Veteran Michael Mochoruk has seen many changes in his life during the past 100 years, but he likely didn’t foresee the Royal Canadian Legion honouring him with an award.
Mochoruk is a resident of Pioneer Lodge and was one of about 30 residents who attended the care home’s Remembrance Day service on Nov. 7. Before the service’s start, though, Moose Jaw’s Branch No. 59 presented the centenarian with a Quilt of Valour to recognize his age and his military service.
He was born in Krydor, Sask, on Nov. 10, 1923 — one day before Remembrance Day — and then moved to Moose Jaw at age 16. He later served in air traffic control during the Second World War with the Royal Canadian Air Force from June 21, 1943 to Aug. 26, 1946.
Mochoruk didn’t say much about the quilt or his time in the air force, but his son, Dale, said his father appreciates the gift.
The legion’s Sharon Fraser read a letter on behalf of Saskatchewan Command that congratulated Mochoruk on reaching 100 years and thanked him for his distinguished career in the Canadian Forces. He was also a 40-year member of the legion.
“Your continued commitment to the Royal Canadian Legion speaks volumes of your character and we are very proud of you and the leadership you have provided over the years,” Command president Carol Pederson wrote.
“We find that you have been a long and dedicated member of the RCL Moose Jaw Branch No. 59. You are to be commended for your long years of loyalty and dedicated service to our great organization.”
Steve Richardson with the legion and Don McDonald with the Moose Jaw UN-NATO veterans group then wrapped the quilt around Mochoruk.
Besides the letter, Saskatchewan Command also gave Mochoruk a framed museum replica of a poem that was written during the First World War at Vimy Ridge.
Another letter explained that soldiers of the 10th Battalion, First Canadian Division, first recited the hymn at a Thanksgiving Service on May 13, 1917, three weeks after the Battle of Vimy Ridge from April 9 to 12.
The letter — sent to Saskatchewan Command in 2017 — indicated that Saskatchewan periodontist Dr. Paul Kavanagh found the hymn in the personal possessions of Brigadier-General Daniel Mowat Ormond, who led the 10th Battalion.
The officer’s grandson, Dr. John Ormond, received two full suitcases of original documents and relics belonging to the general; he passed them to his Kavanagh, his brother-in-law.
After learning about the materials, the Canadian War Museum contacted the family and insisted — “rightly so” — that the family donate the original documents for proper safekeeping and preservation since they should be protected for future generations.
Kavanagh added that he provided Saskatchewan Command with a copy of the hymn/poem to honour the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Canadian government then recited the hymn at the service in France.
That hymn reads:
“Great God of nations, at Whose Will / Proud sceptred Empires wax and wane / Defend our Empire’s people still / Unsheathe Thy sword for us again / For liberty and right we stand / O God arise stretch forth Thy hand.
“Great God of battle, steel their heart, / Who serve by land, and air and sea; / With honour let them play their part, / With duty let their service be, / Gainst cruelty and wrong we fight, / O God arise put forth Thy Night.
“O God of pity be Thou nigh, / Where lurke the sunk death-dealing mine, / Where blazing roof-trees flush the sky, / In reeking trench and shattered line, / For Motherhood and King we fight, / O God arise maintain the right.
“O God of mercy be our shield / And hear our dear ones far away; / For them we stand on blood stained field, / For us they wait at home and pray, / To Thee we turn, to Thee we cry, / O God lead on to Victory.”
After the presentation, the legion helped lead the care home’s remembrance service.
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