Gimli Reunion

Gene McManus

Pinetree Line Reunion 2000
From Below the 49th

I turned the Pinetree Line Reunion 2000 into an even larger reunion for me, spending several days beforehand in North Dakota, visiting a couple old friends in Minot. My thinking went something like, "I'm going to be up there anyway, why not combine a visit in Minot, along with some scouting of old radar stations on my way to Gimli?" So that's what I did. The short version of this is that the week leading up to the Reunion just added to the fun.

My drive up from Minot to Gimli was uneventful, and I arrived in Gimli in the afternoon of Sunday, July 2nd. It struck me as kind of unusual that I was spending American Independence Day, July 4th in Canada, having spent Canada Day in North Dakota.

I was relatively early at check-in at the Royal Canadian Legion hall, but already it was a busy place. Registration was quick, and refreshments were ready.

I had met a number of the folks by email before coming to Gimli. It was a great treat to finally get to put some faces on a number of email addresses. The only 'downer' of the whole event was that there were so few Americans in attendance. I only met two American couples there. There was another couple who were wearing American Flag T-shirts on the 4th, whom I did not meet. I always seemed to be heading in the opposite direction from them.

A highlight of the Reunion, and a real treat for me, was the concert in the park presented by the 1 Canadian Air Division Band. Starting the show, and several times during the show, the RCAF staged a small fly-over with a C-130 Hercules, and a small jet training aircraft. The first flyover came during the playing of "Oh, Canada", and the gooseflesh came, even though I'm a Yank.

There was the usual Canadian/American bantering back and forth with good-natured jabs. Funny how servicemen seem to get into this mode automatically. It was great fun!

I was honored (honoured?) to give the toast at the banquet our last evening together. Thanks very much for allowing me this privilege. I have included the text of my short address below.

Special guests at the banquet were NORAD Canada Commander Maj. Gen. Lucas, RCAF, and Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Gelwix, USAF, and their wives.

Transcript of Banquet Toast
by Gene McManus

Good evening General & Mrs. Lucas; General & Mrs. Gelwix, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Gene McManus (American, eh?). My small part in this event has been to act as U.S. coordinator. The very small American attendance leads me to believe that I could have done a better job. Incidentally, I'm also the webmaster of the Online Air Defense Radar Museum, and founder of Radomes - The Air Defense Radar Veterans' Association.

First, I'd like to recognize and say "Thank You" to the organizers of this reunion. Larry Wilson, who could not be in attendance, Pierre Parent, and George Zullich are the ring leaders, whose very hard work has made this event possible. Gentlemen, thank you very much - nicely done!

Sunday afternoon, while sitting down by the Gimli harbor people-watching, I saw a number of our group walking by. It occurred to me that you can still tell us from the "townies". I can tell from the chuckles I just heard that you know what I'm talking about. When I was young and in the U.S. Air Force, you could instantly spot a fellow serviceman in town. Even in civvies, we simply didn't look like the "townies". You know who they were, right? They were the local guys who hated us because we were dating the cute girls. In those days, we stood & walked a little straighter, a little prouder perhaps. Our haircuts were a dead giveaway.

Today, you can still pick us out from the "townies". We're the ones who are NOT 20 years old; we're the ones whose ball caps are on the "right" way; we're the ones who don't have our bodies pierced in strange places. And our hair is still a giveaway - only now it's because of the lovely grey patina those of us who still have hair are blessed with.

Many of us are no longer physically able to stand as straight, and we may walk with a limp, or not at all. But in our hearts and minds, we're still "standing tall". We're the men and women who come to attention and salute our flag when our National Anthem plays at the football or hockey game. We're the guys whose voices can no longer hold the tune to "Oh, Canada" or "The Star Spangled Banner". We're the people who are first to stand, hands over our hearts as the colors pass in the parade.

It's been said that "The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance". This week we've shared and remembered our common bond as members of a group whose business was vigilance.

Our work was anything but glamorous. Most people currently living in North America don't know our units ever existed. These remote radar sites known as "The Pinetree Line" were not "choice" assignments - unless you happened to like 55 below zero (apologies to my Canadian friends, I don't think in metric) and snow ten feet deep in the winter; or roads which were impassable mud or nonexistent part of the year; or marauding black flies - with fangs - which ran in packs - in the summer.

But we have much to be proud of having served our countries in these places. We were the eyes - part of a very large network whose eyes were ever watchful, always "bear" hunting. Thank God ours was a mostly boring, undramatic task.

I'm happy to report that ours was a successful mission. On our watch, not one nuclear device found its way in anger to our shared continent. For that, we can say to ourselves - "Thank You!"

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to raise our glasses in salute to us - "Bravo Zulu!" - job well done!.