Robert Spisak

About Robert Spisak

I had an interest in my father’s role in the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion since I was a kid and he told my brother, sister and myself of some things he went through down at Fort Benning Georgia, Shilo Manitoba and even training over in U.K. but it stopped when talk came to his landing in France on D-Day. He said he was wounded on D-Day, June 06,1944 but I found out through Jan de Vries and his loving wife Joanne de Vries that it was July 4, 1944. I checked the War Diary for the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion to find out he was wounded on July 2, 1944 at le Mesnil, France. Since then more research has been done and I had the honor to talk to Russ Dixon, Eugene Sanford in person and the honor to correspond with Jan and Joanne de Vries. Through an interview about my father, correspondence through Veterans Affairs and News Paper clips I am learning things my father took with him to the grave. My goal is to make clear where he landed and his role up until he was injured. He was in the Vickers Platoon which partially explains why he did not want to talk. He brought us kids up with no sign of withdrawal on his father role. He had IQ of 151 which maybe explains how he was able to cope with the nightmare of his role as a paratrooper. I want to put my mind at rest by finding out what he went through. I look up at him as a hero regardless of my findings, just like I think all soldiers are heroes for their role to give us the freedom we have today. Salute to them all.