Two North Shore veterans received official commendation from the veterans affairs minister on Monday.
At a ceremony in Richmond, Harry Greenwood of West Vancouver and Edmund Wu of North Vancouver, along with 12 others, were honoured by Minister of Veterans Affairs Kent Hehr for their outstanding service in caring for local veterans. It is the highest honour the ministry gives.
“It was humbling,” said Greenwood. “Standing there with those guys, with all of our decorations, and to think, we were all just boys. We were all just boys.”
His gracious and tireless commitment to the health and well-being of West Vancouver’s veterans made Greenwood stand out, a ministry release stated. He joined the Royal Canadian Legion in 1992 and served on the executive committee for Branch 60 in West Vancouver in numerous positions, including first vice-president and chairman. Now as the branch Service Officer, Greenwood makes sure his members receive any and all services the Legion provides. In April, he was named West Vancouver’s citizen of the year.
While serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, Greenwood saw battle on the Atlantic and the shores of Normandy as well as in Southeast Asia. In 2014, at the 70th anniversary of D-Day, he laid the wreath on behalf of the Canadian contingency at the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Normandy. On that same trip, he was awarded the French Legion of Honour with the rank of Chevalier (French for “knight”).
At 91 years of age, Greenwood said he’s not slowing down any time soon. He plans to continue his work serving the North Shore’s veterans, although he will now do so while proudly sporting his new lapel pin, a golden maple leaf resting on a red poppy.
A proud veteran of the British Hong Kong paramilitary Correctional Services, Wu is now an Active Member of the Army, Navy, and Airforce Veterans of Canada. He is the driving force behind many events that foster comradeship and support among veterans in North Vancouver.
With the Chinese-Canadian Military Museum Society, Wu continues to volunteer his time commemorating the contributions of Chinese-Canadian veterans of the first and second world wars.
Speaking about Monday’s ceremony, Wu said, “It was a great honour.”
