Book excerpt: Lt. Hal Robert, a native of Canada, was one of many veterans of World War II and the Korean War. During the last years of his life, his nerves were frazzled from so many bad wartime memories. Before he died at age forty-one, his son – the author – was able to coax him to share his experiences. In this biography, he traces his father’s life and connection to the wars, beginning with when he signed up with the Lord Strathcona Horse regiment at Camp Shilo, Manitoba, on June 27, 1938. He was immediately sent for training in horsemanship. At the time, the Strathcona was still very much a cavalry regiment. The Lord Strathconas ended their use of horses in 1940, except on special occasions, as horses were by then deemed obsolete in modern warfare. It changed to a mechanization regiment about the same time Canada declared war on Germany: Sept. 10, 1940. Join the author as he traces his family history, focusing on the role his father and Canada played on the world stage.