Stoney soldier Joe Poucette remembered for bravery after WW II death

RiflemanJoePoucetteenlisted in the military in secret.

Hemade sure his paperwork was complete before he told his family: he was theonly soldier from Stoney Nakoda First Nation west of Calgaryto serve in the Second World War.

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But he didn'thave toworryabout their reaction to the news he was volunteering to fight for Canada.

"The community had a powwow for him, honouring him," said niece Tina Fox."They gave him a name and a ceremonial song, and the next day he went off to war."

Fox was too young to remember her Uncle Joe, but nowas an elder of the First Nation,she is committed to honouring hismemory and sharing his story with youngergenerations.

"We hold our warriors in high esteem and that's what he was.He represented that to our people."

'Big in heart and bravery'

Poucetteenlisted in Calgary on Oct.25, 1943.

He wasn't a tall man, but big in heart and bravery.- Niece Tina Fox

He was a slight man, and military records show he was just "five feet three inches,and his weight is 120 to 125 pounds."

Fox says his diminutive status has become part of his legacy.

"He wasn't a very tall man, but big in heart and bravery," she said.

An appraisal, written after 48 days of basic training, found"his score is not truly indicative of his ability."

He was a "good mixer" and it was anticipated he would "adjust well to service life."

An avidoutdoorsman, ranch-hand and cowboy, Poucette's commanding officer listed his special skills as a "farmer and trapper."

Royal Winnipeg Rifles

He requested a position with an infantry unitand was assigned to the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.

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It is perhaps no surprise that RiflemanPoucettewas able to mix easily with soldiers with very different backgrounds than his own.

He was, after all, a product of a residential school, which had the aim of erasing his indigenous culture.

Looking back, more than seven decades later, there is a unmistakable irony in Poucette's willingness to fight for acountry thatdiscriminated against him in law and practice.

"He's resilient, he's brave," saidFox."He didn't say, 'Thisis what residential school did to me.'He stepped out of it and went off to war."

And Poucettewrote home, to the local schoolchildren and to his family.

Letters home

Two precious letters still exist, including one to his brother, NoahPoucette.

Written from "somewhere in France,"the letter is intentionally vague and gives no detail about the battles in which we know JoePoucettewould have been fighting.

He limits his correspondence to cheerful chit-chat askingabout his girlfriend, Kay, and the annual Calgary Stampede that he was missing.

He would never see another Calgary Stampede.

After 43 days in theatre, Rifleman JoePoucettewas killed in action in Normandy, France, during the Victory ofFalaise.

A telegram arrived at what was then called theMorleyReserve, notifying Poucette's mother,Jennie,of his death.

Buried in France

Poucette is buried at the Bretteville-sur-LaizeCanadian Military Cemetery in France.

A memorial headstone sits between the graves of his brotherand his motherat a cemetery at the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.

"It gives me goose bumps.His story does stand out," saidCalgary author Anne Gafiuk, whofelt a connection toPoucette immediately.

She was making a book from the wartime clipping scrapbook of an Okotoks resident, the late Alice Spackman, when she ran across one short newspaper obituary of Poucette's death, entitled "Rflmn. JoePoucetteWon't See Snow Again."

Over two years,Gafiukresearched and learned enough details of Poucette's life and death, his story has become four pages in her new book, "She Made Them Family: Awartime scrapbook from the Prairies."

'He was a hero'

"He wanted to fight for Canada."Gafiuksaid."He wanted to do his part, but also as a First Nations man."

Every year around Remembrance Day, Tina Fox tells the story of her Uncle Joe to school children to ensure his legacy lives in her community through traditional ChinikiNakodaoral storytelling.

This year, she will lay also a memorial wreath at the cenotaph at the Royal Canadian Legion in nearby Cochrane.

A small honour for the brave Stoney warrior who made the ultimate sacrifice.

"He was a hero," saidFox.

"He still is to me."

• Read some of the historical documents surrounding his enlistment.
• Read more stories fromCBC Aboriginal