) to the campaign to take the town of
Steenbergen, Holland, November 5th to 8th, 1944
"Caya surely has something to say and has earned the right to say it"
"George was a real man and a
damn good leader when it counted. If his story could only be told on
film, it would put all the others behind and even equal "Saving
Private Ryan" which was very good for an American story, made most
realistic thanks to Steven Spielberg."
In 1938 at the tail end of the depression, my family lived in a small mining town called Perron, 16 miles from Val D'Or, Quebec.
There were no roads in those days so we would ride on a pole track after leaving a ship that had taken us some distance across Lake Superior. A truck had been modified to ride on the poles that were used as rails. This vehicle traveled at a rather slow speed but it was much easier than walking. We saw some wildlife such as a bear with two cubs going up a tree but they were not very close to the pole track and we soon lost sight of them. The truck was loaded with our bedding, a few cooking utensils, very little clothing and little food.
After leaving the truck, our goods were taken by a team of horses pulling a stone boat leaving us to walk the last two miles on a bush trail.
When we arrived at Perron Gold Mine, we were met by our father who had arrived there a few months earlier and had built us a house of sorts with square logs.
We didn't go to school from 1938 to 1939 so our mother would teach us some religion and many other things she had learned when she was in a convent. I come from a family of 8 children which consisted of the oldest ones being 3 girls, 3 brothers and the two youngest ones being girls.
When I was fourteen years old I was employed at a movie theater. I earned very little money but I was allowed to watch the movies for free. In the spring of 1940, I got a job working for the Inspiration Drilling Co. working underground for 5 or 6 months.
By then the government made it law that all persons 16 years of age and older had to be registered. Being too young to work and produce a card led to me being laid off. My first and last underground job was over.
In 1941, I was employed by TransCanada Highways cutting and burning the right-of-way. I was offered a cookie's job and took it with pleasure.
The contract with Crawley MacCracken would soon come to an end and summer was now over.
In September 1941 I found myself without a job
and no money to talk about so I decided to join the army."
In January 1946 after receiving my discharge from active service, I
joined my father and two brothers to work for the Newago Lumber Co.
The company's head office was located in Calstock, Ontario. There I
would learn what hard work was about. The four (4) of us would handle
1,300 cords of wood, each cord weighing about 2,000 pounds along with
two teams of horses.
In the spring of 1946, I went to work as a helper for an electrical company in Hearst, Ontario. I stayed with City Electric for 5 years.
In 1952 I moved to Sudbury where I was employed by Young Electric. Two years later I joined the rush to wire several new mines near Elliott Lake.
While in Sudbury, we had formed the I.B.E.W. Electrical Union #1687. I was with this local until 1975. I then retired due to medical problems.
Being idle for all these years, I often wrote short stories for the Legion Bulletin. Somewhere along these last few years, I was encouraged to write about my war years. My main effort would be the two books I wrote entitled "The Warpath Days as Seen by Sgt. George L. Caya, M.M." and "Ne-Kah-Ne-Tah" (We Lead, Others Follow).
Now, going on 75 years of age, with a new pet named Sugar, a 7 month old Rotweiler / Labrador Retriever, I will spend the next few months thinking about what will come next. Could there be another story in the new millennium? Happy New Year.
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