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He was my Father.
He passed away 16 October 2009...35 years RCAF / CAF
This poem appears everywhere you see RCAF and/ or Wets as author unknown....kinda like he meant. Yes, he wrote this. For clarification...in 68 our RCAF became part of a total force and was forced to wear green, a travesty, and one that wasn't corrected until 1986 when we went back to blue. My Father enlisted in a blue uniform and retired in a green. I enlisted in a green uniform and retired in a blue....Go Blue.
CANEX is like the US PX..enuff said.
THE WETS
By: I.L. Cheverie
Her Majesty’s old Air Force
is gone and in its place,
We wear the green of unity
which lacks old charm and grace.
But memories still haunt me
of the wonders that I’ve seen;
And wonder of all wonders
was the Airman’s Wet Canteen.
No CANEX gift shops for us then
or choice of where to buy;
Just two canteens to purchase from,
the Wet... and the Dry.
The Dry one sold you laundry soap
and other sundry gear;
But if you went to the Wet one,
you’d better just want beer.
If you liked soft upholstery
and tables neat and clean;
There was certainly no place for you
in the Airman’s Wet Canteen.
No genteel folk like officers
were welcome there you see;
Just the acey-deuceys and the ones,
and the old sweat LAC.
We were a young and rowdy bunch
who gathered in the Wets;
And the thing that kept us out of jail
was the presence of the Vets.
They taught us all the drinking games
and songs about the brave;
But the most important thing they did
was teach us to behave.
The code they taught was a simple one –
‘Don’t act like bloody sods,
And never let your buddy down
no matter what the odds’.
Now arguments and fisticuffs
were quite a common scene;
With bellies full and tempers up
in the Airman’s Wet Canteen.
There’s been a time or two I guess
I’ve joined the bloody lists;
But I always got more bruises
on my eyes than on my fists.
I may sound harsh and crude to you
but I never will be mean;
‘Cause I got my education
at the Airman’s Wet Canteen.
And the memories still haunt me
of the wonders that I’ve seen;
And the wonder of all wonders
was the Airman’s Wet Canteen.
