MAJ (R) Tom Lee

The veteran community lost a good man with the passing of Major (Retired) Tom Lee. Canadian artilleryman. He left a mark on everyone who served with him.

Thirty-four and a half years. Gunner. Section commander. Officer. He grew up in Cobourg, Ontario. Small farm town. Blink twice and you miss it. Ball hockey in the street. Log cabin in the woods with his friends. First time drunk at thirteen or fourteen on stolen beer. Not pretty.

He was an indifferent student unless he saw the point. Chalkboard formulas lost him. Electronics shop. Radios. Complex math. He aced it. Grades were not enough for Royal Military College. October 1978. Recession. No jobs. The Army offered a roof and three squares. Sometimes the roof was canvas. Sometimes the meals were IMPs.

Recruit training at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. A 707 to Halifax. One of the first times he had left his home province. His dad and his dad's buddies had been in World War II and Korea. Serving your country was something you should aspire to. He wanted to see the world.

Germany. Cyprus. Afghanistan. He trained his whole life for the real job. When the shooting war came he was in it. Later he helped coordinate care for the families of the fallen. When they made that kind of sacrifice, he said, you do not want to make it worse.

I knew him because we spent almost three years of every workday side by side. Smoking area. Parking lot. We taught lieutenants at the officer basic course. American. Other nations. His calm. His teaching. Paul Riley. Steve Burnley. Keith Maxwell. Kathleen. Good people on both sides of that line.

He sat down with us for Heroes Live. Everybody chooses their own way. That was his advice for the grandkids. The way he chose was perfect for him. Find the calling. Put your whole heart in it. Chase it.

Canadians do not salute without headdress. He still had his. Deliberate. A little sharper. Up and down. Thank you, Tom. Your story matters. Your service mattered. You will not be forgotten. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.