At 102 and 101, Richard Earl and Stephen Andrushko are among the few remaining Canadians who can tell what the Second World War was like first-hand. Both enlisted at 18, both served as radio operators, and both now live at Deer Lodge Centre, where they arrived within the past year. The duo is part of a rapidly shrinking group. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, just over 4,300 Canadian veterans of the Second World War and the Korean War are still living, down from 5,649 at the last Remembrance Day. The federal department said it has no breakdown by conflict this year, though it estimated last year that 3,691 Second World War veterans were still living. Earl, a born-and-raised Winnipegger, said he was the youngest of his siblings. When the war began, his five brothers all enlisted, and he followed their lead, joining the Royal Canadian Air Force. He credited his longevity to genes from his mother, who he said lived to be 97. “I was only young in those days, and I was venturous, so (enlisting) sat very well with me at the time,” Earl told CTV News last week. “I just thought, I wanted to fly.” He got his wish, but not in the way he expected. “When I joined the Air Force, I never realized that I would end up in Southeast Asia,” he said. “You got to do as you’re told. You obey orders.” Earl served as a radio operator on a transport aircraft flying between India and Burma, now Myanmar, carrying supplies to British troops. He was one of the original members of No. 435 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force when it formed in 1944. “The British 14th Army. We helped them with their supplies because an army needs an awful lot to fight on,” he said. “It was just a wonderful experience to serve overseas.” He returned to Canada, as did all five of his brothers, and was greeted by his family. Earl said he went back to his apprenticeship with the Canadian National Railway, worked on steam locomotives and raised four children. “I did my part,” Earl said, adding he has never lost sight of his contributions. On a separate floor of Deer Lodge Centre lives Andrushko, who enlisted in the Canadian Army. Asked for his secret to a long life, he gave credit to a higher power. “Thank the guy upstairs,” he said. Andrushko said he joined the way many young people do. “You got out of school, you’re looking around. The first thing you’re looking for is a job, eh? And you go to different places. So finally, I said, I’ll join,” he said. “I did my training as a radio operator in Kingston, and then transferred to England, and then to Belgium when the war was still on.” His service also took him to Germany and Holland, he said. “Being a Canadian, you had the duty, the responsibility to do your share as an adult.” Some of his friends in the Navy and Air Force never made it home, he said. “It would have been nice if they were able to make it home, meet with their parents.” “I was glad to get home, and then I started looking for a job,” he said. When he returned, Andrushko said he went to work for the Canadian National Railway and attended college. “I want to thank the people of Canada that they welcomed us back again, gave us opportunity for jobs, to go to school, get an education, and improve your life.” With files from CTV News’ Daniel Halmarson and The Canadian Press
