Veterans without uniforms

As I sat in the Cochrane gymnasium -- named for the many Cochrane Cobra teams in that high school -- I reflected for the first time in my life about what constitutes a veteran? We were there for the Remembrance Day Service and the gym was packed. Growing up, I had thought only my Uncle Rollie had been a real vet. Afterall, he had been the one to have served overseas in the Second World War, in Italy. Afterall, Uncle Rollie had a uniform, medals and still worked as paymaster for several reserve units in Ottawa. Clearly, Uncle Rollie was a real war vet.

I had five uncles. On my mother's side there was Uncle Charlie, her brother. But he had had rheumatic fever and his weakened heart made him unfit for duty. My other uncles -- Elgin and Rollie -- were married to my aunts. We knew Rollie was a vet. What about Uncle Elgin? On my father's side, his brothers -- Louis and Larry -- did not serve overseas. No one had a clue why, but no one ever discussed it. I remember these uncles as being very brilliant, but quite odd and decidedly anti-social. Marriage was not their strong suit. But I digress.

What I knew as a child was that my father, Thomas Raymond Griffith, was the head of the rubber lab at the National Research Council. I also knew he had about 250 patents to his name and that, as a chemical engineer, he was dazzling. What I came to know was that he was not permitted to be a soldier, toiling in the "physical" trenches, because his duty was to contribute to the invention of synthetic rubber. His work was in other trenches. Natural tree rubber was not available during the war and rubber was critical to....well....everything. Daddy succeeded. One of the things he invented were what were called "rubber shoes" on the propellers of planes. These were coverings that conducted electricity to defrost the props so that planes could fly in freezing weather.

I remember him saying..."The most difficult thing was to make rubber electrically-conductive. The other problem was developing a glue that would adhese the rubber to the propeller." Here was a man who was instrumental in the war effort, but spent the war years in the rubber lab solving gigantic problems. I remember a James Cagney movie where Cagney portrayed a fighter pilot caught in an ice storm. He radios he is about to try these new de-icers on the propellers, but isn't sure they will work. The drama, as he flicks the switch and we watch the ice fly off the props, is amazing! That is all my father's genius. Cagney saves the day, thanks to Tommy Griffith. By the way, my Dad went up in the first test flights at the Rockcliffe Air Base when the de-icers were tested; they worked perfectly.

After the war, the NRC lent him out for months at a time to Goodyear, BF Goodrich, Firestone, etc., where he worked helping the mega tire companies refine synthetic rubber. He simply collected his modest salary and loved every minute of it. When you watch NASCAR and hear the scream of tires, think of Tommy Griffith. When you watch Daytona and see the rubber burn, think of Tommy Griffith. When you thrill to the Grand Prix, think of Tommy Griffith. When you buy your own tires at the local garage, think of Tommy Griffith. When you watch massive tanks roll, think of Tommy Griffith. I could go on, but you get the point. Synthetic rubber makes the world go 'round.

This was the era of pure and applied chemistry, when Canada contributed mightily to industrial progress. Today we are a nation of people who do each others' laundry. We don't create wealth, we exchange it. Other than that, we suck oil from the ground and chop down trees. Where is the innovation of our potential?

But a nod my other wonderful uncle, Elgin -- prevented from going overseas because he was a gifted, young bureaucrat in the Department of Finance. His was to work in other "trenches" in Ottawa, funding the kind of inventions and innovations my Dad produced.

All three were giants, veterans with uniforms or without. I thought of Daddy, Elgin and Rollie with much love today.

(Footnote: Uncle Rollie is still living and quite "with it". He just turned 96.)