It’s been 100 years since troops fought at Vimy Ridge, but one Okotoks man is trying to keep the memory of fallen soldiers and veterans alive through his poetry.
Dale Steeves has penned hundreds of poems in honour of veterans and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country, all to raise awareness of the plight of the soldiers who return home from war.
His interest in war began as a young boy, growing up shortly after the end of the Second World War.
“All the movies they were making was about wars, and you grow up into that and you talk to the vets and see how so many of them reacted to coming home,” said Steeves. “We used to just call them old drunks and alcoholics and that, before we really understood what it was. It was all suffering from PTSD at a time before anybody really knew about it.”
His interest piqued when he started reading more about the First World War, and realized how brutal the fight had been. That was when he began writing poems – not to glorify the wars themselves, but to bring awareness to what had been done in the name of the homeland.
When veteran affairs took a blow in the federal budget, he was shocked to learn that a number of veterans were relying on the food bank to get by.
“That’s just plain wrong,” said Steeves. “So, I just started to write and as I was writing I thought, I should see if we can write something for a fundraiser for the vets, just to get it out.”
He penned one poem, The Battle of Vimy Ridge, to recognize the 100th anniversary of the battle, and presented it to the Legion. Some of the members began to take interest in what he was doing, and came onboard to help with a fundraiser.
Though it’s in the early planning stages, the event is called Verses for Vets and will focus on veterans.
“I’ve told them it’s not a dance and it’s not anything to glorify war,” said Steeves. “I don’t even believe an awful lot of the time we should have sent our soldiers to fight, but I think if we’re going to send them we should look after them.
“It’s really no more than that. Just an attempt to raise awareness for veterans and what they’re still going through today.”
Brent Ball, treasurer for the Okotoks Legion Branch 291, said Steeves’ poem, The Battle of Vimy Ridge, resonated with him. After reading it the first time, he superimposed the words over a photo of the monument at Vimy Ridge, had it framed and presented it back to Steeves following the Birth of a Nation ceremony on April 9.
“He was quite taken with it and agreed we could use it in a fundraising effort,” said Ball. “So we drilled down the details of how to use it and what the funds were going to be used for.”
A portion of the proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the Legion’s building fund, to help the group move out of the Elks Hall and have its own building in Okotoks to better serve the community, veterans and their families, he said.
The remaining proceeds will be donated to causes directly benefitting veterans, such as the Veterans Food Bank and Madison House – a housing program strictly for homeless veterans.
There is also the Military Family Resource Centre in Calgary, which deals directly with vets and their families, he said. Legion members are helping Steeves explore all the options to help veterans.
“Dale’s quite passionate, which is great, and anything the Legion can do to assist that is well within our mandate,” said Ball.
Anyone interested in helping to plan the Verses for Vets fundraiser can contact Steeves at 403-863-0107.
